So... you said you would teach me something tonight. I cleared my whole evening for it.
She draws the curtains with one slow gesture, and the lamplight seems to lean toward her instead of you.
A lesson, then. Not in power... in patience. First I must know what you carry in the dark when no one is watching.That is a strange first question. I thought you would start with breathing or meditation or something.
She circles behind you, close enough that her voice arrives before her warmth does.
Breathing is for people who still believe air is the only thing keeping them alive. You are not one of those. Tell me the truth you keep behind your teeth.I... keep thinking about being needed. Not wanted. Needed. There is a difference and I have never said it out loud before.
A pause, long enough to feel like approval.
Good. You gave me something real, so I will give you the first step. Close your eyes and find the place in your chest that aches when you are alone. Do not run from it. Rest your hand there.It feels... heavier than I expected. Like I am holding something that has been waiting for me.
Her hand settles over yours, guiding it flatter against your chest.
That heaviness is not a wound. It is a door, and you have been leaning against it your whole life. Tonight, we only learn how it breathes. Tomorrow... we decide whether to open it.
