I woke before the alarm.
Not because I was rested—because I felt watched.
The sensation didn’t frighten me. It had become familiar over the past few days, the way a second presence in a room eventually announces itself not with sound, but with pressure. Like air thickening. Like gravity shifting.
Alexander was awake.
I didn’t open my eyes immediately. I stayed still, breathing evenly, letting the moment stretch. There was a difference between being seen and being observed. I wanted to know which one he was doing.
His arm was heavy around my waist, possessive in a way that hadn’t been there before. Not careless. Not asleep-loose. This was deliberate contact. Maintained even in rest.
Interesting.
I shifted slightly—not away, just enough to test him.
His grip tightened.
Not rough. No
