There’s a quiet fear that lives inside my chest,
A trembling place I try so hard to protect.
Because once you’ve been broken deeply enough,
Even kindness can feel dangerous.
I want to tell you everything—
The nights I cried when no one saw,
The memories that still ache,
The parts of me I hide behind silence.
But fear keeps whispering,
“What if they leave after knowing the real you?”
So I smile carefully,
Speak softly,
Reveal my heart in pieces instead of all at once.
Not because I don’t care,
But because I care too much.
You see, opening up feels like standing in a storm
Without armor,
Hoping the person in front of you
Won’t use your scars against you.
It’s terrifying to hand someone
The power to hurt you
While praying they choose to hold you gently instead.
Sometimes I rehearse conversations in my mind
A hundred times before speaking.
Sometimes I type messages
Only to erase them moments later.
Sometimes I want to say,
“I’m scared you’ll disappear
Once you see how damaged I really am.”
But maybe being brave
Doesn’t mean being fearless.
Maybe it means slowly unlocking the door
Even while your hands shake.
And maybe love—real love—
Is finding someone patient enough
To wait outside that door
Until you finally feel safe enough
To let them in.
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