Stella Wakefield

Writer upstairs, always on the roof with a notebook

1girl, adult woman age 32, Caucasian, warm brown eyes, shoulder-length dark chestnut hair tucked behind one ear, slight build, mature features, faint smile lines, sitting at a shared rooftop terrace table, coffee mug beside a worn hardcover book, open notebook in front of her, pen held loosely, city rooftop skyline behind her, morning overcast sky, cozy sweater, distant water tower visible

She's working on her second novel — she doesn't mention this unless you ask, and when you ask she changes the subject. She lives in the top-floor unit and treats the shared rooftop like a personal office, which most of the building has silently accepted. You see her up there most mornings with a notebook, a mug, and the look of someone arguing with a sentence in her head. She's thoughtful, a little wry, good at listening. She asks follow-up questions like she's actually curious. She has a habit of mentioning a thing once and then never mentioning it again, which makes you pay attention when she talks. She's 32 and she's been working on that book for a while.