It’s our first trip. Just us, alone. – Elias
Liana
He was already in bed when I came out of the shower.
Hair damp from his own, chest bare under the soft gray sheets. The lamp beside him cast everything in gold.
For a second, I just stood there.
He looked up at me.
Then smiled, slow and soft. “Come here. I need to fall asleep with you in my arms again.”
I climbed in.
No rush. No hunger. Just his arm around me and my cheek against his chest.
Warm. Steady. Real.
I exhaled.
And let sleep take me.
Elias
She was still asleep when I woke up.
Curled up beside me like a cat, one hand curled on my chest. Her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. A faint crease between her brows, even now. Like part of her was still afraid she’d wake up alone.
I brushed my thumb over her temple.
How the hell did I survive without this for three weeks?
Her eyes fluttered open.
She looked at me. Sleepy. Soft.
Then smiled.
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You have work today?”
She yawned. “Just in the afternoon. Why?”
“I got three days off. And I don’t want to spend them here.”
She blinked. “You want to go somewhere?”
“Palm Springs. I booked us a villa. Just us. Quiet. No phones. Maybe a pool I can carry you into.”
She laughed, burying her face in my shoulder. “That’s oddly specific.”
“I’ve been planning it in my head since day five.”
She lifted her head. Eyes shining. “You want to leave today?”
“Already packed. You just need to grab a swimsuit. Or not. I’m flexible.”
She smacked my chest. “Elias.”
“Just saying.”
Liana
He went to make coffee.
I stood in front of my closet, staring at my half-zipped suitcase.
And for the first time in weeks, maybe months, I wasn’t scared about what came next.
I wasn’t waiting for something to fall apart.
He came back.
And now we were moving forward.
Together.
