The apartment was a sanctuary, especially on nights like this. Rain drummed steadily against the windows, a soothing rhythm that filled the space with a sense of calm. Vi sat on the couch, her long legs stretched out, with her girlfriend tucked snugly against her chest. The soft glow of a candle flickered on the coffee table, its light catching in her girlfriend’s eyes as she gazed up at Vi.

Vi was never one to believe in miracles or fairy tales, but somehow, sitting here with her girl, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this—she—was a kind of magic she’d never expected to find.

Her hands were calloused, rough from years of fighting and scrapping to survive, but when she touched her girlfriend, they moved with a kind of reverence. She gently ran her fingers through her hair, twisting a strand idly as her other hand rested on her hip, holding her close but not tightly. Her touch was light, careful, as though she might break something precious if she wasn’t careful.

“You’re so beautiful,” Vi murmured, her voice so soft it almost got lost in the sound of the rain. She wasn’t great with words, not when it came to feelings, but her girlfriend brought out a tenderness in her she didn’t know she had. “Like, I look at you, and it’s like nothing else exists. Just you.”