She had been lying in bed, reading, when he reached for her. It had been a long day. She was tired. She was distracted. She was not thinking about sex. When his hand touched her arm, her first instinct was to pull away. She was not in the mood. She did not want to be touched. She did not want to be bothered. But she paused. She remembered something she had learned about herself. She remembered that her desire did not always arrive before the moment. Sometimes, it arrived during. Sometimes, it arrived after. Sometimes, it needed to be invited.

So instead of pulling away, she stayed. She let his hand rest on her arm. She let herself feel the warmth of his touch. She let herself relax into the moment. And slowly, gradually, something shifted. The tension in her body began to soften. The distraction in her mind began to fade. The desire that had been absent began to stir. Within minutes, she was no longer lying in bed, reading, thinking about her day. She was present. She was engaged. She was aroused. The desire had not been there before. It had arrived when she allowed it to.