Simona's world

It's September. Three months since I met Anneka. Two months since we moved in together.

I'm different now. Not healed. I don't think I'll ever be "healed." But functional. Present. Capable of actual joy instead of just the absence of pain.

There's a man at the gym. Mario. He comes to my classes sometimes and watches from the back. At first it made me uncomfortable. Men watching women is a trigger for me. It activates all the old fears.

But he seems harmless. Lost, maybe. Like he's looking for something he doesn't know how to find.

Anneka noticed him watching me and made a joke about it. Said he's clearly interested but too cowardly to actually approach me.

I don't care. Men are the last thing I need right now. I'm too busy rebuilding the person I lost. Too busy learning how to love myself the way Anneka loves me.

That's enough.