Chapter 31: Interrupted Intermezzo

He felt her gaze linger on him. A sigh, barely audible, escaped her lips. The dent in the mattress shifted as she moved closer to him. Again, another sigh.

"If I hear you sighing one more time, I will flip the bed."

Fiera gasped upon hearing Alric's admonishing voice. He opened his eyes to find her focusing on the mattress's thread pattern. Her fingers traced them gingerly.

This time, it was Alric who sighed. "Here."

Grabbing the hand that played with the mattress, the angel placed it against his chest. Fiera scrunched the fabric slightly as if she was too afraid to touch him properly. It needed a dedicated push from Alric for her hand to lie flat against his shirt. She felt his ribcage slowly rise and descend. Calming as it was, she smiled gently. He realized he was fighting a lost battle when he reached out to twirl her hair, following the natural curls. The urge he had meticulously buried as deeply as possible resurfaced with a cheeky smirk.