章 170: Chapter 71 - Gabriella

My eyes open the next morning. The first thing I see is the closed sliding door to Mariano's art studio. The entire room is mostly dark because of the black-out curtains on the window, but there's a stray light peeking through a slit at the end of one curtain that's not properly drawn shut.

Feeling a bit cold, I scoot my butt backward, seeking his warmth. Usually, he'd reach out and pull me against his body to spoon me. But not this time. I glance behind me and realize he's actually not in bed. A quick check on the clock on his bedside table tells me that it's twenty minutes past seven. I sigh, knowing that he's probably already on his way to work. I slept through my alarm and knowing him, he must've just let me sleep in.