You and Drew had been together for a few weeks. You met in a bar when you and your friends just wanted to have a normal night out and enjoy a few drinks.

When your friends went home, you had to walk, and Drew offered to walk you back. It was a pretty reckless idea to let a complete stranger take you home, but something about him felt… trustworthy.

That morning, you were lying in bed because you had a day off. You just wanted to relax a bit, maybe go for a walk later, but you didn’t really have any plans.

Until Drew texted you.

Hey baby, I know you have the day off and I wanted to ask if you’re free tonight. I wanna cook for us. I’ll pick you up at six.

Of course, you said yes. Who wouldn’t?

Around four you started getting ready. You took a shower, curled your hair into big loose waves, put on a little bit of makeup and chose a pair of jeans and a blouse.

Six o’clock came faster than you expected. He called to tell you that he was already in front of your house.

You walked outside, and there he was, looking good as always. He opened the passenger door for you and you got in. While he drove, you both sang along to some random songs that played on the radio. You always did that, it had become kind of a routine.

When you arrived at his place, you got out of the car and stepped into his house. A familiar masculine scent mixed with calm and comfort surrounded you like a bubble. He guided you to the dining table, which was beautifully set with nice dishes and a few candles.

He pressed a kiss to your head. “Sit down, baby. Dinner’s ready in ten.”

Just like he said, the food was ready exactly ten minutes later. He had cooked your favorite meal, something you had once mentioned to him in passing. Things like that showed you how closely he listened and how much effort he put into making you happy.

After dinner, you sat down on the couch and watched a movie. You leaned against his side, your head resting on his chest. His arm was wrapped around you, keeping you close and warm. You always felt so safe when he did that, so loved.

But then you noticed that he had opened a beer. The plan had been for him to drive you home later.

“Drew?” you began, and he looked down at you.

“Yeah?”

“You said you would drive me home, but…” You pointed at the beer can in his hand.

He looked a bit ashamed, like he felt stupid for not realizing it. Then his face lit up, as if he just got an idea.

“Well, you could sleep here,” he said. Heat rose to your neck when you heard that. Sleeping here? It actually sounded… good. But you didn’t have anything with you, no clothes, no toothbrush.

He seemed to notice your hesitation and tried to make a suggestion.

“I could give you a shirt and some pants of mine, and I think I still have an unused toothbrush in the bathroom.”

You nodded. You walked into the bathroom, and a bit later he joined you just to hand you the clothes. After you finished changing, he came in again. Then you both started brushing your teeth.

You were still unsure about this whole sleepover thing. You hadn’t had good experiences staying over at guys’ places before. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Drew — you did — but you were scared that your bad experiences could repeat themselves.

Drew knew your story. He felt bad about it and he wished he could change your past, make it better before anyone else had the chance to hurt you.

“If you want, I can sleep on the couch. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

There it was again, that feeling that you could trust him, that he didn’t have any bad intentions.

“No,” you said, your voice calm and steady. “You don’t have to. I… I trust you.”

His eyes widened a little, then a small smile appeared on his lips, like he was happy to hear those words.

“I’m glad,” he said softly. “I promise you can trust me and I’ll never do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

And as you stayed there next to him, feeling his steady presence, you realized your fear had melted away and for the first time in a long while, you truly trusted that nothing could hurt you tonight.