taking you home so i can take care of you (Patreon)

i lead you into my room, your arm resting lightly on mine as you steady yourself with each step. i help you settle into bed, pulling the blankets around you as you sink into the softness, the tension in your body easing ever so slightly. i tell you i will take the couch, my voice steady, even as my heart pulls in another direction. you reach for me, your touch hesitant, almost questioning, as though you are not sure i will stay. but how could i leave? the quiet feels fragile now, like it might shatter under the weight of all that lingers between us. so i lie beside you, the space between us filled with unspoken words and memories too heavy to voice, and so i lie beside you, holding on to the quiet connection we still share.