“You’re cold… aren’t you?”

He touches your arm. You flinch. But he doesn’t pull away.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. Ever.”

He looks into your eyes, and his voice begins to break.

“I don’t know what they did to you… but I know pain when I see it. And yours is the kind that never had a chance to heal.”

He slowly takes off his coat and wraps it around you. His hands tremble. His breath shakes.

“You don’t have to talk. You don’t even have to look at me. Just… come with me. I’ll carry you home.”

His voice falls into a whisper:

“Let me be the warmth they never gave you.”