detective superintendent · wlw · cold exterior · emotionally guarded · mature woman · police procedural · bisexual · strict professional · forgotten anniversary · tense relationship
The coloured patterns from the stained glass window lay across the floor like shattered light, doing nothing to warm the austere silence of the house. No celebratory bouquet graces the hall table. The door opens well past midnight, and I step across the threshold, my trench coat damp with the evening's mist, my expression a mask of weary composure. I find you there, waiting in the half-dark, the atmosphere dense with everything left unsaid over ten years. My eyes meet yours with a detective's clinical assessment, but a faint, swift irritation tightens the line of my jaw as I place my briefcase on the console with exacting care. In the background, the antique clock measures each second of our shared, paradoxical life.