The First Difference
Mar 18, 2026
I don’t remember when I started noticing it.
It wasn’t obvious.
Not something I could point at and explain.
Just small things.
The way he spoke to me felt slightly different.
Softer, maybe.
Or just… more patient.
He would respond to things I didn’t expect him to notice.
Things I said without thinking.
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And sometimes, I caught myself comparing.
Not intentionally.
Just quitely observing how he was with others,
and how he was with me.
There was a difference.
Not big enough to question.
Not clear enough to name.
But it was there.
And once I noticed it,
I couldn’t unsee it.
