The first threads of sunlight crept into the room, slipping through the half-drawn curtains and stretching thin golden lines across the floor.
Izan stirred with a low groan, his body sluggish, as though weighed down by lead.
His eyelids fluttered open reluctantly, the world blurring into pale light and shadow.
He tried to shift, to roll onto his side, but his arm felt strangely dull and numb, almost like it hadn't seen blood flow properly for hours.
He flexed his fingers, sluggish and heavy, before turning his head.
Olivia was there beside him, curled close on the floor.
One of her arms had draped across his torso in sleep, the other tucked against his side.
Her face was half-buried against him, her breathing even, her lips parted just slightly.
Strands of her dark hair lay scattered across her cheek and his shoulder, tickling faintly with every soft exhale.
