To paraphrase, "Here, pass me the shampoo." As he put some into his palm, he began massaging it into my head. In pain, I realized I was helpless in the face of Oren's tenderness.

He said, "What hurts?" when he saw me flinch and assumed I was in agony.

For some reason, I shook my head. Insisting, "I'm alright," was something I kept saying. "The pain is getting better, but it's still there." After I was done lathering up, he applied conditioner to my hair and lathered me all over with soap. When I realized how lovely this felt, I had to bite my lip. The way I'm being treated...