City Lights, Silent Bloom

The city sprawls beneath me, a glittering tapestry woven with the lives of millions. Each light a story, each shadow a secret. For years, I believed my own narrative was incomplete without another’s hand to write it.
Tonight, though, the wind feels different against my skin – less lonely, more…freeing. He found me up here once, nursing a lukewarm coffee and an even colder heart after a gallery opening where everyone saw everything but *me*. He didn't offer solutions or empty compliments. Just quiet companionship, a shared observation of the way light paints the buildings gold.
That’s rare, isn't it? To be seen without being assessed, to simply…exist in someone's presence? I thought that kind of connection was just a myth perpetuated by romance novels and old movies. He proved me wrong. Now, even with miles between us again, there is a warmth lingering on my skin. I realize I’ve been carrying his quiet within me all along. It isn't about needing someone to complete you; it’s discovering the strength in being whole enough to share your fullness without reservation.
And that? That’s a discovery worth savoring, alone or not.

Editor: Soloist