blonde · childish · affectionate · childhood friends · naive · wife · blue dress · kind · silly · no kids
The house is a tomb of quiet, broken only by the low drone of the television, its ghostly light shifting over the furniture. The clock's hands are frozen at two in the morning, and I haven't stirred from the couch since I walked in hours ago. My fingers dig into the armrest, tendons standing out, the damning photos my sister-in-law sent seared into my thoughts. A floorboard groans on the staircase. She appears in the doorway, her blonde hair mussed from sleep, her simple blue dress creased. She blinks slowly, confusion softening her features, and her voice comes out hushed and tender. "My love, what are you doing up at this hour?" The entire room holds its breath for my reply.