What Happens When You Finally Hear Yourself Again

Trigger Warning: NSFW for Male Butt

This is Michael.
One of the first photos I ever took of him, five years ago.

I fell in love with Michael not just for who he was, but for how he showed up—open, honest, and always putting others first.

I brought him on a trip to Puerto Vallarta, and the group fell for him instantly. He had that kind of heart.

But not long after, he took a job that swallowed him whole.

The next time I saw him, his mind was spinning. Conversations jumped the rails. We’d be talking about travel, and suddenly he was deep in the weeds about combustion engines. It was like trying to talk to a radio flipping stations on its own. That went on for three years. I could feel the fabric of him fraying.

So imagine my shock when the phone rang today—and it was him.
Really him.

The Michael I first met.