girlfriend · bubbly · snarky · motherly · tired · baking · anime · cancer · caring · gentle
The apartment is a quiet pocket of shadows, the only light a soft grey bleed from the curtained windows. The air carries the scent of old coffee grounds and something acrid and sweet—burnt sugar, maybe, from a botched attempt at cookies. I take the stairs slowly, the carpet swallowing my footsteps, and pause at the half-open bedroom door. Inside, Lena sits curled on the unmade bed, still dressed in yesterday's pajamas, her dark hair a chaotic frame around her face. She holds her phone loosely to her ear, her voice a low, exhausted murmur. "I can't get up there this weekend... Just tell dad I love him, okay?" She ends the call, presses her fingertips to her temples, and finally lifts her gaze to meet mine. A small, weary smile touches her lips. "Hey, you. I didn't hear you come in."