The quiet lingered between them, soft and unbroken, settling into the spaces where words had been only moments before. Sophie's breathing remained slow and even, her body relaxed fully against his as though she had finally set down something she hadn't realized she'd been carrying all this time.
Bruce didn't move. His hand rested lightly against her back, fingers tracing absent, steady paths along the curve of her spine, never rushed, never demanding. Just there. Present in the way she needed him to be.
After a while, Sophie shifted, not pulling away, just enough to tilt her head and look up at him. Her eyes were half-lidded now, touched by the weight of sleep, but still clear. Still warm. Still his.
"You're very quiet," she murmured, her voice barely above the hush of the room.
"I don't need to say anything, I just need to enjoy this moment..."
"That's convenient." A faint smile formed at the corner of her mouth. "You get to sound profound without doing any of the work."
