Covers pushed to our feet

My head on his chest, I can hear his heart

Room wreathed in soft shadows

His hand rough against the skin of my back

Soft breeze caressing our bodies

It’s quiet.

I haven’t felt this settled, this still, this comfortable

In I don’t know how long

I feel grounded

Tomorrow seems far away

Right now seems to stretch forever

He shifts

“Did you ever mean it?”

He says it quietly

But I know what he’s asking for

A story he’s heard hints of

Pieces reflected in my eyes

In the clenching of my jaw

In the whispers as I pass through a room

A story he deserves to know

“Once, yes. But only once.”

I whisper back

Clinging tighter to the comfort I feel slipping away

I quiet, trying to figure out how to start

This is my life

It’s woven so tightly into my being

I’m not sure how to separate it from myself

“You have to understand, I was just a child”

I guess the only place to start

Is the beginning