I could no longer hold back my tears.
“To me,” he continued, “you are more beautiful now than when we were twenty.”
I shook my head.
— Don’t say that…
But he took my face in his hands.
— Listen to me.
His voice was firm.
— When we were young, I loved you for your smile… for your long hair… for your bright eyes.
He paused.
— But now…
He gently stroked my shoulder.
— Now I love you for everything you’ve survived.
I felt something inside me break.
All those insecurities I had carried for years…
All that shame about my body…
Suddenly, they seemed to lose their weight.
Manuel hugged me.
A strong, warm hug, full of lost years.
“Forgive me,” he whispered.
— For what?
— For not being there for you when you went through all that.
I rested my head on his shoulder.
— Life took us down different paths.
— Yes… — he said — but it brought us back.
We stayed in each other’s arms for a long time.
There was no rush.
There were no expectations.
Just two people who had lived long enough to understand what really matters.
After a while, Manuel lay down next to me on the bed.
He turned off the lamp.
The room was illuminated only by the soft moonlight coming through the window.
He took my hand.
— Do you know something?
— What?