Marvis POV
The room was dark except for the faint glow of the bedside lamp.
Outside, the rain had started with a whisper. Light drops tapping gently on the windowpane. But it didn't stay gentle for long. The sky cracked open with a loud thunder, shaking the windows like a warning.
I heard her shift beside me.
I turned.
She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but her body had gone stiff under the blanket. Her fists were clenched tight around the edge of the cover. Even in sleep, she flinched again as the next roar of thunder struck.
So, it was true. She hated thunderstorms.
She'd never told me that herself, but I'd picked up the signs over time. The way she always closed the curtains tight during storms. The way her jaw tensed when the sky grumbled. And now, the way her breath came out fast and uneven as lightning flashed across the room.
"Melody," I said softly.
She didn't respond.
But I knew she wasn't asleep anymore.
She was hiding. Pretending. Holding herself together the way she always did when she didn't want to seem weak.
Another thunderclap hit. Louder. Closer.
She sat up quickly, pulling the blanket with her. Her shoulders trembled, but she kept her head down.
I moved without thinking.
I slid closer and wrapped an arm around her.
She didn't push me away. Not this time.
She leaned into me like her body knew I was safe, even if her mind hadn't accepted it yet.
Her forehead rested against my shoulder, and I held her tighter.
"I've got you," I whispered.
Still no words from her. But I didn't need them.
The thunder cracked again, louder than before. She flinched in my arms, then let out a quiet sound…almost like a held-in sob.
I hated this.
I hated that something as wild and untouchable as the weather could shake her like this.
I pulled her fully into my lap, not caring if she wanted to act tough later. Right now, she needed comfort, and I would give it.
The storm kept going. Lightning flashing across the curtains, thunder booming like a war drum. But I stayed with her, holding her through every strike. My hand rested gently on her back, moving in slow, calming circles.
Minutes passed. Then more.
Slowly, the tension in her body started to ease. Her hands unclenched. Her breathing slowed. She was still curled up in my arms, but she wasn't shaking anymore.
The storm still raged outside.
But inside this room, it was quiet.
She lifted her head a little, her eyes half-open, still tired, still pale from the pain she'd been in earlier.
But she looked at me. Really looked.
And in that moment, nothing else existed.
I didn't say anything. I didn't need to.
Because neither of us moved away.