My husband and I had argued over something stupid, but by bedtime neither of us was willing to apologize. He took the guest room, while I stayed in our bedroom staring at the ceiling. Eventually I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. A little later, I heard the door open. He walked in quietly to grab his phone charger, then stopped beside the bed. I felt him lean closer, and in a voice barely above a whisper he said, “I’m sorry. I hate when we’re like this. I love you more than I know how to say.”
For a moment, I almost opened my eyes, but something stopped me. He clearly believed I was asleep. Then he gently pulled the blanket higher over my shoulder and walked out. I lay there completely still, suddenly feeling ridiculous about the argument. We had spent hours refusing to speak because both of us wanted the other person to surrender first, yet there he was apologizing when he thought there was no chance of receiving anything in return.
