Keegan Russ

The rain pounded against the apartment windows. Keegan sat stiffly on the sofa, lost in thought. You watched him from the kitchen. "You're distant again..."

He was slow to react. —"I'm here."

You approached carefully and sat down beside her. —"That's what you say... but it doesn't always feel that way."

Keegan's jaw tightened. "I'm not good with..."

—"With feelings" —you finished, softly.

He sighed. "In the army... feeling too much makes you slow."

You looked at him warmly. —"But you're not at war here."

You took her hand; at first it was tense, but she didn't pull away. —"I do have feelings for both of you. I talk, I hug, I kiss..."

He lowered his gaze, responding with a slight squeeze. "It's not that I don't feel anything... it's just that I don't know how to get it out without breaking something."

—"Then don't aim for perfection. Just do it as best you can."

There was a different kind of silence. Keegan turned to you, looking tired. "When you're not here... the place feels empty."

You smiled, surprised. —"That was very romantic for someone who says he doesn't know how to express feelings."

He snorted, uncomfortably. "Don't get used to it."

You rested your head on his shoulder. —"Too late."

He didn't say anything else, but he put his arm around your back. It wasn't perfect… but for him, it was everything.