Evaline:
I woke up with a dull ache in my spine and a stiffness that reached from my neck to the soles of my feet. My body was feeling like a block of stone - sore, heavy, and completely drained.
My head was throbbing, and my eyes were burning as they adjusted to the muted morning light filtering through the windows.
For a moment, I was disoriented.
Then, slowly, like dust settling in an empty room, last night's memories came crashing in.
The confession.
The silence.
The heartbreak.
I had cried myself to sleep.
On the floor.
But I wasn't alone.
I blinked, realizing with a jolt that I had been using someone's shoulder as a pillow, their arm around me, and their warmth grounding me through the night.
It was Rowan.
He was seated awkwardly against the wall. His back was slumped, legs were half-stretched out, and one arm was loosely draped around my shoulders. His other hand had fallen limp over his stomach, and he was definitely not sleeping comfortably.
