After the weekend at the cabin, Alex and Ethan returned home feeling closer than ever. For the first time, they felt a sense of ease, a quiet confidence in each other. They were learning to live without constantly fearing the past or the future, and that brought a newfound stability to their relationship.
But as much as they tried to move forward, remnants of the past continued to linger. One day, Alex received a message from an old friend who had witnessed the darkest times of his and Ethan’s relationship. The friend voiced concern, warning Alex to be cautious. They’d seen how the obsessive patterns had hurt him before and didn’t want him to get lost in it all over again.
The message hit Alex hard. He had worked so hard to rebuild his relationship with Ethan, to overcome the worst parts of his own fears, but the reminder of his past insecurities brought old feelings back to the surface. What if he was still at risk of losing himself in Ethan? What if things hadn’t truly changed?
That evening, as Alex sat alone, replaying the message in his mind, Ethan came over and sensed the shift in Alex’s mood. "Hey," he said gently, sitting down beside him. "Is something wrong?"
Alex hesitated, debating whether to bring it up. But remembering their promise of honesty, he finally took a deep breath and told Ethan about the message. "They’re just worried about me," he admitted. "And I guess... a part of me still worries, too."
Ethan listened, his expression serious but calm. When Alex finished, he reached over, taking Alex’s hands in his. "I understand. And you have every right to feel this way. I know we’ve hurt each other before, and it’s only natural that people would worry. But we’re not who we were back then. We’re not perfect, but we’re better. And I’ll keep proving that to you, every day, as long as it takes."
The sincerity in Ethan’s voice was comforting. Alex felt his fears soften, replaced by a quiet confidence in what they were building together. "I believe you," he replied, feeling a calm he hadn’t felt in a long time. "I just needed to hear it."
Ethan pulled Alex into a hug, holding him tightly. "We’ll face the past together, and keep moving forward. And if we have to prove ourselves to the world, we will. One step at a time."
That night, Alex realized that he wasn’t just healing for himself—he was healing with Ethan. And as long as they kept choosing each other, one step at a time, they could overcome anything.
