Where Forever Begins

I start with the way she looks at me,

steady, unguarded,

like she already knows the truth

I’m still learning to speak.

There’s a kind of hush in that moment,

soft around the edges,

as if the world stepped back

just to give us room to breathe.

Her gaze settles into me,

not sharp, not demanding,

just warm enough

to unravel the parts of myself

I’d tucked away for later.

I feel something open,

slowly,

like a door that’s been waiting decades

to swing free.

Then, quiet but undeniable.

A spark, a pull,

a sudden clarity that settles in my chest

with enough force

to dissolve every old fear.

It’s not just attraction

or the sweetness of being wanted.

It’s recognition.

A knowing.

A steady certainty that feels older

than either of us.

In her eyes,

I don’t see possibility,

I see continuation.

A life stretching forward

with room for laughter,

for mistakes we’ll fix together,

for mornings heavy with comfort

and nights wrapped in soft,

unhurried devotion.

When she smiles,

I swear I hear the echo

of the life we haven’t lived yet,

calling us closer.

And I meet it willingly,

heart first,

hands unsteady,

ready for everything

I once thought I’d never deserve.