Oscar:
She stirred before she woke.
I had been standing there long enough to recognize the exact moment her breathing shifted - slow, warm exhales turning into something lighter and more conscious. The storm had passed, leaving the room dim and soft, lit only by the bedside lamp I had switched on earlier when I came to check on her.
I half expected her to drift back to sleep.
But then her lashes fluttered.
Her eyes opened slowly, hazy at first, adjusting to the warm glow around her. For a heartbeat she looked peaceful... then her gaze drifted, scanning the room.
And then it landed on me.
She blinked, just once. A tiny flicker of surprise crossed her face before she smiled... small but sweet, enough to punch a breath out of my lungs.
Until the realizations began.
I watched the shift in her expression like a sequence of falling dominos.
First, she felt the warmth at her back.
Her brows pinched, and she slowly turned her head just enough to peek behind her shoulder.
Kieran.
