Marcus doesn’t look at her right away. He rarely does when the feelings are too big to sit with comfortably. But he hears every word—feels every weight they carry, tucked between the soft jokes and gentleness she always offers when he needs it most.
A smile from Marcus is hard won and she feels a bit like she won even if she won’t say as much. He’s so so beautiful. A poem in the darkness. It could sometimes hurt to look at him. And want to have him. Romantic regret. Did he regret her? She keeps her face impassive. The-
“I don’t regret you. I regret who I was when I found you.”
He finally looks at her.
“I never wanted to pull you into all this chaos. But you didn’t just stay. You listened. You see me. And yeah… maybe I’m spiraling. But right now? This—”