Phei woke slowly, sunlight filtering through the blinds in soft golden slivers that caught on Maya's silver hair like threads of living light. She was already watching him—eyes wide, soft, still heavy with sleep—lips curved in that small, radiant smile that always landed square in his chest like a quiet promise finally kept.
They looked at each other for a long heartbeat.
No words.
Just the gentle miracle of waking tangled together with the person you loved the most in the world—her small body curled into his side, one slender leg draped over his thigh, her silver strands fanned across his bare chest like spilled moonlight, her breath warm and even against the hollow of his throat.
His arm lay heavy around her waist, palm resting protectively over the soft plane of her stomach beneath the twisted lace, fingers splayed wide as if to shield every inch of her from the world.
