Clocked Heart

Chapter 25- June

Graham's words lingered in the cool night air, wrapping around me like a blanket, warm and steady, but carrying a weight I wasn't ready to fully confront. His gaze, soft yet unwavering, felt like it saw straight through the cracks I'd carefully hidden, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel the urge to run. But that scared me, too—his persistence, the way he stayed when everyone else had already left.

I shifted in my seat, feeling the knot in my chest tighten. "I don't know what you think I'm worth," I whispered, barely finding my voice, "but I'm not as put together as I look."Graham's chuckle was soft, and rich, like he knew exactly what I was trying to say even when I wasn't sure myself. "I don't think anyone's really put together, June," he replied, his eyes searching mine. "And that's not what I'm after anyway."

My heart constricted at his words, and for a moment, I was suspended between two conflicting instincts: retreat and lean in. He made it sound so simple, like all the tangled thoughts, and the scars I carried, didn't scare him. But I was used to pushing people away before they got close enough to see all of that. Graham, though... he stayed. He stayed even when the cracks showed.

"You make it sound like I'm not difficult," I said, my voice small, tinged with a bitter edge. "Like you don't see all my rough edges." His expression grew more serious, his smile fading but the warmth in his eyes never leaving. "I see them," he said gently, "but those edges—they're a part of you. And I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for real."

The honesty in his voice made my breath catch, his words slipping past all the defenses I clung to. Real. When was the last time I'd let myself be real with someone? It felt foreign, uncomfortable, like shedding a skin I'd worn for too long. I didn't know how to let it go.I turned away, my hands twisting the edge of my cardigan. "You're giving me too much credit," I muttered, my voice unsteady. "I don't know if I can be that open. Not like you think."Graham leaned forward, just enough for his voice to soften in a way that felt intimate, close. "I'm not asking for everything all at once, June. Just a little bit. That's enough."

I glanced at him, surprised by the patience in his tone, the way he wasn't rushing me or asking for more than I was ready to give. He wasn't trying to fix me. He was just here, steady and present as if that was all I needed. And for the first time in a long time, I wanted to believe that it could be enough.

For a moment, I felt the pull—felt myself wanting to let him in just a little more. But the past clung to me like a shadow. "I don't even know how to be that person," I said my voice barely a whisper. "The one who doesn't have it all together." His gaze softened, his eyes tracing mine with a tenderness I didn't know how to handle. "You don't have to be anyone but you," he said quietly. "Messy, guarded, unsure—you can be all of that. I'm still going to be here."

His words cut through the quiet, steady, and sure, and in that moment, I felt like I wasn't alone in trying to figure out who I was beneath all the layers I'd built. There was a softness in the way he looked at me like he wasn't afraid of the parts I'd been hiding. And for the first time, I felt like maybe I didn't have to hide them. "I don't know what you see in me," I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them, exposing a vulnerability I wasn't sure I was ready to share.Graham's smile was slow, his eyes warm with something deeper than kindness—something that made my pulse quicken in a way that felt both exciting and terrifying. "I see you, June. Even if you don't see it yet."