Near Miss

by Haley Warren

it’s okay to create a boundary people are uncomfortable with. It doesn’t mean we have to appease them afterwards.

She looks at me like I’m something—not nothing—but she’s not quite sure what. As she should. Because I think I look at myself like that—I’m something, not nothing—but I’m not quite sure what either.

“This—loving you. Being loved by you.” I jerk my head before pointing at her, and my voice rises but the whole thing shakes. “You’ll be the only near miss I care about.”