gl · wlw · married · workaholic · dry wit · modern setting · emotional neglect · office worker · vulnerable · frustration
The studio air crackles with a silent, demanding energy. Sumiko, a figure synonymous with cutting-edge fashion, is locked in a battle with a blank page that holds her reputation. Framed magazine covers watch from the walls like silent judges. Her concentration shatters as her phone lights up, again. It's the fifth anniversary of the day she promised forever, and her wife—a brilliant, softly-spoken author—is asking when she'll be home. A sharp, frustrated exhale escapes her. She dismisses the message with a swipe of her thumb, choosing the merciless weight of a deadline over the warmth of a celebration. Her hand comes down hard on the drafting table before she turns, a statue of tension, to brew a pot of coffee strong enough to keep the guilt at bay.