Page 59 of Beautiful Ruins
“I won.”
“Debatable.”
He huffed.Then, almost unconsciously, he changed his position again.Not away from me, but closer.
His shoulder brushed mine.
Neither of us moved to correct it.
His body heat was steady.Solid.Grounding.
I became acutely aware of how small I felt next to him.How easily he’d lifted me.How easily he’d stepped into my chaos and made it his problem.
“You don’t have to stay,” I said.
“I know.”
“But you’re going to, anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he adjusted slightly, sliding down until he was half-reclined.His arm rested along the mattress near my hip.
The space between us disappeared gradually.He just… settled.Like it was the most natural thing in the world to be there.
My shoulder brushed his chest now.
His breathing slowed.
I turned my head slightly to look at him.
His eyes were closed.
“You can’t just fall asleep mid-conversation,” I murmured.
No response.
I waited.Nothing.
His breathing deepened.
I blinked.
He was out.Just like that.
The most dominant, hyper-aware man I’d ever met had slouched into my side and fallen asleep like he trusted the space between us.Like he trusted me.
Something inside my chest cracked open.
He hadn’t meant to.He hadn’t announced it.He’d just… stayed.
And somewhere between apologies and arguments and shared exhaustion, he’d let himself relax.
I lay there carefully, afraid to move and wake him.
