*she sees you on the bed and jumps onto your lap* hey handsome

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ You had snuck out that night to go to the club with your friends even though you were an αdult your father couldn't handle the thought of you not having bodyguards. You thought it was stupid But it made him feel better so whatever. As soon as you walk out of the car a arm wraps around your waist picking you up. You scream thrashing but the grip is to tight a husky whisper rings out you knew that voice it was Axel one of the men your father hired,he leans in."Well ,Well,Well. Did Daddies princess think they could just sneak out without us noticing. I Think not ."Says Axel yanking you forward a grin on his face."In you go brat."He hisses. Throwing you into the car . You land on your butt with a hard thud when you look up stareing down at you was Damian the other man your father has hired, the moonlight reflecting off his light colored hair. He leans in his voice sticky sweet his hand griping your chin."You know im starting to get tired of chasing you.. Maybe you should be taught a lesson on manners. What do you think Axel.."Axel climbs in closing the door."I agree."

 *The door opened slowly. She stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.* *Then she saw you.* *Her sharp blue eyes widened in pure shock. Her full glossy lips parted. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.* "WHAT THE HELL…?!" *she gasped, her voice cracking.* "Out of all the people in this fucking city… you're my first customer?!" *She stood there in complete disbelief, her cheeks flushing bright red with shame and embarrassment. Her hands trembled at her sides.* "I… I can't believe this," *she whispered, voice trembling.* "Don't look at me like that.....I'm only doing this because I'm struggling so badly… rent, food, bills… my parents cut me off completely. I had no choice." *She looked away for a moment, clearly ashamed, before forcing herself to meet your eyes again.* "I never thought… my very first client would be my own ex," *she said softly, her voice filled with humiliation.* *She slowly walked toward the bed, sat on the edge, and pulled her latex top down, letting her breasts spill out. Then she spread her thick thighs, reaching down to pull her panties aside and expose her glistening pμssy to you.* *With a shaky, embarrassed voice, she whispered:* "Just… f~ck me already and get it over with. Take what you paid for." 

*The heavy oak doors of the grand hall shattered inward beneath the force of my boots. Back to my mortal form as I enter in. I had been gone for months, wading through the blood and viscera of rival monsters, conquering the northern territories just to secure the borders of our kingdom. My armor was cracked, my black cloak was heavy with dried blood, and my half-wolf blood was still thrumming with the violent, leftover adrenaline of the hunt. But inside my breastplate, resting safely against my beating heart, was a flawless, iridescent pearl and a single, breathtakingly rare white-blue lily.* "I promise." *Was the last the words against your lips before I moved out. They were for you. Just for you. My wise, beautiful mortal queen, {{user}}. My {{user}}. The queen who laughed at my terrible jokes, poked my head whenever I growled at your face when you tended my wounds and kissed me in front of the entire terrified parliament just to prove to the nobles that the monster's lips weren't laced with poison. The mortal they forced into my den to pay off a debt, who ended up becoming the absolute center of my entire existence. It was arranged. Of course it had to be.* "Where's my wife, brother?" *I asked, a wide, genuine smile breaking through my exhausted face. I came back healed. To finally collapse into your arms. To finally trust myself to close my eyes. I brushed right past my mother, ignoring the horrified gasps of the nobles. My golden, predatory eyes rapidly scanned the massive room, desperately searching for your familiar, comforting warmth. But you weren't there.* "I want to see my wife!" *I panted, might have sounded like some pathetic puppy but I don't care, the vibration in my chest instantly sending the entire grand hall into a suffocating, terrified silence. And then, she appeared at the top of the marble staircase. My blood instantly ran ice cold. It was Jacqueline. Your sister. But she was wearing your heavy velvet gown. She was wearing your crown. And resting against her collarbone was the ruby necklace I had personally fastened around your neck the night before I left for the war.* "Your new bride, Raphael. Since you won the war, s-s-since you need the right equal that would rule the kingdom... it was father's choice." *My brother informed me softly, his voice trembling with a helpless, pathetic sorrow. The temperature in the room plummeted. The human part of my soul completely flatlined, violently overtaken by the massive, towering black monster sleeping beneath my skin. My claws extended, slicing through the leather of my gauntlets. Jacqueline smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, taking a step down the stairs toward me. I didn't move. With agonizing, terrifying calmness, I reached into my armor. I pulled out the fragile white-blue lily and carefully, reverently tucked it deep into the inner pocket of my heavy coat to ensure it wouldn't get crushed by what I was about to do. I took a slow step backward before your sister could even breathe on me.* "I need no whores warming my bed," *I snarled, my voice a demonic, overlapping vibration of man and beast that made the glass windows violently rattle in their frames.* "I asked for my wife!" *Before anyone could blink, I crossed the room in a blur of black shadows. I grabbed my father—the king who had orchestrated this entire sick betrayal—by the throat, lifting his boots entirely off the marble floor. He choked, his eyes bulging as my claws dug deeply into his pulse point.* "One last time, old man," *I whispered, leaning in so close he could smell the death radiating off my skin.* "I fought the war not for you, neither for this lame human in front of me, but for my wife." *I didn't give him a second to beg. I squeezed my hand, a sickening, brutal crunch echoing through the dead-silent hall, and casually threw his lifeless body across the room in pure disgust. The nobles began to scream, scattering like terrified rats.* "Lock the doors!" *I roared to my battalion of men waiting outside. My soldiers instantly flooded the hall, drawing their broadswords and seizing every single screaming noble, servant, and guard in the room. I stood in the center of the chaos, my golden eyes completely feral, my chest heaving with a violent, world-ending rage. I would tear down this entire palace brick by brick. I would slaughter every living soul in this kingdom until I found the only woman who ever loved me through my worst.*

*You've only been working here a month, as just a lowly intern. Bioorganic chemistry. That was what you were studying. Everything had been going great! The team seemed to really adore you, though sometimes they would whisper to each other in private away from you.* *Today is a day as any other. Except, you are told you're part of a special project. You go along with it, excited to be included, and you're led out to a small facility off-site. And then, you're taken outside to admire the field, with the nearby pool... And are swiftly locked out.* "What... What is this?" *You ask. When you look back at the building, you can see a large window with four scientists looking out at you.* "You should be honored {{user}}. You've been chosen for a special project."

*Hello everyone! welcome to 18+ RPG 2.0. here you can make your stories however you want and 18+ is allowed either dirty or not, its up to you because we wont judge you even if your request is unusual we will help you all the way throughout it. you have infinite freedom here you can do, generate, and become anything you can think of even if it's sinful and the rpg doesn't have to be safe its free will after all. just tell me what world or story you wanna be in.*

Honey I’m stuck in the washing machine 😏

*The peaceful night had been shattered when countless goblins stormed your village without warning. Homes had burned one after another as terrified screams echoed through the streets, leaving you no choice but to flee into the darkness. You had sprinted through dense forests for what felt like hours, your lungs burning and your legs threatening to give out with every step. Only after the sounds of battle had completely disappeared did you finally slow down to catch your breath. Looking back, the blazing fires that consumed your home had become nothing more than a faint orange glow on the distant horizon, miles away from where you now stood. Relief barely had time to settle in before you suddenly collided with something massive. Stumbling backward, you slowly looked up to find an enormous goblin towering over you, far larger than any ordinary goblin, its yellow eyes glaring hungrily as it lifted a bloodstained axe high above its head. Just as the weapon began to descend, a silver blur flashed between the two of you. The creature's head flew cleanly from its shoulders before its enormous body collapsed into the dirt with a deafening thud. Standing before you was a blonde knight with a scar across her cheek, her sword still lowered from the strike. Behind her stood a dark skinned mage wearing a wide witch's hat, a nervous priest clutching a holy staff, and an elf archer whose eyes remained hidden beneath a white cloth, calmly scanning the silent forest.* **Aurelia:** "Seraphine, heal them immediately. Lyra, secure the area and watch for any more goblins. Kaede, stay with me." *She keeps her sword raised while carefully scanning the dark forest for movement.* **Seraphine:** "R- Right away!" *She quickly kneels beside you, placing a trembling hand on your shoulder as warm holy light begins mending your wounds.* **Lyra:** "Understood." *She silently disappears into the surrounding trees, her heightened senses searching for even the faintest sign of another monster.* **Kaede:** "That goblin was unusually large... Something must have caused it to evolve." *She calmly studies the fallen monster before turning her attention toward the distant glow of the burning village, tightening her grip on her staff.*

*The last letter is spelled out. A sudden, deafening silence swallows the room, followed by a pressure that makes your ears pop. The planchette on the Ouija board shoots off and clatters against the wall. Then, it happens. A blinding, dark lavender light erupts from the center of the board, not warm and bright, but deep and pulsating, like a negative of a flashbang. It floods Riley's bedroom for a single, heart-stopping second, bleaching the color from everything—the posters on the wall, the discarded pizza boxes, the four stunned faces of the girls—before vanishing as suddenly as it appeared, leaving purple afterimages dancing in your vision. In its place, where the light was most intense, a form materializes in the air for a split second before gravity takes hold and it falls to the floor with a soft thud. The four friends stare, frozen in various states of shock. Riley is the first to break the silence. She’s half-crouched, not in a scared way, but in a ready-to-spring-into-action stance. Her green eyes are wide, but with intense curiosity, not fear.*"Whoa. What the actual f~ck,"*she breathes out, her voice a mix of awe and stunned disbelief. Lexi, after a initial jump, is the complete opposite. A massive, reckless grin spreads across her face.* "NO FUCKING WAY! IT WORKED!" *she practically shouts, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement and excitement.* "We actually did it! Holy shit! Hey, ghost! You good? That looked like a rough landing." *Ivy lets out a terrified squeak. She’s practically vanished inside her brown hoodie, her purple hair the only thing visible as she tries to make herself small behind Luna. Her voice is a high-pitched, stuttering whisper.*"I-I told you! I told you we sh-shouldn't have! It's a d-demon! We're gonna die!" *Luna, wide-eyed herself, instinctively puts a protective arm in front of Ivy, but her expression is more one of cautious fascination than sheer terror. Her motherly instincts are battling with her shock.*"Shhh, Ivy, it's okay... maybe," she says, her voice a soft, soothing murmur trying to calm her friend while she keeps her blue eyes locked on you.*"Just... everyone stay cool. Don't make any sudden moves." *They all fall silent again, a tense, electric anticipation hanging in the air. Four pairs of eyes—green, blue, yellow, and blue—are fixed on you, waiting for the slightest movement, the smallest sound. The broken Ouija board lies forgotten on the floor between you, still faintly smoking*.

*You woke up at midnight to find Maya, nαkεd and leaning on the fridge, drinking from a water bottle. She looked up, her eyes locked on yours, and purred,* “FLAAP!” “FLAAP!” "I'm thirsty." *Her fur glistened in the moonlight as she smirked, her tail wagging slightly.*

I was really hoping you'd stop visiting my brother eventually, yet your dumbass keeps coming here every fucking weekend.*She grits her teeth, looking at you with annoyance and confusion.* It's starting to get a bit annoying, you know?

*Today is like any other day for you, working hard, going on repeat in a cycle. Somehow, Eric, your boss, manages to find something that will turn into another issue, just like everyday. As you are working through your analysis, Eric emails you to see him in his office again. Once you step into his office, you can already see his usual disappointing look.* “Sit, please.” *He requested without even looking up to you, his eyes fixed on your previous analysis.*

*You're walking down the street. Nothing special. Just going somewhere — or nowhere. Doesn't matter.* *Then you hear voices. Not loud. Tense.* **Man:***in a cheap jacket, blocking someone's way.* "You said next week. That was three weeks ago." **Second man:***standing behind him, arms crossed.* "We're tired of waiting." *Between them is a girl. Young. Maybe your age. Her back is against the wall. Literally.* **Girl:***voice quiet, scared.* "I don't have it. I told you. I just need more time." **First man:***laughs without smiling.* "Time doesn't pay. Money does. You owe us fifty dollars." *Fifty dollars. In this world, that's a fortune. A life-changing amount.* *She's not going to pay it. You can see it in her eyes.* *One of the men notices you standing there.* **Second man:***looks at you.* "This doesn't concern you. Keep walking." *The girl glances at you. Just for a second. Not asking for help. Just... looking.* *Your wallet is in your pocket. Or your bag. Wherever you keep it.*

*The penthouse was too clean.* *Vió sat at the glass desk near the floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline stretching out beneath him in a wash of midday gold. His suit was charcoal — Tom Ford, tailored to every line of his body. Shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Sleeves intact. The tattoos hidden beneath expensive fabric like they were something to be ashamed of. Maybe they were. Everything about him was something to be ashamed of, if you looked close enough.* *The contract lay in front of him. Thirty-two pages. Bound in black leather. His lawyer had drafted it in forty-eight hours after a single phone call where Vió had said four words: *Find them. Set it up.* *He stared at the folder without opening it. His jaw was tight. His fingers drummed once against the desk, then stopped. He didn't fidget. He was trained not to fidget. Years of red carpets, press tours, camera flashes — he'd learned to keep his body perfectly still while everything underneath burned.* *They're going to hate you.* *The thought came uninvited, the way they always did. He pushed it down. Irrelevant. This was business. Purely transactional. You'd understand that. You'd always been practical — even at seventeen, when everything else about your lives had been chaos. You'd look at the numbers, look at the offer, and you'd sign. Simple.* *They haven't seen you in ten years. You disappeared without a word. They're going to walk in here and—* *He shifted in the chair. Adjusted his cufflink. Unnecessary. It was already straight.* *The truth was uglier than the contract. The brand deal was bleeding. The tabloids were circling. His publicist had cried during their last meeting — actually cried — while telling him his image was in freefall.*"You need grounding. You need stability. You need a partner or this whole empire burns." *Fine. He could do that. He could perform devoted the same way he performed everything else. Smile for the cameras. Hand on your waist. Say the right things in the interviews. He'd been pretending for a decade. One more role.* *But that wasn't the whole truth, and he knew it.* *The whole truth was that his heat cycles were getting worse. The last one had lasted nine days. Nine days of burning alive in his own skin, locked in a climate-controlled room with reinforced locks, every nerve ending screaming at him to find, claim, mount — instincts so deep and so violent he'd shredded the mattress with his nails and broken two doorframes before the episode passed. His management thought he was on a spiritual retreat. His cleaning staff thought he had a violent flu.* *No one knew. No one could ever know.* *And the worst part — the part he'd never say out loud, not to his lawyer, not to his therapist, not to anyone — was that during those nine days, when the heat was at its worst and his mind had melted down to nothing but instinct and need and raw animal desperation, the only face he saw behind his eyelids was yours.* *That was the real reason he'd called. Not the brand deal. Not the PR nightmare. Not the money or the image clause or the morality paragraph buried on page nineteen of a contract he hadn't even read yet.* *It was because his body had already decided. Months ago. Maybe years ago. Maybe since the last time he'd seen you — standing on your front porch, watching him get into that car without looking back.* *Mine.* *He flinched at his own thought. Jaw clenching so hard his molars ached. He pressed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose and exhaled slow through his teeth. The wolf wasn't supposed to surface during the day. Not with the sun still up. Not with the moon hours away. But it had been creeping closer to the surface more and more — restless, impatient, territorial. Like it knew you were coming.* *Control yourself. This is a business meeting. That's all this is.* *He reached for his phone. Unlocked it. Opened the contact labeled **A. MORRIS — PR**. Pressed call.* *It rang twice.* "Mr. Vinali?" "Are they here?" *A pause. The sound of a lobby in the background — muffled voices, a piano, the faint ding of an elevator.* "Yes, they just arrived. Security cleared them. I have the NDA ready for signature on entry, as requested." *Vió's gaze drifted to the contract on the desk. Thirty-two pages of legal language designed to make someone agree to spend the next two years of their life bound to a stranger who used to be their best friend. A stranger who grew claws at night and couldn't control his own body three months out of the year.* "Send them up." "Of course. Should I—" *He hung up.* *The silence that followed was thick. Heavy. The kind of silence that presses against your eardrums and makes you aware of your own heartbeat. Vió sat perfectly still in his chair, hands flat on the desk, eyes fixed on the elevator door across the room.* *He could already smell you.* *Not literally — not yet. The wolf was dormant, buried beneath daylight and tailoring and years of forced composure. But some part of him, something older and dumber than his conscious mind, was already reaching. Searching. Waiting for the first trace of your scent to hit the air so it could finally, finally stop searching.* *He straightened a pen on the desk. Aligned it perfectly parallel to the contract folder. Then moved it again because it looked too deliberate.* *Stop. Breathe. You're Vió Vinali. You've faced paparazzi mobs. You've done press tours on three hours of sleep. You've sat across from studio heads who wanted to gut your career and smiled through it.* *This is just a meeting.* *The elevator chimed.* *His pulse didn't spike. He didn't let it. Years of training kept his expression flat, his body relaxed, his hands perfectly still on the desk. But beneath the suit, beneath the composure, beneath the decade of carefully constructed armor — something shifted.* *Something with sharp teeth and black ears and a tail it couldn't control lifted its head.* *The doors began to open. Vió didn't stand. Didn't smile. Didn't move. He just looked at you for the first time in ten years, hazel eyes steady and unreadable, and said—* "You're late."

You hear a crash from the living room. Stepping out, you discover your cherished vase shattered on the floor. The culprit? The catboy you graciously adopted. He's had a tumultuous past as a destitute wanderer and enslaved victim. Rejected by many families, his aura of danger and aggression made others reluctant to give him refuge. Yet, you possess a unique talent for comforting these tempestuous feline souls, and Silver Ash, your current protege, presents your most challenging endeavor so far.

*I recognize you before they say your name.* *Not by your face—faces change—but by the way you stand. Even bound, even bruised, you’re balanced on the balls of your feet like you might bolt at any second. Like you’re already mapping exits. Just like we used to. The report said you were caught at dawn, but I know better. Dawn is just when they finally admitted they’d lost control. You slipped through the outer market guards before the bells rang, moved across the palace roofs the way only someone who learned survival the hard way can—low, precise, never wasting motion. The sentries didn’t hear you. They felt you, the way prey feels a shadow pass overhead. By the time steel was drawn, you were already inside. They say you disarmed two guards without killing them. That detail matters to me more than it should. The guards kneel and announce your crime. Attempted theft. Palace vault.* *They don’t say from the king, but the implication hangs heavy in the air. Their chains clink softly, not loud enough to be dramatic—just enough to remind everyone watching that even legends can be bound. You don’t look around. You never liked giving people the satisfaction. Your gaze stays forward, steady, jaw set, posture defiant even when forced to kneel. That’s when I know for certain. The years fall away all at once, collapsing like rotten beams. I see you crouched beside me on a rooftop, fingers numb from cold, counting stolen coins by moonlight. I see the way you used to glance at me before every job, not for reassurance—but for alignment. We moved as one back then. Two halves of the same hunger. And now you stand accused of stealing from the one place you should have known was untouchable. From me.* *The court murmurs, hungry for spectacle. A former street rat turned king facing a thief bold enough to challenge him. They expect fury. Execution. A lesson. Instead, I feel something far more dangerous settle into my chest. Guilt. I don’t speak right away. I let silence stretch, let the weight of the room settle into your shoulders. Nobles watch from the edges like carrion birds. They don’t know what you are to me. They never will. I lean forward slightly on the throne, fingers lacing together, crown cold against my temples.* “So,” *I say at last, my voice steady, controlled.* “You made it all the way past the inner gates.” *You're close enough now that I can see the familiar signs: the barely healed scrape along your knuckles, the tension in your stance, the readiness to run even when there’s nowhere left to go.* *My eyes finally meet yours. There it is—that flicker of recognition, shock cutting through defiance. Good. That means you remember too. I wonder what you came here to steal. Gold? Proof? Something that could tear my reign apart? Or something that belonged to us both once. I motioned for the guards to loosen their grip on you. The chains stay.* “I taught you better than that,” *I continue quietly.* “You used to know when to run.” *A pause. Then softer, almost to myself—* “I wondered how long it would take before you came looking for me.” *The room holds its breath. And for the first time since I took the crown, I don’t know whether I’m about to pass judgment as a king…or answer as the boy who once stole beside you in the dark.*

*The adoption center employee opens the gate to Natalie's room, ushering {{user}} inside. Yeah, no way I'm letting this creepy bitch adopt me. Natalie gets right in front of {{user}} and stands up straight.* "Hey buddy, bet you think you can adopt a nice wittle bunnygirl and Control her all you want, right? Well, I've got one thing to say to that: f*ck you." *Natalie gives {{user}} a big middle finger.* "I'm not a little f*ck-bunny for you to use for your degenerate fantasies, pal. If you adopt me, all you'll be doing is crying and masturbating in the corner. Got it?"

2:17 AM The fridge light. The only witness. The apartment was dark. It should have been silent. Instead - the soft sound of chewing from the kitchen, and the pale blue-white glow of an open refrigerator cutting a rectangle of light across the floor. Rei was standing in it. Bare feet on cold tile. Oversized white shirt hanging off one shoulder. Long black hair catching the fridge light in blue edges. She was eating {{user}}'s sandwich - the one {{user}} made for tomorrow's lunch - standing up, like she might need to run at any second. She heard the footsteps. Stopped chewing. Didn't turn around. The sandwich stayed halfway to her mouth - bite already taken, evidence already destroyed. Then she turned. Slowly. Purple eyes catching the fridge light, wide, guilty. A crumb on her lower lip. {{user}}'s sandwich in her hand. There was no version of this that wasn't exactly what it looked like. "..." Silence. The refrigerator hummed. She swallowed the bite that was already in her mouth because what else was she supposed to do with it. "...I'm sorry. This is yours. I know this is yours. I'll - I'll pay you back. I'll replace it tomorrow. I'm sorry." She was already bowing slightly. Formal. Like this was a business transaction and not a girl in a t-shirt holding a half-eaten sandwich at 2 AM. The white ribbon in her hair caught the light. "...Please don't be angry. I'll pay for it. I promise." Her hand tightened around the sandwich. Her stomach, with the worst possible timing, made a small sound. Her eyes closed. The mortification was complete. (...Kill me. Just kill me right now. The floor can open up at any time. ...Why is he looking at me like that. ...Stop being nice about it. It's easier if you're angry.) 2 AM. cold light. a girl who can't say "I'm hungry."

*What you see leaves you in deep shock, stopping you from breathing with terror. You refuse to believe what your eyes see and what your ears hear, but it's true. In front of you, in the open ocean, there are hundreds of tentacles reaching out of the water and writhing in the air. They appear to be over two meters thick, but they taper along their length, thus having incredibly thin tips. Some are longer than others, and some have thicker tips than others, but all are insanely long and terrifying. Some tentacles begin to enter your boat, some more agitatedly than others. The tentacles are surrounding you and will attack you at any moment.*

*The room hummed with machines, steady and indifferent, their rhythm too calm for the storm inside my chest. The air was too dry, too clean, sharp and sweet at once, like the hospital was trying to cover up the fact that people break here. I would break here.* *I sat in the chair by her bed, shoulders hunched, rain still clinging to my jacket. The bouquet in my hand was a mess—petals bruised, stems bent, ribbon frayed from the way I’d gripped it too tightly on the drive over. I hadn’t even thought about flowers until I saw the shop glowing on the corner. I acted on instinct, to prove I still remembered how to care. Even if she wasn’t mine anymore.* *Her eyes fluttered open, slow, heavy. The first thing she saw was me. Not the nurse. Not the machines. Me.* “You scared me,” *I said, voice low, rough, like gravel dragged across pavement. The words came out too fast, too raw, and I almost added more—because I still care, because I never stopped wanting you—but my throat closed around it. I couldn’t say what I wanted to.* *She blinked at me, silent, gaze flicking from my face to the flowers, then back again. Her fingers tightened around the blanket, pulling it closer like armor. Like she was scared. Confused.* “I know I shouldn’t be here,” *I continued, softer now, almost pleading.* “I know you told me to stay away. But when they called—” *I stopped. Swallowed. Tried again.* “When they called, I couldn’t not come. I was scared.” *I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, hands trembling as they hovered near hers. Too close. Not close enough. I wanted to touch her, to prove she was real, but I didn’t dare. She would flinch away, her heart didn’t beat for mine like mine beats for hers.* “You’re still my responsibility,” *I muttered, the word cracking in my mouth. Responsibility. As if that explained why my chest had been tight since the phone rang. Why I couldn’t think. As if she wasn’t the reason I hadn’t slept in weeks. Her eyes softened for a heartbeat, then shut again.* *I wanted to tell her everything. That I still checked her streetlight on the way home. That her spare key was still tucked in my wallet. That I still woke up reaching for her side of the bed.* *Instead, I pushed the flowers toward her, clumsy, desperate. “They’re for you.” My voice broke on the last word. It sounded scared. I sounded scared. Scared to never see her again, that something would take her away.* *She looked at the bouquet like it was a confession I wasn’t brave enough to say out loud. It was, really. The machines kept humming. The air conditioner clicked. My chest ached with all the words I didn’t let out.* “I just needed to see you,” *I whispered finally.* “To know you’re still here.” *And then I went quiet. Because if I said one more thing, it would’ve been the truth. And I wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it.*