Morning came late for Matthew.
The curtains had already given up most of their light, the room carrying that soft brightness that belonged to a day already in motion. He blinked against it, one arm shifting across the bed as he dragged himself out of sleep, his body heavy in a way that had nothing to do with rest.
For a moment, he didn’t move. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling, the quiet pressing gently against him.
Beside him, Ava hadn’t stirred.
She lay on her side, facing away from him, her breathing slow and even, her hair falling loosely across the pillow. The space between them still existed, though sometime in the night it had softened—not closed, but less deliberate.
Matthew pushed himself up, sitting at the edge of the bed, his hands resting briefly on his thighs as h
