Evaline:
I woke slowly, drifting back to consciousness as warmth wrapped around me from all sides.
For a moment, I didn't move. I simply lay there, letting the quiet sink in. The room was dim, bathed in a soft amber glow coming from the bedside lamp - River must have switched it on at some point. Beyond the windows, the sky had deepened into shades of indigo and charcoal, the sun long gone. Tiny pinpricks of light.. stars... had begun to appear, shy and scattered.
It was already evening.
I shifted slightly, and immediately felt it... River stirring behind me. As if he had been awake already, waiting.
I tilted my head up, and our eyes met.
He was already looking at me.
A smile curved his lips, slow and warm, the kind that always made my chest feel too full. I smiled back, unable to help myself, and instinctively snuggled closer to him. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest, his warmth grounding me instantly.
"Hey," he murmured softly.
