In a small, sun-soaked apartment on the edge of a bustling city, Alex found solace in the mornings that came wrapped in the aroma of coffee. The coffee was cold by the time he poured it out, much like the rush of feelings that had stirred his world upside down. It reminded him of Maya, who had arrived without warning, much like a shiver that prickled his skin, both invigorating and unnerving.

One evening, as the last remnants of whisky and coke lingered on his palate, they shared laughter that felt electric. In those moments, he felt he was part of a secret only they understood, making light of life’s mundane challenges. He could see the spark in her eyes when the conversation shifted from whispers to dreams. “You can stay with me forever,” he’d jest, a hint of hope tucked behind every word, “or you could stay with me for now.”

As dawn began to chase the darkness away, he wished for her presence beside him like the warmth of a blanket on a cold night. He'd wake up with the sun lighting up their room, the coffee brewing, but Maya always preferred the sweetness of tea, two lumps of sugar just like the way she sweetened his life. He would sometimes find her still asleep, hair tousled, a serene expression painted across her face, and he often felt an urge to keep the world outside at bay.

“Stay with me forever,” he murmured softly, not wanting to disturb the delicate peace between them. “Or you could stay with me for now.” He craved her answer like a lifeline tossed into the sea of uncertainty they swam through.

“Tell me if I’m wrong,” he’d say, his heart racing under the weight of the questions that haunted him at night. “Tell me if I’m right, tell me how to love you the way you want me to.” In those moments, vulnerability wrapped around them like a warm embrace, making the walls of the world outside feel distant and irrelevant.

But doubt was a persistent companion, whispering its nagging questions. “Will my love be enough?” he pondered as he prepared coffee for himself, yearning to be the kind of man who could give her exactly what she needed. He longed to be the loving hand that soothed her into sleep when her eyes became heavy with the weight of her thoughts—those unexpressed fears that lay cradled deep within.

Another day began to unfold outside, bright and insistently busy, yet inside their little haven, Alex felt time slow down, suspended in the silence of shared warmth and fleeting touches. He wanted her to linger, to share in the mundane joys of life that felt anything but mundane with her around.

“Stay with me forever,” he repeated silently, hoping each unspoken word seeped into the soft shadows of the room as she drifted back to sleep, holding tightly to the hope that love could bridge the silence of their uncertainties.