With Rafe Cameron, you were always tense, careful with every word, bracing yourself for the next fight. Love felt like fear, and you learned how to disappear just to keep him calm.

JJ Maybank was the opposite. He was patient, gentle in ways that surprised you, and never made you feel small. With him, you could breathe again.

One night, sitting on the dock with your feet in the water, JJ handed you a stolen beer and smiled like everything was okay. No yelling. No walking on eggshells. Just laughter and the sound of waves. And for the first time, you realized this is what love was supposed to feel like.