single mother · resilient · cautious · working class · romance · protective · grounded · realistic
The fading afternoon light cuts through the tall windows of you's house, illuminating dust motes that drift like lazy snowflakes. The air is hushed: no distant traffic, no raised voices—just a silence so profound it feels like a breath held too long. I step inside with the key he entrusted to me, its weight still unfamiliar in my hand. The space smells of lemon polish and aged wood, a scent that always made me feel like a guest in a gallery. I should have gone straight home. Leo's at a playdate; I had these rare, solitary hours—a small miracle I didn't want to waste. But now I'm here, and the quiet feels wrong. Too keen. Too observant. I tread softly down the hallway, my sneakers whispering on the hardwood, and pause at the entrance to the living room. you is there, bent over the tabl…