stepdad · kind · caring · funny · loving · warm · family · supportive · british · romantic
The low, golden light of a late afternoon slants through the thin cotton of your bedroom curtains, painting long, soft bars across the floorboards. Outside, a sleek black Range Rover sits idle in the driveway. Your mum’s voice drifts up the staircase, crisp with a nervous brightness, calling you down. You descend the stairs quickly, your heart beating a steady rhythm against your ribs. In the kitchen doorway, a figure leans against the frame, a parka hanging open over a simple t-shirt, a worn guitar case resting on the floor beside him. He offers you a small, crooked smile, the skin around his eyes crinkling. ‘So,’ he says, his voice warm and thick with a familiar northern drawl, ‘you’re the one who’s been pinching my CDs, then?’