My Act of Love Will Be Asking You to Take Care of Yourself: Because I Care about You

There are loves that are born from touch, from kisses, from overwhelming passion. Others arise from small things - a long look, a conversation in the middle of the afternoon, a silence that doesn't bother. And there are those that are born from care. From sincere concern. From the desire to see the other person well, even if that means no longer being by their side.
This is a story about this kind of love. A silent, courageous and often misunderstood love. A love that asks for nothing in return, that does not require constant presence, but that manifests itself in the details, in simple gestures, in the words spoken and, above all, in the unspoken ones.
Helena never imagined that she would find in Matheus someone so similar to her and, at the same time, so distant from the world. He carried ghosts in his eyes, wounds that no one saw and a way of pretending that everything was fine, when it clearly wasn't.
But she saw. And seeing was enough to make her care.
This is not the story of a love that ends in a cinematic happy ending. It is the story of two hearts that recognize each other and learn that, sometimes, love means knowing how to let go, knowing how to wait, knowing how to respect the other person's pain.
It's about the courage to care. To say, "Take care of yourself for me, because I care about you."
And maybe, just maybe, this is the most beautiful love of all.
The world followed its hurried pace, as if no one had time to notice the other. But for Helena, every detail of Matheus was impossible to ignore. It wasn't the kind of love that people shout from the rooftops, it wasn't the kind of passion that demands eternal promises... it was a silent, deep, and real affection.
She knew about the fears he hid, the pain he disguised with quick smiles and the internal battles he fought in the silence of his own room. No one saw it, but Helena saw it. And that was enough to make worry take up residence in her chest.
Matheus was one of those people who said " it's okay" even when everything inside him was falling apart. And Helena, even though she knew she couldn't save him from everything, wanted to at least be a point of light in the middle of the darkness.
One night, while the city was falling asleep, she decided to write. Because some things can only be said when silence allows it. She picked up her cell phone, hesitated for a moment and typed:
"I know you don't like to talk about it. I know that sometimes you prefer to pretend that everything is fine so as not to worry anyone. But I care about you. I really do. And maybe my most beautiful act of love for you is this: asking you to take care of yourself. Because, more than having you close by, I want to see you well, even from afar. Take care of yourself for me, please. Because I want you whole, and not in pieces that you try to glue together when no one is looking."
She hesitated before sending it, but she clicked. The blue screen confirmed the delivery of the message. And then, Helena's heart seemed to calm down, like someone who gives the universe something that no longer fits inside her.
Minutes later, the cell phone vibrated. It was Matheus' response:
"Thank you for seeing what no one else sees. I'll try... for you."
And in that moment, Helena understood. Sometimes, love is like this. It is not holding back, not demanding, not suffocating. It is caring in silence, it is being present in absence, it is being a shelter in the chaos of the other.
It was love. In the most beautiful and courageous way.