Shadows crept long across the ground and the fire crackled. Silence filled the space between my eyes.

You hadn’t said anything. Came to the door and asserted without words that I was yours. And I hadn’t protested. Couldn’t even bring myself to meet your gaze.

And that was hours ago. I gathered my will and lifted my chin. I couldn’t tell you whether it was second or hours. Chasing each tendril of fear, and teasing it back into the crucible.

I found the steel toes of your boots. Analyzed the jeans, worn but passable. A leather jacket against the chill. You had offered it and I rejected - I might regret that now.

I took in the worn skin, a man of use. The lines of your face. Hard but not unkind. Irises the color of flint. And as I looked in your eyes, I saw my future go up in flames. I did not resist.