It was deep into the night when I was woken by his soft but scared moans as he began to talk in his sleep. He had decided to sleep on his couch that night and, looking over at his face, I had never seen him look so vulnerable, so scared. I threw off my blanket and hurried over to him. I kneeled down beside him and began stroking his face softly, my other hand holding his “shhhhh... you’re okay.... you’re safe”. I whispered the words he had softly told me earlier. After a few moments, his breathing began to slow and he squeezed my hand ever so gently as he nuzzled back into the couch. He slowly opened his eyes to look at me, he looked soft and a little unsure before he murmured “thanks”. I continued to stroke his cheek softly and play with his hair until he fell back asleep.
I awoke in th
