SETTLE INTO YOU

Eli Navarre doesn’t believe in doing more than what’s necessary. If he can win a volleyball match with half the effort, he will. If he can pass a class with minimal studying, he’ll do just that. Life, for him, is best enjoyed slowly—especially with a good nap. Sienna Cruz thinks people like him are a waste of potential. She’s the definition of effort—always early, always on top of things, always pushing herself to be better. So when Eli keeps showing up in her life—falling asleep in the middle of a movie date, calling her Liit, sending her plants without explanation, and somehow making her heart race in between his lazy smiles—she starts questioning everything. But when Eli faces the biggest challenge of his career, where his relaxed nature is mistaken for carelessness, he’s forced to choose: prove himself or let go of the only thing he’s ever been sure about—Sienna. Because the truth is, Eli has never been lazy about the things that matter. And if Sienna lets him, he’ll prove that he’s been playing for her all along. The first time Eli Navarre gave Sienna Cruz a plant, he didn’t explain why. It was a small Philodendron hederaceum, its heart-shaped leaves a soft green against the morning light. He dropped it on her desk like it was nothing, like he wasn’t already starting something neither of them were ready for. She had frowned at it, then at him. “Is this some kind of lazy way to apologize for falling asleep at our movie marathon?” Eli yawned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Nah. Just thought you’d like it.” She squinted. “You just thought?” He shrugged. “Plants make a place feel less lonely.” She didn’t say anything after that. But weeks later, when he saw the same plant sitting on her bedside table, he smirked. And when she didn’t realize he had started napping on her bed more than his own, he let it happen. Because some things didn’t need effort to grow—sometimes, they just needed the right conditions.