Elias fell asleep not long after their conversation. He rested on his side facing Victor, his hand loosely curled in the fabric of Victor's shirt, as if his body refused to release the reassurance he had finally accepted. His breathing settled into an even rhythm. The ocean's distant tide pressed softly against the open balcony doors, steady and quiet, and the curtains moved with the breeze in slow, unhurried waves.
Victor remained awake.
He lay beside Elias without moving him, keeping his arm around Elias's waist. The room was warm and dim with only the low glow of the bedside lamp and the faint wash of moonlight coming in from the balcony. Elias slept deeply, untroubled now, his expression calm in a way that felt rare. Victor watched him for a long moment, the rise and fall of his chest, the way his hair fell partly across his forehead.
