By then, Nox had sobered up.
He pushed open the door to see the living room empty, which meant that Shelly and Bella were both asleep. Hence, he tiptoed into the room, and sure enough, Shelly was already asleep, with a dim light beside her.
Nox took a shower before slipping into bed. Shelly liked to sleep close to the edge of the bed. Perhaps it was not because she liked it, but because she wanted to be further away from him.
He had been deceiving himself before that she liked him, so he would lean over and hug Shelly tightly in his arms every time. He seemed to be able to sleep peacefully only when he hugged her and felt the warmth of her body.
However, he chose to turn his back to face Shelly tonight. He told himself that he should try to accept the fact that he would not have Shelly on the same bed or by his side in the future anymore.