Elariana
I wake up in the morning and my body does not jolt awake.
That alone is so unusual that at first I do not move. I just lie there and pay attention. Not to the outside world, but to myself. My stomach is not clenched. My chest is not tight. My shoulders are not pulled up by instinct. Air flows in and out calmly, and nothing is urgent.
Light filters softly through the window. Not sharp. Not blinding. More like the sun has not yet decided how fully it wants to be present. The sounds of the house are muted. Footsteps somewhere. A door creaking softly. Water splashing. Noises that mean nothing.
And that is calming.
Zane is lying beside me. At the same distance we fell asleep with. He did not turn toward me in his sleep. He did not reach for me. That does not hurt. It feels good. I
