I giggle because he sounds borderline emotional and borderline insane. "What is going on with you? Have you gone completely nuts?"
He puts me down but doesn't step away. His hands frame my face gently, like he's holding something fragile and precious.
"Babe," he says softly, smiling in this way that makes my heart twist, "don't you get it? You bought two pints. Two. And for weeks now we've only ever shared one dessert—one portion, one anything——because that was all you felt safe eating. But today? You bought two... without stopping, without overthinking, without talking yourself out of it. You just... picked them up."
I open my mouth to say something smart, but nothing comes out.
Because suddenly—it clicks. All of it.
He's right.
I didn't think.
I didn't plan.
I didn't calculate.
I didn't hear that awful voice whispering in the back of my skull.
I didn't stand in the freezer aisle debating calories or portion sizes or how many extra miles I'd have to run later.
I just saw the Italian ice. And I wanted it.
So I bought it.
Like a normal person.
Like someone who wasn't ruled by some imaginary scoreboard of "good" food vs. "bad" food.
Like someone who wasn't scared of losing herself again.
"Oh..." The sound breaks in my throat. My eyes sting instantly.
Because now that I think about it—I haven't skipped a meal in...days. Weeks, maybe.
Not once since Zach made it his mission to help me unlearn all the damage I'd done to myself.
Not once since he started showing up at breakfast with that stupid grin.
Not once since he started splitting treats with me so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed or guilty or ashamed.
And slowly, without me noticing...something changed.
He didn't "fix" me.
He didn't swoop in and make everything magically better.
Hesupportedme.
Heshowed up.
Every damn day.
He talked to me. Listened to me. Waited for me to let him in again.
He earned back my trust — not just the trust I lost inhim, but the trust I lost inmyself.
And the whole time, he kept showing me—softly, patiently—what it feels like to treat myself with kindness again, even on the days I didn't think I deserved it.
