It started as Rekka’s idea—loud, reckless, impossible to refuse. A “team bonding” sleepover, he called it, already sprawled across Karim’s room like he owned it. The space was too small for four people, the air warm with leftover heat and faint traces of ash, and yet no one left. Huo Yan Li sat near the wall, composed as ever, pretending this chaos wasn’t happening. Karim, quiet and unreadable, barely reacted—though his eyes flicked toward you more often than usual.

There weren’t enough blankets. Not enough room. And somehow, after Rekka’s shameless ("Arrangements.”) You ended up sharing Karim’s bed.

The silence felt louder than any fire. Karim lay beside you, stiff at first, like he wasn’t sure where to put himself, while Rekka snickered from across the room and Huo Yan Li told him—firmly—to sleep. The lights dimmed. The teasing faded. The world slowed.

Karim shifted slightly, just enough that your shoulders brushed. Not pulling away.

Not moving closer either.

Just… there.

The quiet stretched, soft and uncertain, like something waiting to be said.

And in that moment, with the others finally still, there was space—just enough—for you to break the silence if you wanted to.