Warmth.
Lyse felt it before she understood what it was, heat pressed against her back, an arm heavy around her waist, a slow steady breath ghosting along the nape of her neck. Her eyelashes fluttered, her mind still swimming in the fog of last night's grief and exhaustion.
For a moment, she let herself stay there, suspended in that strange quiet. feeling Safe. Held by the man she loved.
Then realization hit her like a slap.
She stiffened.
The arm around her tightened instinctively, pulling her closer before the body behind her jolted awake. Levi's breath caught, and he immediately loosened his hold, sitting up sharply.
"Lyse…" His voice was soft, too soft. The kind of tenderness she had once craved and which to be honest she still secretly missed.
She pushed herself upright, turning to face away from him. Her eyes were swollen from crying; her throat felt scraped raw. "You… you stayed."
