We worked together slowly, carefully, stopping when he needed to stop. His skin was bruised and pressure-marked in places, and there were moments when I could see from his face alone how much it cost him physically.
“Does it always hurt this much?” I asked.
He exhaled. “Some days more than others. Some days I want to take them off and never touch them again. But then I remember why I am doing it.”
I told him again that he did not need to prove anything to me.
“I know,” he said. “But I want to.”
We practiced in short sessions over the following days, with rest built into every attempt. I learned how to help him adjust the straps without making him feel like I was doing it for him. He learned how to lean into my support without feeling like he was giving something up.
It was slow. It was imperfect. It was one of the most meaningful things we have ever done together.
The Reception
On the evening of our delayed reception, Rowan rolled to the center of the room while the guests talked and laughed around us.
He looked at me across the space and asked if I was ready.
I told him I had been ready since the first cup of coffee.
He braced himself, gripped my shoulders, and stood. The room went quiet so quickly it was almost startling. I heard someone nearby whisper a question about whether he was really going to try.
I did not look at them.
Rowan leaned close and told me to lead. I told him I had him. And we moved together, slowly and steadily, one step at a time, with pauses built in and laughter covering the harder moments.
The applause began hesitantly, then grew until it filled the room.
When the song ended, Rowan lowered himself back into his chair, exhausted and completely out of breath, still smiling.
“Was it good enough?” he asked, his voice raw.
I knelt beside him and took his hand. “It was everything,” I told him.
My mother came over a few minutes later. Her voice was unsteady and her eyes were wet. She told me she had been wrong. She said she had almost made me doubt something real, and she was sorry for that.
Rowan nodded at her, and the relief on his face was something I will never forget.
What Love Actually Looks Like
Later that night we sat together on our bed, shoes off, completely worn out in the best possible way.
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