I used to wonder—
    turn it over,
    hold it up to the light,
    search for cracks,
                flaws,

    reasons why this couldn’t be what I hoped.

Not anymore.

Now, when I close my eyes,
     when I wake,
     when I catch my reflection,
                                I know.

This isn’t something small,
     isn’t something temporary,
     isn’t a stepping stone…

     toward something else.

It’s the real thing.

The thing I wasn’t sure existed,
    the feeling that has no name—

    because every word falls short.

I don’t have doubts anymore.

Not about her.

Not about me.

Not about us.

I’m not guessing.
    not hedging bets,
    not holding back,

    not keeping an exit just in case.

Because...

There’s no safety net,
        no backup plan,
        no hesitation lingering beneath the surface—

        just a free fall,
        with absolute trust that she’s already caught me.

She’s not something—
   she’s everything.

And finally,
    for the first time, (ever)

    I’m sure.