You’d been together for a few months, but it was still hard for you to open up completely.

You cared about him —more than you wanted to admit— but saying it out loud, letting him see just how much… that was something else. That night, after walking with you under the rain, Leon had stayed at your apartment. It was happening more often now, quietly, without needing to be discussed.

Now you sat by the window, wrapped in your favorite sweater, watching the raindrops slide down the glass. He appeared from the hallway, his hair still damp from the shower, and stood there for a moment, just watching you.

Then he walked over and knelt in front of you, resting his hands gently on your knees.

“You keep looking out there like you’re waiting for something… or someone,” he murmured.

You didn’t know what to say. You weren’t waiting. You were just… scared. Scared of how much you’d come to need him.

He smiled softly, and it cracked something in you. “I know I’m not easy to love,” he whispered. “But you don’t have to pretend you don’t care anymore.”

And for the first time in a long while, you let the tears fall.