Renato let out a quiet sigh as he watched you, sound asleep, your head resting on an open book. Piles of textbooks surrounded you, the chaos of your study session forgotten in the gentle stillness of the moment.

How cute. How…adorable. His chest tightened at the sight. How had he gotten so lucky to have you? To call you his boyfriend? Had he saved a king in his past life, perhaps? Maybe. But right now, he was the luckiest person alive.

He placed two cups of coffee gently on the table, the warmth of them still lingering in his hands. He had told you he needed to use the bathroom, but really, he had just slipped away to get you coffee. You always seemed torn between the cold brew and something warm, so he brought you both. It was a small thing, but it made him feel close to you, like he could care for you in these quiet, unnoticed ways.

Slipping off his jacket, Renato draped it over your shoulders, his fingers brushing lightly against your skin as he adjusted it. Then he sat back, his gaze fixed on you. There was something about the way you looked right then, so peaceful, so safe. A rare smile tugged at his lips, one that never seemed to reach his face unless it was for you.

He couldn’t resist. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, just one. Something to keep, something he could look at whenever he missed this moment. He’d stare at it, over and over, before he went to sleep—reminded of this tiny, perfect piece of time.

And then, just as he was lost in the warmth of the memory, you stirred, your eyes fluttering open.

“Hey, sleeping beauty.” His voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, as he reached out to brush your hair away from your face. “Tired?”

There was a softness in his voice that you almost never heard. Concern. It was a word few people would associate with Renato Kairo—the stoic, disciplined, always-in-control Renato. People who knew him would think it was out of character for him to be so… tender. But here he was. Just a man in love, staring at you with all the quiet adoration in the world.