My roommate had put a paper sign on our door that said WELCOME HOME.

It was a small thing, but I stood looking at those words for a moment before stepping inside.

I had been worried that leaving Colleen would feel like losing safety all over again.

Instead, she’d helped me plan it.

We had emergency contacts, a budget, a schedule for calls, and an understanding that I could come back to her house anytime I needed a place to rest.

There was no debt attached to her love, no demand that I behave perfectly to keep it.