Confessions of a Fearful Heart: Navigating Love and Desire with My Best Friend Jamie was like no other guy I knew, and in all honesty I can’t decide if I like him in a sexual way or not. Ever since I met him we’d been good friends, I could tell him anything and knew he wouldn’t care, wouldn’t judge me, he knew my past, my abilities, there was probably nothing he didn’t know. Months before he’d asked me out but I couldn’t do it, I liked him, but as a friend, these days I’m not so sure. He keeps trying to get me as his girlfriend and I keep shying away from the question, but now I just don’t know, something inside me rears its head when I think of doing things with him. Before the thought of him touching me, even holding my hand made me panic, feel repulsed and I backed away. “I’m scared,” I whispered into his shoulder as he held me close, the musky scent of his skin caressing my senses, his fingertips edging toward the centre of my back, the rain sticking my punk styled faux hawk to my scalp, the wind off the sea making it hard to stand on the cliff top. “Don’t be. I promise I’m not like him. I’ll never be like him.” There was now only one thing stopping us, stopping me, from taking this from this dusky, wet cliff top back to the hotel room up the street; my psychotic ex boyfriend. The guy who had scarred my so badly eight years ago, it had taken until tonight to even let Jamie hold me close, to finally let his gentle touch caress my arms down to my palms, to let him entwine his fingers round mine. “It will be fine. I promise.” Dropping his hand I begin to pace, back and forth in front of the beautiful sun setting behind us, over the whale bone arch we’d spend the last few moments cuddling under. My eyes not daring to look at him, not wanting to see the hurt look in his eyes. “My heart says I love you. My body says I want to feel you inside me. My brain says you’re going to hurt me. I don’t know if I can let you do that.” Knowing I wouldn’t panic like I used he grabbed out for my hand, stopping me mid pace. …and then things took a turn
