You play with my hair, and my soul starts to sing;

You brush away a tiny bit of food from the corner of my mouth, and I can barely wait to put mine on yours;

You take in my cold feet at night, warming them with that look in your eye;

When I run my hands over you, you sigh in disbelief;

As if this was unbelievable for you.

It is surreal to me.

That sheer strength when you oil my hair,

That warm embrace when I come back home,

That look in your eye, when I go bonkers at M&S,

Those indulgent smiles when I tell you the same story.

Those nights when you rock me to sleep after a bad fight,

Wiping away tears that don’t stop,

Telling me in the morning, forget what happened yesterday.

Those late night chats about yesterday, today and tomorrow,

That little peek into what makes you you.

Those dinners where you only sit to watch me eat,

Where you go with me to fine dining, but insist on road side momos later,

When I want to lay the world at your feet, but realise my world is in your arms.

When we go out together, me clingy and drunk, you stoic and steady

When that light pressure from your arm around my waist, is the safest I have ever felt

When I feel those muscles rippling in anticipation of what happens when we go home,

But you gently put me to bed

For tomorrow is an early day and tonight I am barely awake.

When I wake up in the morning to poached eggs and buttered toast.

I know I am home.

And when you ask if you can borrow a tampon,

Or if you can wear my neon green sports bra,

Or if I can help pleat your saree,

That’s when I know

This is what I have longed for. This is me.

I am in your heart and you are in mine.