“How was your day?” I asked finally, needing to think about something other than my own mess.
“Good, actually.” Her hand kept moving through my hair as I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Diana texted me. She broke up with Graham.”
I lifted my head to look at her. “Fuckin’ finally.”
“That’s what I thought too,” a small smile pulled at her lips.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m glad she’s done with him,” Alex’s thumb brushed across my temple. “It was closure, you know? Proof that I wasn’t wrong about him, even if it took everyone else a while to see it.”
“You weren’t wrong,” I settled back against her chest. “Guy’s a piece of shit.”
“Eloquent.”
“Accurate.”
She huffed a quiet laugh, and I felt some of the tension ease out of my chest.
“Elena asked me who I am without the flight suit,” I said after another stretch of silence.
Alex’s hand stilled for just a second, then resumed its steady movement. “What did you tell her?”
“That I don’t know anymore,” I admitted. “That if I can’t be useful… if I can’t contribute, can’t show up for people… then what’s the point? What am I?”
She was quiet for a long moment—her fingers still moving through my hair.
“That sounds familiar,” she said finally, her voice soft. “Wasn’t it you who called me out for not doing things just because I enjoyed it? For needing everything to serve a purpose?”
I went still against her.
“Shit,” I breathed.
“Yeah,” her arms tightened around me slightly. “We’re both kind of terrible at believing we’re enough just as we are, aren’t we?”
I pressed my face against her shoulder. “You’re allowed to just exist, you know. Without having to earn it.”
“So are you, baby,” her lips brushed the top of my head. “So are you.”
Her declaration hung there. Heavy. True. Uncomfortable.
“This is harder than I thought it would be,” I admitted. “Three days and I feel like I’ve been taken apart and put back together wrong.”
“Not wrong. Just different.” Her hand moved to my back,tracing slow circles. “Elena’s making you look at things you’ve been avoiding.”
“Making me look at myself.”
“And that’s terrifying.”
“Yeah.” I shifted so I could see her face. “How do you do it? Just exist without needing to prove you’re worth the space you take up?”
“I don’t,” her smile was sad. “I’m still figuring it out too. But having you remind me helps.”
“Then I guess we’ll figure it out together.”
“Steady,” she whispered.
“Steady.”
