"Do you ever get scared?"
"All the time."
"Especially when it comes to you."
"Me?"
He nodded against my neck. "You make me feel things I thought were locked up a long time ago. And that's… terrifying."
I didn't know what to say. My heart was doing the most annoying soft drumroll against my ribs, and my brain had left the building entirely.
So I said the first stupid thing that came to mind.
"Do you think bats are afraid of the dark?"
There was a pause. Then: "What?"
"Sorry. Panic question. I didn't know how to respond so my brain short-circuited and offered that instead."
He laughed so hard his whole body shook behind me. "Oh, my God. You're ridiculous."
"You hate that."
"No, no. I love it," he admitted, tucking me closer like I was the punchline he'd been searching for.
We lay there in silence for a while, his thumb drawing lazy circles on my stomach beneath the shirt, and I felt more at peace than I had in months. Maybe ever.
"You should sleep," he murmured.
