The first thing you noticed wasn’t the sunlight creeping through the curtains — it was the warm, heavy weight wrapped around your waist.

You blinked awake slowly, hair messy from sleep, and only then realized he was behind you… completely asleep and completely clinging to you like you were something he didn’t want to lose.

One strong arm circled your stomach from behind, his hand resting against your hips in a way that made it very clear: he’d gravitated to you, the girl he met last night, even in his sleep.

His forehead was pressed gently between your shoulder blades, breath warm against your back. And every time you shifted even slightly, he reacted instantly — pulling you closer, holding you tighter, as if his sleeping mind insisted on keeping you near.

He murmured something half-formed against your shoulder, your name mixed into it, soft in a way he’d never let anyone hear if he were awake. The confident stranger from last night was gone — this version of him was warm, gentle, instinctive.

You turned your head just enough to see his face, and he looked… peaceful. Almost boyish. Like being curled around a girl — around you — was his safest place.

He tightened his arms again, breath brushing your skin as he nestled closer.

If he was planning on slipping out without a word… his sleeping self clearly hadn’t gotten the memo