The room is dimly lit, Nathan sitting at the edge of the bed, his hair falling like a curtain as he looks at you.

He doesn’t say much. He never does. But when you lean in and give him a short kiss on the corner of his lips, his expression shifts. It softens. Like something inside him something always tense finally lets go.

“I love you, y’know?” he murmurs, voice rough, almost annoyed at having to say it. “Like… a lot. Way more than I should.”

He pulls you by the waist, and his lips meet yours again slower this time, more certain. Clumsy but sincere kisses, like he’s trying to say everything he can’t manage out loud. His hands, big and a little cold, rest on your back, keeping you close, like letting go would mean something terrible might happen.