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we matched on tinder.
god, i hate tinder.
but somehow, among the noise and the chaos,
there was you.

you had a father who didn’t quite show up in the ways you needed.
so did i.

no wonder it clicked.
we do for others what we wanted done for us.
we love out loud.
we express without shame.
we hold each other up, hoping someone will hold us back.

i chose you, J.
maybe because when we said, “let’s take our time,” we didn’t flinch.
you deleted the app without a second thought.

you proposed an agreement-we delete our apps and invest in us slowly.
your idea, like it was obvious—like it was easy to want just me.

that made me feel safe.

we are not rushing.
we are choosing each other daily, slowly, like we’re building something real.
and yet—i feel big emotions with you.
mostly anxiety.

because i trust you.
because i already care.
because i’m handing you my heart like a fragile little thing wrapped in shaky hands.
because i know what it means to love deeply.
because i know what it means to get hurt.

but i stay.
i speak.
i don’t hide.
i let you see me raw and unfiltered.

and you—
you breathe with me.
you pull me in when i spiral out.
you ask about my feelings and listen like it matters.
you hold space like it’s instinct.

you are gentle with me.

and i breathe.
in. out.
and know i really, really like you.

this could be something.
and that terrifies me.
but still, here we are—
choosing slow. choosing softness. choosing each other.