~Aaron's POV
I don't even remember exactly when we stopped trying.
At some point, the steps just faded into nothing, and we ended up laughing again, slower this time, tired in that quiet way that comes after a long day and too many emotions at once. She leaned into me like she didn't have the strength to keep standing, and honestly, I didn't either.
"Okay," she said, her voice softer now. "I'm tired."
"I noticed," I replied, guiding her back toward the bed.
We didn't argue about it, we didn't drag it out, we just fell into the mattress like two people who had used up everything they had for the day. She curled slightly to her side, facing me, and I stayed there for a second just looking at her, like I was trying to hold onto the moment before it slipped into sleep.
"Goodnight," she murmured.
"Goodnight," I said, even though I knew she was already drifting off.
It didn't take long after that.
The next morning felt different.
