Valerie returned from the bathroom after washing her hands, quietly drying them on the edge of a towel as she stepped back into the room. The soft lamp light fell across the bed, and her eyes immediately went to Azrael, who was already lying back against the headboard, one arm resting behind his head while the other held his phone. His expression was calm, unreadable, like nothing in the past twenty-four hours had even touched him.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked to the bed with deliberate steps, picking up two pillows and placing them firmly between them like a barricade. She adjusted them twice to make sure there was no gap, her movements stiff and purposeful.
"I am only sleeping here because your mother is here," she said, her voice coming out a little too fast, a little too flustered. "And we are not a real couple, so you should not take advantage of the situation."
Azrael didn't even look up from his phone.
"Mm," he hummed lightly.
