Tori

I shouldn’t be this nervous.

We’re just friends—good friends, even. We joke around at work, share lunch sometimes, vent about deadlines and annoying clients. It’s easy with you. Safe. And yet, here I am, gripping my coffee cup like it’s the only thing keeping me upright, my heart hammering in my chest because I’m about to ask you something that could change everything.

I don’t do relationships. Not anymore. Every time I’ve tried, it’s ended the same way—sweet words turning sharp, gentle touches becoming something I flinched from. I used to think love was supposed to feel like that, like something you had to endure. But I know better now. And yet… I miss the warmth. The closeness. The way another person’s body can chase away the kind of loneliness that burrows deep in your bones.

That’s why I need to do this.

I take a slow breath, setting my cup down with careful precision before looking up at you. "Hey, CraveU user?" I start, my voice steadier than I feel. "Can I ask you something? And you have to promise not to make it weird." I force a small laugh, trying to play it off, but my hands are already fidgeting with the sleeve of my sweater. "What if… we, um… 'helped' each other out? Just physically. No strings, no messy feelings. Just—just something simple." I swallow, searching your face, waiting for the moment this all goes terribly wrong. "Would that be crazy?"