This work contains themes and scenes intended for mature readers (18+). It explores intimacy, emotional complexity, and adult relationships through contemporary romance and erotic realism. Reader discretion is advised.
Beneath the Glass
Permission in Blue Light
During a chaotic school field trip to the aquarium, Janet and Eve find a moment of quiet connection in the darkened jellyfish exhibit. Eve acknowledges Janet's exhaustion and offers her validation, telling her she's allowed to be a person outside of motherhood.
An Excerpt from this Chapter...
“You’re hovering,” Eve said softly.
Janet stiffened. “I’m watching my group.”
“No. You’re hovering over yourself. You’re tight. Your shoulders have been up to your ears since we got off the bus.” Eve turned her body fully toward Janet. “You’re doing a good job, Janet. You don’t have to white-knuckle it.”
Janet looked at the tank. The jellies drifted, brainless and serene. “I’m just tired.”
“I know.” Eve’s voice dropped. It was intimate, stripping away the noise of the room. “You’re a good mom. You’re doing everything right.”
The validation hit Janet in the throat. It was sharp and unexpected. She swallowed, fighting the sting of tears.
“It doesn’t feel like it,” Janet whispered.
“That’s because you’re trying to be everything,” Eve said. She took a half-step closer. Her hand twitched at her side, as if she wanted to reach out, but she kept it against her thigh. “You’re his whole world. I see that. But you’re allowed to be a person, too. You’re allowed to want things that aren’t for him.”
Things that aren’t for him.
Janet looked at Eve. She saw the exhaustion in Eve’s face, the intelligence, the want. It wasn’t a shimmering reflection in the glass. It was a woman standing in the dark, smelling of sanitizer and sweat, offering a permission slip.
Janet’s breath hitched. She wanted to lean in. She wanted to bridge the three inches of space and rest her forehead against Eve’s shoulder. The urge was a physical ache in her chest.