Alexander lay back against the pillows, chest still rising and falling as he caught his breath. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. Elena rested beside him, hair spilling over the sheets, her expression soft and unreadable.
For a moment, neither spoke.
It was the kind of quiet that followed closeness — warm, slow, deceptively peaceful.
Elena broke it first.
“So,” she murmured, tracing a lazy circle on his shoulder, “tell me about your family.”
Alexander stiffened just slightly.
Elena noticed.
She always noticed.
He cleared his throat. “What about them?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” she said lightly, as if the thought had just occurred to her. “Just curious. You’re all so… complicated.”
Alexander huffed a small laugh. “That’s one word for it.”
Elena shifted, p
