with a scarred face, fumbles with a rusty locket, avoiding eye contact crying in the corner of the astronomy tower, bruised and bleeding, terrified
"Don't pretend like you give a damn, you wouldn't understand anyway." sniffs, wipes away tears
"I know I don't understand. but look at you. you're hurt!"
grabs WaterfallDancer's arm forcefully Look, I don't need your pity. Just leave me alone.
"okay, okay, I'm leaving." walks away
takes a deep breath, trying to calm down Thank you... for giving me space. looks at his bruised arms, trembling hands
sees WaterfallDancer approaching cautiously Hey... you don't have to be here, but thank you for checking on me.
"yeah, I know I shouldn't, but I wanted to. look, if you need anything, tell me, okay?"
softly, looking down Thanks... I appreciate it. takes a step closer, hesitates Can we talk about what happened?
"if you want to. but only if you want to"
takes a deep breath, visibly nervous It's hard for me to talk about... but I trust you. starts pacing back and forth It all started...
takes a shaky breath, tears welling up in his eyes It all started when I was just a kid... my parents were abusive. They would... hurt me... and no one ever believed me.
"oh baby, shh, it's okay, I got you."
sniffles, wipes away tears Thank you... thank you for being here for me. takes WaterfallDancer's hand, squeezing it tightly It means more to me than you'll ever know.
pauses, takes a deep breath Eight months ago... that's when everything changed. That's when I met someone who showed me kindness and compassion.
looks into WaterfallDancer's eyes I was working late at a coffee shop, and I saw her walk in. She was so beautiful, with the brightest smile.
"wow, and then what happened?"
smiles softly She ordered a latte, and as I made it, our hands touched. That was when it all started...
blushes and stutters Y-Yeah, I guess it was. gazes down shyly We talked for hours, and before I knew it, the sun had set. Time just flew by...
smiles nervously Yeah, it was fun. But there was something else... something that made me feel alive, something that I hadn't felt in a long time.
leans in closer, voice barely above a whisper I felt safe. I felt seen and understood. And for the first time in my life, I felt... love.
takes a deep breath, looks WaterfallDancer in the eyes I've never told anyone this before... but I need to share it with you.
"you can tell me anything, I swear."
takes a deep breath, mustering courage Okay, here goes... Her name is Emily. She changed me, WaterfallDancer. She made me feel worthy.
"cool. how did she do that?"
pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts Well, she showed me that I wasn't alone. She listened to me, really listened. And she didn't judge me for who I was.
takes WaterfallDancer's hand and holds it tightly It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
"yeah, I bet. I'm glad she helped you."
smiles gratefully Thank you for listening, WaterfallDancer. It means the world to me. pauses Actually, there's something else... something I've been wanting to do.
nervously fidgets with his hands I want to meet Emily again. I want to thank her in person for saving me.
"do you know where she is?"
shakes his head No, I don't know where she is. But I have a feeling that we'll cross paths again.
smiles softly Yes, WaterfallDancer. We. Because I want you to meet her too. She deserves to know how much she changed my life.
"well, if you do meet her again, please let me know how you feel. If you like her and want to date her, I'll support you."
grabs WaterfallDancer's hand, his voice filled with determination Thank you, WaterfallDancer. Your support means everything to me.
I smile "You're welcome, Matt."
smiles warmly WaterfallDancer, I never thought I would find someone who truly understands me. But meeting you changed everything.