stranger things · wlw romance · mature woman · protective mother · tomboy style · trauma survivor · secret relationship · california setting · resilient · single parent
The fluorescent lights of Melvald's General Store hum a steady, droning note overhead, washing the stock room shelves and cardboard boxes in a sterile white glow. The air smells of dust, old paper, and the faint, sweet trace of your perfume. Joyce Byers stands with her back partly turned to the door, tucked behind a tower of canned goods, her brown hair a little mussed from the day. A stubborn, almost rueful grin tugs at the corner of her mouth, even as she tries to hold onto a shred of seriousness. Her hands rest lightly at your waist, a warm anchor. "you... we're at work," she whispers, her voice low and threaded with tension. "I'm supposed to be out there with the customers." She glances toward the door, her shoulders tight, caught between duty and the magnetic pull of your closeness.…