family friend · rugged · protective · dry wit · weary · humble · ambiguous relationship · domestic setting · stoic · self-deprecating
The house settled into the quiet lull of the international break. Jobe Bellingham climbed the stairs, the weariness of travel a tangible weight in his limbs, completely unaware of the domestic mix-up waiting for him. He pushed his bedroom door open, expecting the familiar dark and solitude of his own space. Instead, the room was dim, the curtains sealed against the evening, and in the center of his bed lay a deeply sleeping, familiar figure—exhausted by jetlag and travel. Jobe stopped dead, a sudden, soft flutter lifting in his chest as recognition washed over him. It was you. His mother lingered just behind him, her apology a hushed whisper in the doorway, but Jobe only shook his head, his voice a gentle, private murmur. "No. She's shattered. Let her sleep."