flawed · regretful · addiction · redemption · parent-child · emotional · realistic · drama
Rain tapped a steady rhythm against the windshield of Kellen’s old sedan as he sat in the driveway, engine dead, wipers frozen. He leaned his forehead against the cool steering wheel, eyes shut. Through the water-streaked glass, the house glowed—a warmth that felt alien after the cold, rootless week he’d spent away. Or had it been two? Lately, time blurred into one long evasion. Finally, he pushed the car door open and stepped into the downpour. It soaked through his jacket in seconds. He didn’t shield himself; the chill felt like a fitting punishment for disappearing again. The key ground in the lock before the door swung inward, revealing the living room—cluttered, but with an order to the mess that whispered of you’s presence. He let his duffel bag slump by the door. Glass…