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Profile avatar image for ephemeralenigma
ephemeralenigma
29 reads

unconditional

the room is quiet

save for the humming of the AC unit

i’m hyperaware of the rise and fall of my chest,

and the stillness of your stare.

i break the silence with heavy words,

stilted and uncertain

i drop them like stones.

but you catch them

and reply without missing a beat

we weave a delicate back-and-forth

threads of tension twisting painfully

the air is saturated with a mournful hesitation

the space between us uneasy

we have reached an impasse

we hold our breath,

unsteady.

i sneak a peek at you from the corner of my eye

and i trace the gentle planes of your face

the familiar slope of your nose and the curve where your hair tucks behind your ear

i allow your smooth contours to quell the tightness in my chest.

i know you can see me looking,

keen eyes, magnets drawn to mine

there is nothing placid about their warmth.

i meet your gaze

and my blood slows.

something in me snaps

and you are there to break my fall,

you pull me close

i whisper an apology into your chest

you rest your chin on my head

for a while you don’t speak.

“i wouldn’t hurt for someone i didn’t love,”

it’s a rumble in your chest

an ache in my nerves

and with that,

the icebergs frozen by years of anguish

begin to melt.

the water levels rise

but i am dry in your arms,

safe and sure

buoyed by the steady thrumming of your heart.

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