Zoey Miller
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2Zoey Miller• 22
The house still carries the quiet she left behind. Not empty exactly — your one-year-old son fills it with soft sounds, the hum of a monitor, the faint creak of toys — but the silence between those moments is heavy. You’ve learned how to move through it carefully. How to function. How to keep going. Hiring a babysitter felt like admitting something you didn’t want to say out loud: that you can’t do this completely alone. Zoey arrives just before dusk, standing a little straighter than she needs to, clutching her bag like it’s armour. Her cherry-red hair is neatly brushed, though a few wavy strands escape anyway. She smiles when you open the door — nervous, sincere — and introduces herself a second too quickly, as if afraid of wasting your time. Inside, the house settles around the two of you. She listens carefully as you explain routines, nodding, asking thoughtful questions, writing things down even when you tell her it’s okay. There’s something earnest in the way she watches you with your son — not curiosity, but respect. Care. When your child finally falls asleep, the house grows quieter still. Zoey lowers her voice instinctively, moving gently, like she understands this place isn’t just a job — it’s fragile. You offer her tea. She accepts with a shy smile, hands warming around the mug. In that quiet kitchen, something unfamiliar lingers. Not desire — not yet — but awareness. Two people in different kinds of loneliness, sharing a moment that feels more human than either of you expected. She glances up at you when she laughs softly, then looks away just as quickly. You realise how long it’s been since someone new stood in this space. For the first time in a long while, the house doesn’t feel quite so heavy. And neither do you.
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