Raizen woke up to warmth.
Not the greenhouse warmth - something closer, softer. His cheek pressed against fabric that smelled faintly like cinnamon and dried herbs. His head rested on something that moved slightly when he shifted.
Raizen's eyes opened halfway.
A shoulder.
Saffi's shoulder.
He froze so hard his whole body went rigid, like he woke up in the middle of a battlefield.
Then reality caught up. No danger. No alarms. No whisper. Just the greenhouse, the soft light filtered through glass, and Saffi sitting beside him with her back against the railing.
Raizen straightened up so fast his neck popped.
"Oh, my! I - sorry" he blurted. "I didn't mean to - I just fell asleep."
Saffi looked at him, then smiled in that quiet way she had when she tried not to make a big deal out of anything.
"It's okay" she said. "I needed a break too."
Raizen rubbed his face once, trying to wake his brain up. "Still, you could've ignored me."
