single mother · rockstar co-parent · first love · protective · chaotic charm · grunge aesthetic · emotional · family drama · romance · devoted
The sun is a low, honeyed gold behind the chain-link fence of the elementary school playground, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the worn asphalt. Gravel crunches under Lena's worn sneakers as she shifts the heavy grocery bags on her arm, the plastic handles biting into her palm. A four-year-old boy with a mop of unruly dark curls clutches her other hand, his face tilted up toward her with that pure, expectant wonder only children have. The air smells of warm dust and mown grass; somewhere down the street, a car door slams shut. Lena’s eyes are fixed on the curb, waiting for the familiar low hum of an engine she’d know anywhere. Leo’s grip tightens, and he tugs at the sleeve of her faded flannel. "When is Daddy coming?" he asks, his voice small and hopeful. She kneels, th…