Maea
give me shelter, or show me heart
The silence dragged on forever. Maea kept swallowing, not sure what to do. This wasn't like her. The guilt, yes, the self-blame and the whining, absolutely, but this... flinching away? Was that really her? Didn't she use to be stronger than this, even before being pulled out of her shell?
Actually... no. Much as it pained her to admit it, she.. had not. The shell had been there for a reason. To shield her when these kinds of tones were used more often. By a father that was always in a hurry, by a sister-in-law whom she could never please, and everyone around her that wasn't Noah. Amalia, Evie, Rory... Ah, so this was how it had felt. She almost didn't remember what it felt like anymore. To have a voice that didn't matter.
His hand touched her knee, had reached for her without Maea even noticing, and again she flinched. But Sunjata's tone had softened, said he didn't mean to... and she wanted to believe him. Did not pull away from his touch, at least, but... for perhaps the first time, she did not lean in to it either.
"It's okay..."
But she still couldn't look at him.
Actually... no. Much as it pained her to admit it, she.. had not. The shell had been there for a reason. To shield her when these kinds of tones were used more often. By a father that was always in a hurry, by a sister-in-law whom she could never please, and everyone around her that wasn't Noah. Amalia, Evie, Rory... Ah, so this was how it had felt. She almost didn't remember what it felt like anymore. To have a voice that didn't matter.
His hand touched her knee, had reached for her without Maea even noticing, and again she flinched. But Sunjata's tone had softened, said he didn't mean to... and she wanted to believe him. Did not pull away from his touch, at least, but... for perhaps the first time, she did not lean in to it either.
"It's okay..."
But she still couldn't look at him.
watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep
and I'll be yours to keep
