my love language is not having to ask. - mixtapes by gor

love, for me, has never been about grand gestures or dramatic promises. it has always lived in the quiet noticing, the small acts that exist between the words. the way someone reaches for what i need before i can name it. the soft look that meets me when i am tired, withdrawn, or trying to carry too much alone. there is something holy about that kind of awareness, the way it makes you feel visible without having to perform your pain. when you hand me a glass of water before i realize i’m thirsty, or when you hear the hesitation in my voice and ask what’s wrong before i find the courage to admit it, that’s where love begins for me, in the tender language of attention. i’ve never wanted to be rescued or spoiled, only seen. really seen. in the small, unspoken ways that make a person feel safe. when someone remembers the story i told months ago about my mother’s old perfume or the café i loved on a forgotten street. when they catch the shift in my tone and know what it means before i do. t

saved by

• Varun Goyal