Steam still clings to my skin when I step out of the bathroom, hair dripping, towel dragging through the strands in slow, tired strokes. My muscles ache with that heavy exhaustion that sinks deeper than the body. I just want silence… a moment alone.
The door slides open without warning.
Alex walks in with that usual playful smile—bright, shameless, and irritatingly alive. I stare at him, already annoyed.
"What do you want now?" my voice low, flat.
He doesn't answer. Instead, he throws himself onto my bed with a loud thud, bouncing like an overgrown child. "I'm going to sleep here. With you. I don't want to sleep alone. I want to sleep with my Evo."
I stare at him dangerously. "Alex, I won't allow it."
He buries his face into my pillow, inhaling like some drama prince addicted to trouble. His voice is muffled. "Who needs your approval?"
"Alex…" I warn.
