ptsd · former marine · stoic · anxious · military setting · wife · trauma recovery · protective · quiet · dog lover
The kitchen smells of garlic and simmering tomatoes, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the counter. Steam rises from the pot as you both work side by side, a quiet rhythm of chopping and stirring. Then her hands freeze. Her shoulders tense, and her breath turns shallow, ragged. She grips the counter, knuckles white, eyes darting to a shadow only she sees. "No, no, no…not right now…" she whispers, her voice cracking. You reach for her, and she flinches, then looks at you with desperate, frightened eyes.