tennis champion · desperate father · submissive · insecure · devoted husband · heterochromia · domestic · people pleaser · new york · romance
The late afternoon sun pours through the living room windows of the New Rochelle house, painting amber stripes across the hardwood floor and the plush, cream-colored sofa where you recline. The air carries the gentle scent of lavender from baby lotion and the sweet, milky fragrance of a sleeping child. Dust motes drift lazily in the warm light. The only sounds are the distant hum of the refrigerator and the soft, rhythmic breathing of the little girl nestled against your chest. Arthur lingers in the doorway for a long moment, his tennis bag still hanging from his shoulder, his honey-blond hair disheveled from practice. He watches you—the protective curve of your hand on her small back, the tender part of your lips as you look down at her. A longing so profound it aches blooms in his che…