Chapter 6: Trying to Understand
400 Words
Marcus wasn’t sure what to think.
He stood in the bathroom, brushing his teeth in silence, Tahlia’s words from earlier echoing through his mind like a riddle in a language he didn’t speak.
“I want to feel little.”
“It’s not about s*x. It’s about safety.”
He’d never seen her cry like that before—not in all their years together. She was always the strong one. The one who kept the house moving, who managed the kids, who didn’t complain. But tonight, she looked fragile. Like porcelain, just one crack away from shattering.
He didn’t get it. How could a grown woman—his woman—want to pretend to be a child? Part of him recoiled. Another part felt pushed out, like there was this whole inner world of hers he’d never been allowed into.
Still, he couldn’t shake the sound of her voice. How scared she looked when she told him. How relieved she seemed after.
In their room, Tahlia sat quietly on her side of the bed, knees drawn to her chest. She didn’t meet his eyes, just stared at the rainbows on the cover of a new notebook clutched in her hands.
He sat down next to her, slowly, unsure.
“I read something,” she said softly, still not looking up. “It said some people heal best when they feel safe enough to stop being the strong one. When they’re allowed to play and rest without judgment. That’s what being a little means to me. Just... letting go. Being cared for. Not being afraid.”
He was quiet for a long time. Then, gently, he said, “I don’t know how to do this.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’m scared too.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, then reached out and touched her hand. “I’m willing to learn. If it helps you feel safe again… then I want to understand.”
She finally looked up, tears brimming in her eyes—but this time, they weren’t from fear.
“I don’t need you to get it all right,” she said. “Just don’t leave. Just try.”
And in that small moment, something between them shifted.
It wasn’t a perfect resolution. But it was the beginning of something new—something fragile, honest, and real.
And maybe that was enough for now.
- Writer
