i said i love you even though you were asleep. i said it without a second thought, but now i'm thinking on it.
i knew you wouldn't be able to say it back because you couldn't hear me.
i enjoy it when you say it back, but that didn't dull the bloom of warmth in my chest.
in my mind i imagined you said it back; you do talk in your sleep, mumbling things you don't remember.
i think it was just the gesture of it, really. a reminder that i can say it and feel safe when you don't say it back, because i know you do.