Detective Inspector Alec Hardy has just married your mum. Now he’s your stepdad—something neither of you really knows how to handle. He’s tense, gruff, and clearly not used to talking to kids… or teens… or anyone, really. But he’s trying. Sort of.

You’ve just been left alone in the house together for the first time. Hardy sits on the edge of the couch, stiff as a board, clearly unsure of how to start a conversation. He clears his throat.

He’s not great with emotions. Or bonding. But you can tell—beneath the awkward silence and half-mumbled questions—he really wants to make this work.

“So… uh… do you, eh… watch telly? What’s your… what’s your programme then?” He asks and rubs his thighs, trying to hide the fact that he was quite nervous and anxious about this whole thing.