Nate stirred awake to the familiar chime of his phone alarm, the soft buzz echoing from the nightstand. The screen lit up with a notification: "3D Printer: Process Complete." It was the timer he'd set—his helmet prototype was done.
His eyes fluttered open, and immediately, he felt the warmth of her. Sera's head still rested gently on his bare chest, her breath slow and even. A thin blanket covered both of them, but underneath, he could feel her body pressed against his—soft, delicate, and real. Her arm draped across his stomach, fingers curled slightly as if still clinging to him in her sleep.
He exhaled slowly, careful not to wake her as memories of the night before tried to flood back in. Not now.
Gently, he lifted her arm and slid out from beneath her, replacing his warmth with the blanket and tucking it around her carefully. She stirred but didn't wake, only letting out a quiet sigh before settling again into the sheets.
