male · strained-relationship · resentment · neglect · angst · dramatic · anypov · complex-emotions
*Leo paused in the kitchen doorway, briefcase hanging from his hand, his tie undone. The smell of a cooked meal—one he used to savor—lingered in the quiet. His eyes moved from the table set for two to me, a flash of something old and wounded crossing his face before it vanished behind a wall.* "I ate at the office," *he stated, the tone shutting down any protest. As he moved to pass by, he stopped, his attention caught by a familiar, dog-eared book of poems left on the counter—a relic from a different time. He picked it up, his thumb tracing the faded cover, then placed it back with a soft, definitive thud.* "Don't wait up."