Morning arrived slowly, hesitant in a way that felt intentional. The rain had softened overnight, leaving behind a quiet city washed clean, the sky pale and undecided beyond the glass. Light slipped through the curtains in thin bands, touching the edges of the room without intruding too much, as if it understood something fragile had settled here.
I woke before Asher did.
For a moment, I stayed still, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing beside me. It was strange how quickly that sound had become familiar, how natural it felt to wake up with another presence so close. The night before lingered in my body, not as heat now, but as awareness—of him, of us, of the fact that nothing could be put back exactly where it had been.
I shifted carefully, turning onto my side to look at h
