Informed Consent (Hearts Consent #2)

by K.C. Mills

“It’s time for your flowers to bloom. His soul is stuck in the dead of Winter, your soul is eager for Spring.”

“Our commitments to those we love sometimes cloud our ability to truly exist. It’s so easy to fade into the shadows trying to be what others need us to be.”

“Our commitments to those we love sometimes cloud our ability to truly exist. It’s so easy to fade into the shadows trying to be what others need us to be.” He murmured as if relating his own experience to mine.

“The best part of a relationship is the intimacy. Not necessarily sex…” she paused and grinned. “Sex is very much appreciated but cuddling, lingering touches, my head on a man’s chest and his fingers moving mindlessly through my hair while he’s focused on something else but wants me reassured that he’s there. Those moments are priceless. I can’t imagine not craving that type of closeness and affection. How does that even work?” Her frown of confusion is adorable, cute.

My nose wrinkled a little while I considered the question. “As opposed to the assholes. They’re the worst. They take and take, not caring about anything other than what makes them happy or makes them feel good. Then there are the guys who fall somewhere in the middle of the assholes and the good guys. I’m not sure what I’d actually call them, but they’re the ones who really don’t have bad intentions; they always seem to leave you feeling confused because at one point, they said and did all the right things. They treat you like you’re the only thing in the world that matters until you’re not and then everything changes. The problem is that they know you’re worth holding onto, so they keep doing just enough to make sure you don’t leave. They can’t stomach knowing that someone better might appreciate you the way they never did.”

That was the thing I was learning to appreciate about the man I’d been falling for over the past few months. He possessed a certain maturity that I hadn’t experienced before. Definitely not with Jarvis but that was mostly because we’d gotten together so young and didn’t understand what it meant to transition into a healthy, mature relationship. The drugs that Jarvis relied on weren’t the only thing that was pulling us apart. For years, my spirit had been yearning for something that he could never give and not because he was incapable, more so because he didn’t want to. For Jarvis to love me in a way that allowed me to mature and grow, it meant that he would have to do the same. He wasn’t ready to be a man. His safe space was remaining the boy who I fell in love with years ago. The boy who I foolishly accepted and never placed demands on. Gia was right, we outgrew each other years ago, but I loved him so much that I refused to accept that we were no longer good for each other.

“Nobody’s perfect, Indi.” “I know. That’s not what I’m saying or what I need. All I want is someone who is willing to pour into me the same as I’m willing to pour into them so that our imperfections don’t break us.” “That’s called unselfish love, baby. The kind of love that is healthy and okay to be loyal to.”