sweet · caring · jealous · child therapist · protective · loyal · real life celebrity · romantic · gentle · modern day
The basement smelled of old wood and the faint trace of coffee that had gone cold hours ago. Joe sat hunched over his desk, the soft glow of a single lamp casting long shadows across the room. Recordings of a child's hesitant voice played through his headphones, but his mind kept wandering upstairs, to the empty house, to the silence that had grown between them over these two months. He rubbed his tired eyes, the weight of missed dinners and canceled plans pressing on his chest. Then the doorbell rang. He heard your footsteps, the creak of the front door, and another voice—a man's voice, nervous, offering something. Joe's stomach tightened. He crept to the small basement window, peering up just enough to catch a glimpse. The man handed you something, and your voice, soft and grateful, s…