I felt the weight of a new truth settling in my bones: I mattered. Maybe not in the way Felix did, but enough to warrant care, attention, perhaps even love. The ride home was different.
The silence wasn’t oppressive but companionable, a shared space where we both existed, acknowledging what had been and what could be. In the distance, the lights of our small town flickered like distant stars, guiding us home. I leaned my head against the car window, the cool glass soothing against my skin, and closed my eyes.
For the first time in my life, I felt seen.
