When Morning Comes

Lila woke to the feeling of Elias’s arm draped over her waist, the warmth of his body pressed against hers. The soft glow of dawn slipped through the curtains, casting the room in muted gold, and for a moment, she let herself exist in this quiet, in the illusion that nothing else mattered outside of this bed, outside of the steady rhythm of his breathing against her back.

She shifted slightly, turning in his arms, her eyes tracing the lines of his face. His strong jaw, the faint crease between his brows even in sleep, the curve of his lips that, even at rest, still held something unspoken. He looked peaceful like this, like the weight of everything hadn’t touched him yet.

Her fingers found his, tangled between them as she brought his hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss against his knuckles. She wanted to hold onto this moment forever, to exist only here, where nothing had the power to break them. But she knew better. Elias stirred, his lashes fluttering open, and for a brief second, there was only warmth in his gaze as he took her in, the corners of his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile. “You’re staring,” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

Lila felt a flush creep up her neck but didn’t look away. “Maybe I like looking at you.” He hummed, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Good. Because I like waking up to you.” Her heart clenched at his words, at the way he said them so effortlessly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. But that fear, that small, gnawing fear. Still lingered in the back of her mind. How many mornings had they had like this before? How many times had she thought they were unbreakable, only to watch everything fall apart again?

Elias seemed to sense the shift in her, his thumb grazing over her cheek. “You’re thinking too much.” Lila exhaled, pressing her forehead to his. “I can’t help it.” His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer. “Then let me help.” And before she could say anything else, he kissed her.

It was slow, lingering, the kind of kiss that wasn’t just about desire but about something deeper, something unspoken. His hands moved over her, not in urgency but in reverence, like he was trying to remind her, trying to make her feel everything he couldn’t put into words. Lila melted into him, letting herself drown in the warmth of his touch, in the way he knew exactly how to make her forget the world outside of this moment.

But the world had a way of creeping back in. A sharp knock on the door shattered the quiet between them. Lila froze, her breath catching, while Elias tensed against her, his body instantly going rigid. Another knock followed, more urgent this time.

Elias pulled away first, his brows knitting together. “Who the hell…?” Lila swallowed, already feeling the unease settle in her stomach. She sat up as he pushed himself out of bed, grabbing the nearest pair of pants and pulling them on before striding toward the door. Her heart pounded as she watched him disappear into the hallway. She had a feeling that whatever was waiting for them on the other side of that door was about to change everything.

Again.