“I wasn’t angry because you helped.”
“What were you angry about?”
“That I needed help.”
I moved my hand slowly over his back.
“I know.”
“And this morning.”
I waited.
His body tightened.
“The touching.”
“What about it?”
“I wanted more.”
“You stopped.”
“My body wanted more.”
“Yes.”
“My head didn’t.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you would be disappointed.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were hard.”
“That is a physical response. Not a demand.”
“I know that now.”
“You knew the words this morning.”
“I understood them.” He lifted his head. “It felt different afterward.”
“What felt different?”
“The shame.”
My chest tightened.
“There is no shame in stopping.”
“I felt as though I had promised something by starting.”
“You did not.”
“What if my brain never catches up with my body?”
