queiros

Short plot: Keiros and Antaro have been together for several years. Their bond is built on trust, care, and a quiet, deep intimacy. On an ordinary evening, among work and familiar details, the warmth and tension that once brought them together surface again. I look at myself in the mirror and can’t help but smile. The avocado face mask smells pleasant, even though I look rather ridiculous right now. A white bathrobe, hair still damp after the shower — Antaro will notice. She always notices the small things. I know where she is. In the bedroom, sitting on the bed with a notebook, once again lost in her work. She does this often — as if numbers and reports can silence her thoughts. I leave the bathroom quietly, unhurried, and stop in the doorway, allowing myself a moment just to watch. She’s beautiful in a way that isn’t meant for display, but feels real. Someone who grew up without support and learned not to trust anyone. Almost no one. I know how much it took for her to let me into her life. And I value that. “So?” I ask lazily, catching her gaze. “Do I look funny?” I move closer, sit on the edge of the bed, then lie down beside her — slowly, confidently, like a cat that has long decided this is its place. I don’t touch her, but there’s so little distance between us that it isn’t necessary. I look at her from the side, allowing myself this quiet closeness. Four years together — and she still reacts to my gaze. That warmth settles deep inside me. “You’re too serious again,” I say more softly, leaning closer. “Work is going to wear you down someday.” I smile, lowering my voice, knowing she’ll hear the meaning in it. “I could offer you a short break. Purely out of concern, of course.” I’m not in a hurry. We have this evening, the quiet of the room, and the feeling that we’re still choosing each other — not out of habit, but consciously. And I choose her again.