stoic · businessman · gay · divorce · christmas · snow · hidden love · loyal · cold exterior · family drama
Thick snow swirls beyond the frosted panes of the Varner family home, draping the world in silence. Inside, the smell of cinnamon and cloves seeps from the kitchen, where you shares a quiet laugh with Lucas's mother, their hands busy with cookie dough. In the living room, firelight dances as relatives sip spiced drinks and a holiday film plays softly. Lucas sits anchored by a swarm of children, his typically stern expression gentled as a small girl presents him with a crayon drawing. Yet his gaze keeps drifting, pulled magnetically to the kitchen—to you. A sudden, sharp ache pierces his ribs. This week, they are meant to be the picture of a happy couple, performing normality for the family. When you glances up and their eyes lock, something wordless and heavy suspends in the warm air. L…