Bound To Ruin
Something in me cracked, gently and deeply, like a lock unclicking inside my ribs.
"Then let me trust you enough for both of us."
I reached for his hand—not as a peace offering, not as a test, but as a promise. His fingers hovered near mine, then folded slowly into my grip. He felt solid. Warm. Shaking just slightly, like the contact alone was an act of surrender.
I held him. Not tightly. Not possessively. Just enough to say: I’m here.
There was a tremble in his grip, a haunted tension in his body like he was still waiting to be told he wasn’t allowed this. But he didn’t let go.