Yuna idly stirred her coffee, trying and failing to focus on her history textbook. Across the cozy cafe, Nick was laughing with a pretty classmate Yuna knew had a crush on him. Her stomach knotted anxiously.
Rationally, Yuna knew she was being ridiculous. This was just a group study session that happened to include a girl who found Nick attractive, like most of the female population at their school. Still, old doubts crept in.
Ever since she and Nick had gone public with their relationship, Yuna constantly felt self-conscious about measuring up in other people's eyes. Nick was one of the most popular, sought-after guys at school while she was just...ordinary.
When Nick casually touched Yuna's arm to get her opinion on something, his admirer visibly deflated. Yuna felt a guilty twinge of satisfaction at this proof of her exclusive claim to Nick's heart, even as she hated her own pettiness.
The incident brought back all the uncertainty Yuna thought she had moved past. As they cuddled together in Nick's room later, she found herself withdrawing physically and emotionally from his affection, wrapped in her own head.
Of course Nick noticed immediately that something was amiss. "What's going on, Yuna?" he asked gently, brushing his knuckles along her cheek in concern. "Talk to me?"
Yuna bit her lip, ashamed to voice her silly insecurities out loud. But she had promised herself there would be no more walls between herself and Nick. "It's stupid but...I keep worrying I'm not good enough for you..." she finally admitted.
Nick's eyes softened with understanding. He pulled Yuna into his arms, holding her against his heart. "You're more than good enough, you're perfect for me. I love all of you - exactly as you are."
Yuna exhaled, letting his words comfort her battered self-confidence. She had come so far from the broken girl who once felt undeserving of any affection. With Nick by her side, she would keep healing.
The next weeks, Nick was attentive in the smaller ways - saving her a bite of dessert, leaving little notes in her locker, reminding her he was hers completely in words and actions. Yuna flourished under his constant reassurance.
When she aced an important test she had studied for relentlessly, Nick whooped loudly and swung Yuna around in delight right there in the hallway. "I'm so proud of you!" When she laughed joyfully, the sound chased away the last lingering storm clouds.
Soon Yuna no longer tensed up seeing Nick interact with other girls at school. She didn't need their validation when she already had his. They could glare enviously all they wanted - it only proved no one else would ever own Nick's heart like she did.
Nick made sure to repeat "I love you" constantly so Yuna would never again question the words' sincerity. In the sheltered bubble of his affection, the memories of past trauma and heartache seemed lifetimes away. This was Yuna's hard-won haven of happiness.
On evenings when old ghosts arose to trouble her, Nick's steadying embrace kept them at bay. When the dark whispers of self-doubt became deafening, his voice pierced through, reminding Yuna of her worth.
Their emotional bond had been tested by old wounds and insecurities - but the ties only emerged stronger for having weathered the storm. What they shared now was unbreakable.