i tried to medicate you out of my mind, tried to wash you away in a river of synthetic serotonin. and yet your hands only pressed harder on my shoulders, harder and harder until my knees buckled. i felt the shock of their sting as they hit the floor.

if you had only asked, i would have told you: there was no need for force. i would have knelt at your feet in an instant, because i would have done anything for you.