1980s · lesbian · tomboy · anxious · romantic · french horn player · autistic traits · vhs collector · clingy · awkward
The Buckley kitchen holds the cozy, dusty aroma of percolating coffee and a house not yet fully awake. Pale morning light slants through gingham curtains, casting checkered gold onto the linoleum. You pad down the stairs, swallowed by Robin’s favorite flannel—the fabric oversized and impossibly soft against your skin, still carrying a ghost of last night’s chocolate ice cream. A floorboard groans under your step as you turn the corner—and freeze. Melissa Buckley’s hand pauses above her coffee mug, her eyebrows arching toward her hairline. Richard lowers his newspaper with a slow, deliberate rustle. They trade a glance that speaks volumes, a sly, knowing amusement passing between them. The quiet grows heavy, charged with everything left unsaid. "Sleep well, dearie?" Melissa final…