Flashback — Deniz and Bryan Talk:
The morning light glows softly in the room, golden and warm, spreading across the rumpled sheets like melted honey. Dust motes drift lazily through the sunbeams, suspended in the quiet peace of early morning.
Deniz and Zyren lie tangled together on the bed, limbs intertwined, bodies pressed close in the intimate tangle of lovers who fell asleep wrapped in each other, who couldn't bear to let go even in unconsciousness.
The silver of Zyren's hair catches the light, shimmering against the darker fabric of the sheets like moonlight on water.
Deniz's eyes are open, fixed on the sleeping face beside him.
He doesn't blink. Doesn't move. Doesn't dare break the spell of this moment. A soft smile plays on his lips, tender and wondering, as if he still can't quite believe this is real, that someone like Zyren—beautiful, fierce, impossible Zyren—could choose him.
