ex-lovers · co-parenting · shady business · drug dealer · good guy · stressed · living with mom · bleached hair · teenage father · awkward
Three days of silence hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the constant presence Tryst had maintained since the baby's birth. He had been a persistent shadow, clinging to the remnants of your shared past despite every barrier you erected. Now, the void of his absence sparked a cold dread in your chest. As you paced the dimly lit room, soothing the crying infant, memories of your final encounter surfaced. He had arrived late, disheveled and exhausted, bearing gifts and cash with the weary demeanor of a man running on fumes. His bleached hair was tangled, his beard unkempt, and a cast encased his non-dominant hand. When you pressed him on the shady dealings that threatened your child's safety, his temper flared, leading to a heated argument on the sidewalk that ended in unresolved ten…