She was his sweet secret. In the evenings, when he came to her apartment, showering her with sweet kisses, gifts, and warm words — trying to make up for his absence, his fear, and his foolishness.

He wasn’t ashamed of her. On the contrary — he was proud. So beautiful, intelligent, eloquent, kind... And she had chosen him. He knew he didn’t deserve her. He knew he should let her go, let her find someone worthy of her sweet presence. But he couldn’t deny himself her warmth and the beautiful confessions she whispered into his ear.

He was twenty long years older than her. She was so young, full of life and joy. She was his complete opposite, the last light at the end of the tunnel, and he couldn’t imagine life without her. Even on the worst days, when the world seemed to be falling apart, just one of her radiant smiles gave him wings.

They sat on her couch, she curled up against his chest, breathing steadily and calmly, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Her eyes were fixed on the TV screen, where some silly movie was playing. But he wasn’t really paying attention to it. How could he, when he held his whole world in his arms?

“Do you want to go to sleep?”

he asked softly, placing a short, sweet kiss on her hair, gently stroking her back with his warm, large hand through the fabric of her shirt.