Evaline:
By the time I finally pulled myself out of River's arms, the sunlight slanting through the curtains had shifted. It was no longer bright and gold but softer, warmer.
The silence in the room felt thick, as if time itself had hesitated to interrupt what had just passed between us.
When I reached for my clothes, I caught the way River's gaze followed me - calm, thoughtful, but still laced with a quiet storm that made my pulse trip. I couldn't meet his eyes for too long. Not yet. My body still hummed with the echoes of what we had shared, and my mind was a whirl of too many emotions to untangle.
It wasn't until I had slipped on my bra and panties that I realized how much time had passed. Nearly two hours. Two whole hours since we had locked ourselves in his room and shut out the world... and the argument that had brought us here in the first place.
