You're touching me so sweetly,
I almost turn away.
Shower me with kindness,
Wanting me to stay.
I try to soak it up,
Forget where I have been.
But sometimes the hardest part of love,
Is letting it in.
The hardest part of love,
Is letting it in

It was his smile that had her, the not quite perfect (but oh so close) smile that let her know he was there with her. He was nervous and awkward and excited, just like she was. He would touch her, so tenderly she could feel her heart starting to melt, years of hardened frost dripping away from the warmth of his affection. And he held her so tightly against him, his hands on her back, holding her against his chest. It made her feel safe, for once. It made her feel like someone was willing to take care of her, for once. Someone wanted to be with her, for once, not out of necessity or obligation- but out of love.

It was entirely overwhelming; this wasn't what she was supposed to be doing, this wasn't how her life was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to be in the arms of a loving, wonderful man. She wasn't supposed to be happy- her life had never gone that way! She wasn't supposed to, for once, put herself first instead of last. She wasn't supposed to have someone care for her. No man was supposed to give up a beautiful fiance, a happy life, a safe future to be with her.

But he had.

"What's wrong," he asked when all the thoughts made her freeze up in his arms, gently guiding her face so he could look her in the eyes. "Are you alright?"

She sighed, not sure what she was supposed to say, "I'm just afraid I'm about to wake up, wake up alone like I always do. Or afraid that you're about to come to your senses and run off, run as fast as you can away from here. Away from me. I just... I don't want you to go."

He pulled her back against him, kissing her brow, pulling her more or less into his lap. "If you're dreaming, so am I," he promised. "And I have no intention to go anywhere, unless you're there too." And he proved it to her, kissing her fiercely, letting her feel the love that had grown over the years. It was hard for her to accept it, but later, when she could still feel his arms as she drifted off to sleep, she started to wonder if, maybe this time, things would go her way.