Evan didn’t think much of it the first few times.
When Marlene—his partner of three years—pulled him closer from behind, guided him there, and whispered “just like this,” he assumed it was habit… comfort… routine.
But over time, he noticed a pattern.
She only chose that position. And when he tried turning her toward him, she would hesitate—just for a second—before giving a polite smile and guiding him right back behind her again.
To him, it seemed like preference.
To her, it was protection.
What Evan didn’t know was that Marlene had spent most of her life hiding the parts of herself that felt too vulnerable—her expressions, her reactions, her real hunger. She had always been the woman who looked composed, elegant, in control. And facing someone directly felt like exposing something she wasn’t sure he could handle.
But behind her…
She didn’t have to manage her face.
She didn’t have to worry about how much she wanted him.
She could let go without being “watched.”
Evan started noticing small clues.
The way her breathing changed faster there than anywhere else.
The way her shoulders dropped as if years of tension melted off.
The way she pressed back toward him with a confidence she never showed in the daylight.
It wasn’t just about a position.
It was about trust—the kind she didn’t know how to express out loud.
And one night, when she finally turned to face him afterward, cheeks warm, eyes soft in a way he had never seen before, it clicked:
She wasn’t avoiding him.
She was letting him in the only way she knew how.
What she wanted… what she feared… what she couldn’t say…
It all revealed itself when she let him behind her—every single time.
