Evaline:
I stirred from sleep slowly, almost unwillingly. The warmth of the bed and the steady rhythm of someone's hand moving through my hair kept me from leaving behind this rare moment of peace.
Whoever it was, they had such a gentle touch - so soft, so careful - it made me want to stay in that limbo between sleep and awareness for just a little longer.
But the hand stilled, and that sudden pause pulled me from my comfort. I blinked open my eyes and the hospital room's dim lighting greeted me first... and then him.
Draven.
I almost didn't believe it. For a long second, I wondered if I was dreaming again - like I had on the other nights since Friday, where my subconscious conjured him just to break me all over again when I woke up alone. But this wasn't a dream.
He was here.
He was sitting beside me with that familiar stoic expression, his eyes shadowed with something deeper. Guilt? Regret? Relief? I didn't know.
