I Love You, I Need Him

I learned early in life to build walls around my heart.

After my mother died.

Before my father went to jail.

“I’d give anything to make sure the people I love know it…”

So when my boss hires a tall, tattooed Irishman to work alongside me, 

I vow to keep things professional.

Especially when I find out he’s a widower.

But when my violent past threatens my future, 

I find myself closer to Declan than I planned to be.

“...you want to sleep in my bed?”

The walls around my heart are high…

but the arms around my body are strong.

And I’ve convinced myself he can save me from the coming storm.

Declan

I escaped New York for Tennessee to have a clean slate.

From my vices.

From my ghosts...

But my new boss has the kind of eyes you can’t look away from.

And the kind of laugh that threatens to pull you from the dark.

“It’s just chemical, what you’re feeling right now…”

I tell myself I’m just being a good friend when I let her stay in my room.

But the lies we tell ourselves are the hardest to overcome.

“I thought I knew what it was like to be haunted by someone. 

I was wrong. I don’t know shit…”

My attempt at starting over has led me to my greatest fear. 

Love can never make me weak again.

And I can’t fall for a girl who looks like the sun when I’m the goddamn storm.