I don’t want Wren to have to re-write themself for me.
It’s not fair to them.
So, if I really want to take this further, I need to relearn myself.
Unpack things I thought I knew.
And ask myself the hard questions about why I’m here, in this bed, with this brave and tender person.
If I’m going to meet Wren where they are, I need to be as confident in myself and my choices as Wren is.
As if knowing I’m thinking about them, they turn in my arms before snuggling in against me. Wren’s a dichotomy. Leaping in front of Grudge to protect me one minute and curling into me the next.
Unable to resist, I kiss their forehead.
Wren’s eyes flicker open, still heavy with sleep.
“Morning,” I whisper, my voice low.
They don’t answer right away, but their body tenses. It’s subtle, but enough for me to feel it.
Shit.
I’ve been processing my own feelings and came up with one plus one equals two.
The two of us starting something, trying something.
Maybe Wren’s done the same math but come up with a different answer.
I pull back a little.
“Still good?” I ask cautiously.
Wren wraps their arm around my back and holds me tight, and I can’t stop the way the corners of my mouth twitch in a smile.
“Yeah. Just…give me a second.”
Firmly, I tug Wren in close and let my lids drop for a little while as we breathe the same air.
Finally, Wren shifts onto their back, and I push myself up to take the weight on my arm as I rest my head on my fist. Their thick black hair is messy, their eyes puffy with sleep, and they blush adorably.
“You’re staring.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Not sorry about that. You’re worth staring at.”
A faint smile tugs at the corner of their mouth, but it’s followed by a slight frown. “Do you know who you’re staring at?”
There’s weight to the question. I can only imagine what Wren’s dating life has been like. The conversations they’ve had with themself before they’ve accepted invitations to go on dates or debating their safety in sharing who they are with someone else.
I put my hand on their cheek. “Yeah. I know who I see. And I’m just a guy trying to figure out if I’m capable of being the man who deserves you, exactly as you are. How I need to change.”
My words are met with silence.
Maybe I just completely stuffed that up. Said too much. Wasn’t committed enough.
Then, Wren blows out a breath. “That’s the first time someone’s said it like that.”
I huff. “Like what? Clunky as hell?”
