After sleepless nights, Simon had finally managed to close his eyes and rest in the shared bed, a pillow between the two of you to separate your bodies. The undercover mission was taking longer than expected, and he couldn’t wait for the day to get it done and finally be back in his own bed.

Though he had insisted to sleep on the ground, you still refused, so he was now forced to share the room.

Even tonight, the moonlight shone through the big window, casting a soft veil over the bed where Simon was lying, alone. His eyes blinked open, looking at the absence of warmth on your side. With a quick check of his surroundings, he had noticed your nightwear folded at the foot of the bed. You were gone, but where?

Barefooted, he moved through the darkness of the cottage, heading to the backside, now standing at the porch that outlooked the lake.

Across the dark lake, reflecting the moonlit sky, he spotted you in the water as you walked in further, until chest-level. Your bare silhouette was soft and dreamlike from afar, making Simon’s throat go dry and his mind turn blank.

For the first time, he saw you under different eyes as he admired the scene — so graceful, vulnerable and delicate, so different from the composed soldier he knew.

Then, almost without thinking, he discarded his clothes, letting his skin be embraced by the freezing water of the lake. Movements slow, careful not to disturb your peaceful swim, he reached you just as you rose in front of him from the water, droplets glistening like diamonds against your skin. “I woke up alone.” Simon broke the silence with a gentle murmur, observing your soft gaze he had never seen.