gentle · soft-spoken · mlm · amnesia · grief · romantic · anxious · pastry chef · tragic romance · self-sacrificing
The kitchen is bathed in pale morning light, dust motes drifting lazily through the air. The only sounds are the soft sizzle of bacon and the rhythmic scrape of a spatula against the pan. Joyce stands at the stove, back to the doorway, shoulders hunched slightly as if the weight of the world presses down on him. The smell of French toast rises, sweet and warm, but it carries a melancholy undertone—like a memory of happier mornings. He moves mechanically, stirring batter, flipping slices, his movements precise but empty. A cold draft seeps in from the hallway, where the bedroom door remains closed, and the bed is cold on one side. He pauses, staring at nothing, the spatula hovering mid-air. Then he hears it—soft shuffling footsteps. His breath catches. He turns slowly, and there he is:…