I love her.

The words echo in my head over and over again, like a truth I have tried to bury for too long. Saying them out loud has changed something inside me. There is no taking them back now. There is no pretending anymore.

I cannot be without her.

I hold her closer, afraid that if I loosen my grip even a little, she will disappear. She feels real in my arms—warm, solid, grounding. She has always been my anchor, even when I did not deserve it. Even when I pushed her away.

I want to be ...