“I didn’t think you were,” I say.
He studies me for a second, like he’s checking that.
Then nods, once, small.
“Okay.”
The room settles again.
I reach for the remote, the fire dimming with a soft click until the flame disappears completely. The last of the warmth lingers as I switch off the lamp beside the bed, the room slipping into darkness, broken only by the faint light from outside.
I let it sit for a second.
“Can I hold you?” I whisper into the darkness.
There’s a pause.
Not long.
Just enough that I feel it.
“Yeah,” he says.
Simple.
I shift closer, sliding an arm around him, careful not to crowd him, giving him space to move away if he wants to.
He doesn’t.
If anything, he moves back into me, settling like it’s something he’s decided on.
That does something to my soul I don’t examine too closely.
I adjust the pillows slightly, then still, my hand resting at his side, feeling the slow rise and fall of his breathing as it begins to even out.
For a while, neither of us says anything.
The quiet is different now.
Softer.
Held.
His hand shifts briefly, brushing against mine before settling again.
“Glad we met,” he murmurs, already sounding half-asleep.
“Yeah.”Fate is a cruel bitch.
Chapter 9
Mark
For a second Idon’t move, not because I’m tired, but because I’m trying to work out what feels different.
Then I realise.
Weight.
