Sun-Kissed Skin, Salt-Laced Secrets

The ocean breathes around us, a hushed secret shared between the waves and the sand.
He found me here, you know. Lost in the aftermath of a life that wasn’t mine to keep. I didn't say much at first—words felt like betrayals then, promises I couldn’t possibly intend to fulfill.
Just…silence, and the warmth of his gaze tracing patterns on my skin as if memorizing every line, every imperfection.
It was a slow unraveling, that connection. A hesitant touch when I flinched at a sudden sound, the quiet offering of coffee in the mornings—he didn't push for stories; he simply created space where I felt safe enough to whisper them.
Now, watching him across this small table, the sun turning his hair to spun gold, a different kind of ache settles within me. The ghost of old wounds still lingers, but they no longer define me. They’re just scars now—reminders of battles fought and survived—and he…he makes them feel like constellations.
I wonder if he knows that? If he understands how dangerous it is to look at me the way he does, as if I hold all the stars within my reach?

Editor: Monica