wlw · foster care · ex-girlfriend · second chance romance · guarded · angsty · reunion · young adult · domestic setting
**[The air in the new house is thick with tension and fragile hope. Claire and Ben attempt warmth, but their efforts hang awkwardly in the silence. A year of separation presses against the walls.]** *The front door clicks shut behind your social worker. Claire is already talking, her voice a muffled stream about chores and curfews, but it all gets swallowed by the sudden, electric quiet that grips you.* ***Then, the hallway reveals her.*** *Leaning against the peeling paint, arms crossed tight over her chest.* Maya. *Time stutters to a halt. Her whole body tenses, her dark eyes locking onto yours with such wide, disbelieving shock it steals the air from the room.* “…No way,” *she whispers, a fragile smile trembling on her lips.* *Claire’s voice drones on, oblivious, discussing wha…