Sophia couldn't breathe. The air in the room felt thick, oppressive, as though the walls themselves were closing in on her. She stood there, inches away from Liam, his hands still gently cupping her face, his gaze soft yet penetrating. Everything inside her screamed to pull away, to run, to retreat back into the safety of her carefully constructed world. But another part of her—a much deeper, more primal part—wanted to lean in, to let go, to finally give him the pieces of herself she had kept hidden for so long.
"I don't know how to do this," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
Liam's thumb brushed across her cheek, the touch comforting, but there was something else in his eyes—something determined. "You don't have to know, Sophia. You don't have to have it all figured out. I'm here."
The words were simple, but they hit her harder than anything else he'd ever said. "I'm here". He wasn't pushing her, wasn't demanding that she open up. He was simply offering himself—his trust, his patience, his understanding. And for the first time in as long as she could remember, Sophia felt the weight of her own defenses crumbling under the weight of that promise.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself, but when she opened them again, she found herself unable to look away from him. "I'm here."The words repeated in her mind like a mantra, soothing the storm inside her.
"I—" She started, her throat tightening, the words caught in her chest. She wanted to tell him everything—everything about her past, the reasons she'd kept herself guarded, the lies she'd told herself to survive. But there was a fear that gripped her, an ancient fear that she would shatter everything between them if she spoke the truth.
"Just breathe, Sophia," Liam murmured, his voice a soft anchor in the storm of her thoughts. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her, his warmth grounding her. She rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes once more as she let his steady heartbeat calm the chaos within her.
"I'm afraid," she confessed quietly, her voice barely audible against the fabric of his shirt.
"You don't have to be afraid," Liam whispered. "Not with me."
The sincerity in his voice, the way he held her like she was the most important thing in the world, made her want to believe him. But the fear was still there, buried deep inside her, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. Could she truly trust him with the darkest parts of herself? Could she risk everything she had left in order to give him the truth?
Liam's hand stroked her hair softly, and his lips brushed her forehead. "When you're ready," he said gently. "I'm not going anywhere."
She pulled back just slightly, enough to meet his eyes, and in that moment, she saw it—"he meant it". He wasn't asking her to be perfect, wasn't demanding that she have it all together. He was offering her something she had never been able to give herself: unconditional acceptance.
Sophia inhaled deeply, the weight of the decision pressing on her chest. She was standing on the edge, the abyss of her own vulnerability stretched out before her. And for the first time in years, she felt the pull to jump—not away from him, but into him. To leap into the unknown, into the truth of herself, and trust that Liam would catch her.
"I'm ready," she whispered.
And with those two words, she felt the last of her defenses crumble, ready to let him see her—"all" of her—whatever that might mean.