The door clicked shut behind them with a soft finality, the dim light of Tim’s apartment casting long shadows across the hardwood floor. Neither of them spoke. Their footsteps echoed in the quiet, the weight of the evening pressing down like fog.

You dropped your keys on the counter with a metallic clatter and stood still, your arms limp at your sides. The silence had been manageable in the car, swallowed by the hum of the engine and the blur of city lights. But here, in the stillness of his space, it cracked something open.

Tim turned, about to ask if you wanted tea or to sit for a moment—but then he saw your face.

Tears welled in your eyes, shimmering and unshed. You didn’t say anything, didn’t need to. It was all there—in the quiver of your mouth, the tension in your shoulders, the deep, hollow ache in your gaze.

He didn’t hesitate.

Tim closed the distance in two strides, his arms coming around you with a gentleness that broke you. One hand slid to the back of your head, guiding you carefully to his chest. You crumpled into him, burying your face in the soft fabric of his t-shirt as the first quiet sob slipped out.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, his voice low and steady against the shell of your ear. “I’ve got you.”

His fingers moved slowly, soothingly through your hair, the other hand firm at your back like he could hold the world together for you if he had to. And for a moment, it felt like he did.

You weren’t sure how long you stood there—his heartbeat steady against your cheek, the heat of him grounding you while the grief clawed its way out.

“I just—” your voice broke, “I keep seeing her. That little girl. I know we did everything we could but it wasn’t enough.”

Tim pulled back just enough to look at you, his hands cupping your face with rare tenderness. “It’s not your job to carry that weight alone,” he said, voice thick with something unspoken. “You did everything right. You were there. You fought for her.”

You nodded, but the tears came harder now, silent and unstoppable. He kissed your forehead, then tucked you back into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And in his embrace, where the world couldn’t touch you for a moment, you let yourself cry.