Elain knows Azriel cannot sleep. Knows those dark circles are getting darker. Which is exactly why itâs surprising when she finds him peacefully dozing on her bedroom floor one night.
She leans in to make sure itâs not a dream.
Even breaths. Calm cadence. Relaxed face lines.
On instinct, as if he could feel her exhale on his skin, her proximity, Azrielâs eyes flutter open, crinkling to adjust to the stark contrast. That mole by his left eye disappears.
âAz.â Elain breathes, mouth agape, but she doesnât move away. âI was just checking if you were truly asleep.â
Azriel blinks once. Twice.
Then, his eyes widen just a fraction before he pulls himself up, Elain backing up to give him space.
âSorry IâŚâ He mumbles, rubbing his neck, âI mustâve dozed off while waiting for you to wake up from that vision, and the floor was really comfy and truly the only place where Iââ
A soft laugh bubbles out of her.
âThe marble was comfy?â
A faint redness stains his cheeks. âI should go.â
âI will meet you in the greenhouse tomorrow morning to discuss that vision.â
Everything happens so fast. Az is on his feet, stumbling towards her open balcony door to fly out while Ellie stands in the middle of her bedroom in a pink nightie, dumbstruck.
âAzriel,â comes out of her mouth.
Her feet find feeling and she turns to him. Or his back, which is facing her now.
âIf you ever want to sleepâŚâ Her voice is soft. Warm. âMy bedroom floor is always yours. Iâll leave the balcony door unlocked from now.â
He says nothing, but only because sheâs pushed him into speechlessness.
âYou can come anytime. I mean it.â
A swallow betrays his nerves, and all he can do is give her a hesitant nod of acknowledgment, because logic always flies out when itâs with her.
Every night, Elain waits.
But not a shadow arrives for a week.
Maybe she scared him away. Maybe it was too forward of her. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Until one unreal midnight, Az willingly crawls through that entrance, quiet as night, his heart warming while watching a passed out Elain buried in her covers. Then notices a pillow and bedding by her cot.
As if she had hoped he would come and sleep in her space.
A strange burn glitters his eyes, and quietly, he makes his way there to lie down, his mind settling.
Azriel falls asleep to the sound of her gentle breaths. It doesnât even take him five minutes.
It becomes an unspoken ritualâher lying on her bed and him on the floor by her side. They donât touch each other, no, but Az looks forward to these nights with her regardless, because just being around her calms him down. Sometimes, sheâs awake. Sometimes, they talk in the soothing darkness.
And most times, thatâs how they fall in love. Softly. Reverently. Inevitably.
