Morning light slipped through the curtains, settling over the hotel room. The city outside was still half-asleep, but you were already awake — lying on your back, staring at the ceiling, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of Damiano’s breathing beside you.

The sheets were tangled around your legs, warm, familiar. For a moment, you just watched him — the way his hair fell into his eyes, the softness he never let the world see. Rockstar. Headlines. Noise. And here, he was just… him.

Carefully, so you didn’t wake him, you slipped out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. The floor was cool under your feet. You caught your reflection in the mirror without meaning to — bare skin, morning light too honest, every thought you tried not to have rising to the surface.

You folded your arms over yourself, jaw tightening.

“I look… wrong,” you murmured, barely audible, as if the mirror might hear you.

Behind you, the mattress shifted.

“Hey,” Damiano’s voice came, rough with sleep, gentle anyway.

You turned halfway to see him leaning in the doorway, eyes soft and focused only on you. He took in your posture in one glance — the way you were shrinking into yourself — and his expression changed immediately.

“What was going on in that head of yours?” he asked quietly.

You hesitated, then shrugged, eyes flicking back to the mirror. “It’s stupid. I have fittings in a few hours and all I can see are flaws. I’m supposed to look… unreal. And I just look human.”

He let out a soft breath, crossed the room in a few slow steps, and stopped behind you. He didn’t touch you right away — just met your eyes in the mirror.

“That was the problem?”

You nodded once.

Damiano lifted his hands gently, resting them on your hips like he was asking permission. When you didn’t pull away, he relaxed, thumbs brushing small, grounding circles.

“Look at yourself,” he interrupted gently, guiding your gaze back to the mirror. His chin settled on your shoulder, voice low and steady.

“I didn’t see flaws. I saw the woman who worked harder than anyone I knew. I saw strength. I saw someone who made rooms quieter just by walking into them.”