Lilliana Roseblood POV
The late afternoon light spilt through the open windows, warm and golden.
Dust drifted lazily through the air, glowing like faint sparks in the sunbeams.
The faint scent of herbs filled the room: chamomile, mint, a hint of rosemary from the shelf near the door.
Lilliana adjusted the books stacked on her coffee table, aligning the edges until they sat neatly in a row.
Her dorm was completely quiet, all except for the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Then, a knock.
She blinked, jumping up from her seat.
When she opened the door, Soren stood there, hood down this time, one hand raised awkwardly in greeting.
"Hey, Lilly," he said quietly.
"Ren," she said, surprised but smiling. "You actually came."
He nodded once.
"You said the door's always open."
Her smile widened just a little.
"I did, didn't I? Come in."
He stepped inside, glancing around the familiar space like it had changed since his last visit.
It hadn't; the same books, the same scent of flowers and herbs, the same ticking on the clock on the wall.
But to him, it felt warmer than his own room.
"Were you busy?" he asked.
"Not really, I was just reading. You?"
"Walking," he muttered. "It was… too noisy outside."
Lilliana nodded in understanding.
"Then stay a while. I'll get you a drink."
He sat on the sofa, hands folded loosely on his lap.
The cushions dipped slightly under his weight, soft and familiar.
The window beside him was open just enough to let in the breeze, stirring the curtains.
Lilliana returned a few minutes later with two cups, the steam curling between them as she set his down.
"Same kind as last time," she said.
He lifted it, took a sip, and smiled.
"Still good."
"Of course it is, I grew it myself," she said, teasing lightly.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
For a while, they spoke about nothing, mainly small things.
Lilliana asked if he had visited anyone else yet; he said no, that he was worried he would mess up.
She told him about the flowers that had bloomed in the garden that morning; he asked their names, and she taught him their meanings.
The conversation was unhurried, comfortable, broken only by the occasional clink of porcelain against the table.
At one point, she asked a question that had been on her mind.
"How was home?"
He thought for a moment.
"It felt like I wasn't welcome," he said with a bitter smile. "It didn't even feel like home."
Her gaze softened; she was worried about what had happened, but she knew that now wasn't the time to push.
"Then maybe, while you're here at the academy… this place can become one, even a little."
Soren's eyes widened momentarily, but he didn't respond.
Lilliana saw it, though, the way his shoulders eased, that was answer enough.
The light dimmed gradually as they talked.
Outside, the sky was turning the soft blue of evening.
The tea had long gone cold.
Lilliana leaned back on the sofa, stretching her legs out a little.
Soren mirrored the motion beside her without thinking.
The quiet between them felt easy; there was no tension, no weight.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye.
He looked tired again, though not like before; not hollow, just… drained.
His head tilted slightly as he stared at the floor.
"You should rest more," she said softly.
He exhaled through his nose.
"I can't."
"Nightmares?"
He nodded.
"You'll never sleep if you keep worrying," she said, smiling faintly.
He huffed a quiet sound that might have been a laugh.
"Probably not…"
They fell silent again, the sound of the breeze filling the space between them, and the scent of chamomile still hung in the air.
She glanced at him once more; his eyes had closed.
At first, she thought he was just resting, but then his head slowly tilted sideways until it sat against her shoulder.
Lilliana froze.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stared down at him.
His hair, soft and pale under the dim light, brushed against her collar.
He had fallen asleep just like that, completely unguarded.
For a moment, she didn't move.
She could feel his faint breathing against her sleeve, steady and even.
A warmth spread through her chest; it wasn't embarrassment, just disbelief.
Yet at the same time, she couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face.
He trusted her enough to fall asleep beside her.
Then the realisation sank in, and her face flushed instantly.
"Oh—" she whispered under her breath, eyes darting toward the ceiling like she could hide from herself.
She should have woken him up; it was the polite thing to do, but… he looked peaceful, she thought.
It was an expression that she hadn't seen on him in a long time.
She hesitated, then exhaled quietly and shifted slightly, careful not to wake him.
His head slid lower, and she guided him gently so that it rested across her lap instead.
His hair fanned out across the fabric of her skirt, a few strands brushing her exposed legs, creating a ticklish sensation.
Lilliana's heart thumped loudly in her chest.
"There," she murmured softly, tidying his bangs on his forehead. "That's better."
Soren didn't stir.
His breathing stayed slow, steady and peaceful.
She sat perfectly still for a long moment, afraid that any movement might wake him.
Her fingers hovered uncertainly above his hair before finally settling.
She brushed lightly through it, more out of instinct than intent.
It was softer than she expected.
Every small motion made her chest tighten in a way she couldn't describe.
She smiled faintly to herself.
"What am I doing?" she whispered with a slight chuckle.
Outside, the last of the sunlight faded.
The glow of street lamps crept through the window, painting thin golden lines across the floor.
She could see the rise and fall of his chest, the faint twitch of his fingers every few breaths.
Lilliana couldn't help but think that he looked like a baby when he acted like this.
Her thoughts wandered without meaning to.
The memory of Alex's words from the cafeteria surfaced again; the quiet, heavy tone when he had explained what Soren had gone through.
She still felt sick thinking about it.
The image of him, terrified and alone, made her chest hurt.
She brushed her hand over his cheek gently.
"It's okay now," she whispered softly, though she knew he couldn't hear her. "You're safe here."
Her fingers lingered against his soft skin, and the warmth beneath them made something stir in her heart; something deeper than concern, more extreme than simple affection.
It wasn't sudden.
It was something that had been building for a long time, ever since that day that she had opened her heart to him, quietly, like a seed that had gone unnoticed until it finally bloomed.
She looked down at him again.
He had shifted slightly, his arms half-folded across his chest, as if guarding something invisible.
The sight made her want to protect him even more.
Her hand moved again, this time slower, gentler.
Every pass through his hair steadied her breathing, though her cheeks still burned.
'Why am I acting like this?' she asked herself helplessly.
But she already knew the answer.
It wasn't just care anymore.
It wasn't pity, either.
It was something far more obvious; the kind of feeling that filled the space between one heartbeat and the next.
It was something Lilliana had experienced before.
She didn't try to name it out loud.
Not yet.
But she knew, deep down, that it was there.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Time passed quietly.
The cups on the coffee table had long gone cold.
The light outside dimmed to the deep blue of dusk, and the room settled into stillness.
Soren stirred once, mumbling something she couldn't catch.
Her hand paused, then resumed its slow rhythm.
He relaxed again, the tension leaving his face.
Lilliana smiled faintly.
"Sleep as long as you like, you've earned it," she murmured.
Eventually, her own eyes grew heavy, and she leaned back against the sofa, careful not to disturb him.
The two of them stayed like that in the fading light, the world outside moving without them.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Soren Arden POV
When Soren finally woke, it was dark.
He blinked, disoriented for a moment, before recalling his memories prior to falling asleep.
His head rested against something soft and warm; he tilted it slightly and froze when he saw her.
Lilliana had dozed off too, her head tilted back against the sofa.
The faint rise and fall of her breathing matched the rhythm of his own.
He stared for a long time, too startled to move.
The realisation that he had fallen asleep beside someone, that he had let himself, hit him slowly.
But the panic he expected never came.
Just calm.
Carefully, he sat up, trying not to wake her.
Her hand slipped from his hair, landing softly against his shoulder.
The touch lingered for a moment, warm and gentle, before sliding away.
He stood quietly, pulling his cloak around himself.
For the first time in weeks, his chest didn't feel tight when he breathed.
He glanced back at her before leaving.
She was still asleep, a faint smile on her lips.
"Thank you," he whispered, though he knew she wouldn't hear.
Then he turned and slipped out into the corridor, the door closing softly behind him.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Lilliana Roseblood POV
The sound of the door clicked faintly through her half-dream.
Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment she stared at the empty space in front of her.
The warmth on her lap was gone, but she could still feel it lingering faintly.
She smiled to herself, brushing a stray strand from her face.
That faint, familiar scent of his hung in the air.
She touched the spot where his head had rested and let out a quiet breath.
Her cheeks flushed again, but this time there was no panic, only warmth.
"He's so cute," she murmured. "It's unfair…"
The moonlight through the window painted silver lines across the floor.
Her reflection in the glass looked different, softer, somehow.
She closed her eyes for a moment, resting a hand over her chest.
It was impossible to ignore now.
The feeling she had been trying not to name had already taken root.
"...I care about him," she whispered, the words barely audible.
Then, with a small smile, she continued.
"More than I thought I did."
She stood, straightened the cushions, and looked once more at the quiet door.
"Seriously, he's not even my type…" she muttered half-jokingly before her smile turned warm.
"Sleep well, Ren."
————「❤︎」————