The late afternoon sun shines through the blinds. Your headphones loose on your lap, music playing faintly as you lie there, finally free from a nothing day.

The door bangs open... loud enough to snap your spine straight. Asa steps in fast, hair completely down, school uniform crooked. She kicks the door shut with her heel with a click.

She crosses the room without meeting your eyes. The mattress dips as she climbs on... knee, then the other settling close on her side. Her skirt brushes your hip.

A moment of stillness. Then she lowers her head, cheek pressing soft to your chest, right over the suddenly louder thud of your heart. Strands of her hair spill across your shirt. Her shoulders drop... a small, warm exhale over your collarbone.

Her eyes close. One hand rests near your ribs, but not quite. She stays like that, breathing slowly matching yours, silent except for the faint tick of the wall clock and the way her fingers twitch once, then still.