Radio to the heart

Recommendation efforts

Sitting alone in her dimly lit room, Tess let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dipped her pen into ink and set it against the fine parchment. This letter had to say everything, reach every part of Alistair's heart that she had, in her fear, pushed away. She thought back to the hurt on his face, the uncertainty she'd seen flickering in his eyes, and she felt the sharp sting of regret. Her fear had driven a wedge between them, her own walls crumbling under the weight of the hurt she'd inflicted. And now, all she had was her words-her one last hope to bring him back.

Alistair, she began, her handwriting careful and neat despite the whirlwind of emotions threatening to spill over, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm asking for it anyway. My heart aches knowing I doubted you, knowing I let my own fears get the best of me. I was terrified, Alistair, terrified of losing you, of losing the only person who has ever made me feel safe, loved, seen. But it's no excuse for the hurt I caused you. I don't want you to run-I never did. I only want you close, closer than anyone else.

She paused, closing her eyes as she gathered the courage to put to words the fear she'd held onto for so long. All my life, people like Ebony and Rebecca have played with my trust, chipped away at the love I wanted to give so freely. They made me doubt myself, doubt my ability to hold on to someone as good as you. And yet, through it all, Makayla... she's been there, filling the spaces where others failed. But, Alistair... I want to be that for you. I want to give you all the love I know I have inside me. I just don't know how.

Her hand faltered as she tried to contain the flood of emotions. The vulnerability was raw, painful, but she pushed through, letting it bleed onto the page. I've been so afraid to love deeply, so afraid to be free like Makayla-to love without chains, without fear. But I want that, Alistair. I want to learn how, if you'll stay. If you'll give me that chance.

Finishing the letter, she let out a slow breath, sealing it with her family's insignia before sending it off. Watching it disappear down the hallway, Tess whispered to herself, "I hope this letter will make some sense to Alistair. I don't want him to feel like he has to run or anything. I love him. I love him so much, and I would never want him to run from me." She clenched her fists, fighting back tears as she whispered, "He's like an obsession. He's like an earworm."

Hours later, Alistair stood alone in his quarters, the letter resting on his bed like a small, unexpected offering. He took it in his hands, his gaze flickering from confusion to a hesitant softness as he broke the seal. With each word, the tension in his shoulders eased, his frustration melting away to be replaced by something else-something warmer, deeper. Tess's raw honesty, her vulnerability, was a salve to the pride and anger that had kept him distant. He felt her pain, her struggle, her longing for the love she was still learning to give.

Clutching the letter close, he sank onto the edge of the bed, the weight of her words settling in his heart. "My dear," he murmured softly to himself, his voice filled with a fierce, possessive tenderness, "I would never leave you. I would never leave you in a heartbeat. I can't stay away. I can't stay away." He pressed his fingers against the parchment, as if her words could somehow transcend the space between them and settle against his skin. "I was an awful being... an awful radio demon, but I was wrong. I should've never run, should've never made you feel alone."

He tucked the letter into his coat pocket, keeping it close, like a vow. His mind filled with the image of her-Tess, with her short frame, her hazel eyes, and her dark brown hair, the beautiful girl who leaned on a cane yet stood taller in his heart than anyone he'd ever known. She was fierce, stubborn, and radiant in her vulnerability. The fierce love he held for her burned even brighter, a raging fire he knew would never die.

The thought of her, her shy smile and her insistence on playing with his demon ears, brought a smirk to his lips. Alistair had never let anyone touch him like that, had never let anyone get under his skin the way she had. But for Tess, he'd allow it, every irritating little touch if it meant keeping her close. She was his-fully, truly, irrevocably. "I can't let you be like that," he whispered, his voice filled with a fierce protectiveness, "I just can't."