Elena's POV
The first thing I noticed was warmth.
I wasn't fully conscious, but I felt warm and content, and a steady, grounding heat pressed along my spine; a slow breath rose and fell against the back of my neck.
Adrian.
His arm was around my waist, fingers resting gently on my stomach as if he were afraid that holding me too tightly would shatter something fragile or that letting go would lose me completely.
For a moment, I didn't move.
I just lay there, breathing in the quiet, listening to the soft rhythm of his heart against my back. My eyelids fluttered open slowly, meeting the dim glow of early morning filtering through my apartment curtains. The city was still half-asleep outside, no honking, no rushing commuters, just the distant hum of life waking up far away.
His hold tightened almost imperceptibly when I stretched my toes.
He was awake.
"Good morning," his voice murmured into my hair. His voice was soft, deep, still raspy with sleep.
