The golden morning sun warmed my face and coaxed my eyes open. I blinked groggily, turning toward the other side of the bed, only to find rumpled sheets and an empty space where Jackson had been. The covers were tossed aside in a careless heap, the indent of his body still fresh on the pillow.
He left while I was asleep.
A hollow pang curled in my stomach, catching me off guard. I sank deeper into the blankets, my limbs heavy with the weight of something I didn’t quite have words for. Last night had been tender. Emotional. A kind of vulnerable closeness I wasn’t used to. Jackson had held me without pressure, respected my boundaries, kissed me like I mattered. And yet, the intimacy of it all left me rattled. Wanting and terrified. Safe… and ashamed.
Had I imagined the whole thing?
I bur
