Evelyn was silently staring at him, still half-panicked from oversleeping, half-hungry, and entirely embarrassed.
Her inner voice screamed, 'Yes, Axel. You made a mistake. You let me sleep too long. Why did you not wake me up? Why is the sun winning this battle? And most importantly… Why am I starving again?'
But she took a slow breath, forcing a smile.
"No, you did nothing wrong," she said, though her urgency leaked through her voice. "I just woke up and realized I'm late. I thought you had already left for the office."
Axel glanced at the clock, then at her, amused.
"It is only seven. You are not late, my dear..."
"For me, that is late," she sighs, "I usually wake up before you. But today, the sun bullied me."
His lips twitched, fighting a laugh. "The sun bullied you?"
"Yes. It was too bright. My eyes were suffering."
He stepped closer, tilting her chin lightly to examine her sleepy expression.
"Eve, you know what? You look cute with puffy eyes."
