Annabelle was currently doing one of her most favorite things in the world.
Looking at her Darling.
He was asleep beside her, his breathing slow and even, his eyes relaxed beneath their lids. The tension he often carried in his brow had disappeared. In sleep, Adrian looked calr, younger almost, as if the weight he bore every waking mont had finally loosened its grip.
His arm was loosely draped over her waist. Their bodies were so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against her face with every quiet exhale. The faint rhythm of it tickled her skin, making her relaxed and excited at the sa ti.
Last night... sothing unexpected happened.
Unexpected, but welcod.
For a long ti Annabelle simply watched him, her gaze soft as it traced the familiar lines of his face. The bridge of his nose, the faint shadow of his lashes, the quiet strength resting beneath that peaceful expression.
How many years had she waited for this?
To be held by him like this.
Not out of obligation. Not out of responsibility.
But as his partner.
Her Darling had always carried restraint like armor. Even when he stood beside her, even when she laid her feelings bare, there had always been a line he refused to cross. A distance he maintained, no matter how much she tried to close it.
But last night...
He finally let go.
He embraced her completely.
The mory returned in fragnts that made her heart beat faster. The warmth of his touch. The way his voice had softened. The way his restraint had slowly unraveled until there was nothing left between them.
Annabelle’s cheeks turned red as the images replayed in her mind. Her lips curved into a quiet smile she could not suppress.
Thankfully, Ruby hadn’t co back to the room last night.
Or maybe she did.
Annabelle’s smile froze.
A sudden, horrifying thought slipped into her mind.
What if Ruby had returned... and after hearing the sounds Annabelle had been letting out, simply decided to turn around and leave?
Her face instantly began to burn.
Now that she thought about it, she had been far too loud.
Her hands instinctively pulled the blanket closer to herself as embarrassnt rushed over her. The mory of how shaless she had been made her want to bury her face sowhere and never co out again.
Just then, a groggy voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.
"Now... that’s a sight I love to wake up to."
Annabelle blinked in surprise.
Adrian’s eyes were slightly open, his lids barely lifted as he looked at her with a faint smile tugging at his lips. Sleep still clung to his voice, making it deeper and rougher than usual.
For a mont she simply stared back at him.
Then she asked quietly, "Did I disturb you?"
Adrian shook his head without hesitation.
His arm around her waist tightened, pulling her closer until there was almost no space left between them. The movent was slow and lazy, as if he had no intention of letting her escape.
His warmth wrapped around her once again.
In a soft whisper he asked her, "Does it hurt sowhere? Or do you feel uncomfortable?"
Annabelle first shook her head, almost instinctively. But after a brief pause, she nodded instead.
She did not want to lie to him.
"I... feel my back is a little sore," she admitted quietly.
Adrian let out a slow sigh, his brows drawing together with faint regret.
"I should have been a little more mindful..."
The mory of last night surfaced in his mind as well. In the heat of the mont he had lost track of ti completely. What began as sothing tender had stretched on far longer than he intended. Hours had passed before Annabelle finally murmured that perhaps they should take a rest.
Even then he had only realized how far he had pushed her when he saw the tired look in her eyes.
Adrian felt a hint of disappointnt in himself.
He had anticipated this mont at so point. Yet when it finally ca, he allowed his restraint to break too much.
"I am quite satisfied though, Darling," Annabelle said softly.
Her ears had turned red again.
"And... happy, that after waking up, you are still the sa?"
Adrian gave a low hum, his eyes studying her face.
"What do you an?"
Annabelle lowered her gaze. Her fingers lightly gathered a fold of the blanket as she hesitated.
"You know... last night you were quite drunk," she said carefully. "People tend to make hasty decisions in that state. Things they later regret."
Her voice softened toward the end.
It was not that Annabelle did not understand the situation last night. She knew very well that the alcohol had loosened Adrian’s restraint. His usual caution had faded, replaced by a boldness she had rarely seen from him.
Yet even knowing that...
She could not bring herself to stop him.
Not after waiting for him for so long.
Years of quiet longing had lived in her heart. Years of watching him stand beside her yet always holding himself back.
So even if it had been a drunken mistake...
Even if he woke up today and wished to take it back...
Annabelle had accepted it wholeheartedly.
Adrian sighed softly and began rubbing her back in slow circles.
"I am sorry... that you even had to fear that."
His voice carried a quiet heaviness.
Adrian could understand her perspective. To her, it must have looked sudden and confusing. For months he had treated her carefully, often like soone younger who needed guidance and protection. Soone he had to keep at a distance.
Then suddenly, after drinking, he made the decision to cross that boundary.
And not in a calm, composed manner either. He had been swaying, half drunk, with his usual gentleness completely gone.
Yes, Adrian could easily imagine how it must have appeared from her side.
However, he spoke again.
"As I said, I needed so courage... and that ale helped a lot."
He gave a quiet, self aware chuckle.
"Sotis, I regret regaining the mories I shared with you. If not for those monts, I wouldn’t have made you wait for this long."
Annabelle’s heart skipped a beat the mont she heard that.
She understood exactly what he ant.
Those mories had changed everything between them. What could have naturally grown into sothing simple and direct had instead beco complicated. Adrian had beco too aware of the past, too aware of his own responsibilities, and because of that he kept pulling himself back.
He waited. Hesitated. Held himself away.
Ti passed because of that restraint.
But Annabelle did not bla him.
Not even a little.
She slowly snuggled closer against his chest, resting her head there as if she had always belonged in that place. His steady warmth wrapped around her, and she listened to the calm rhythm of his heartbeat.
"But I don’t regret regaining those mories," she murmured.
Her voice was soft but full of certainty.
"It was a part of ... which made realize how much I could love soone."
Her arms gently wrapped around him as she spoke, holding him with quiet affection.
Without those mories, perhaps her feelings would have been simpler. Perhaps they would not have carried the sa depth.
But she would not trade them away.
Because those very mories had shown her how deeply her heart could belong to him.
Just then, a knock echoed through the room.
Annabelle flinched slightly and looked at Adrian.
The sudden sound felt strangely loud in the quiet morning.
Adrian glanced toward the door and whispered, "I will go and check."
Carefully, he slipped out of the bed so as not to disturb her further. The cold floor t his feet as he reached for the clothes lying nearby. He quickly put on his shirt and pants, running a hand through his hair to make himself at least sowhat presentable.
After a brief mont, he walked toward the door.
He paused before opening it and took a slow breath.
Then he pulled it open.
Standing outside was soone he knew very well.
Ruby.
The redhead stood there with a complicated expression on her face. Her usual composure was slightly shaken, and her eyes avoided eting his directly for a mont.
She looked torn between embarrassnt and concern.
"Sorry to disturb you," she said, her voice careful. "But I thought I should tell you that I am leaving."
She had work waiting for her. Important matters she could not postpone any longer. Leaving without saying anything, however, felt wrong.
Adrian rubbed the back of his neck before speaking.
"I am sorry for... well, whatever happened."
The words ca out a little awkwardly.
He had barged into her room late at night, told her to leave without much explanation, and then...
Well.
He and Annabelle had used her room for sothing far less innocent.
Adrian felt a faint sense of guilt as he thought about it. He had not even considered how uncomfortable that must have been for her.
At the very least, he planned to thoroughly clean the entire room before leaving.
But even then, thinking about Ruby’s feelings for him, it made the mory sting a little.
Last night, he had been quite cruel to her without realizing it.
Ruby, however, shook her head.
"It’s okay," she said gently. "I understand."
Then she added quietly, "And right now, don’t worry about ."
Her gaze briefly slipped past Adrian and toward the inside of the room. She did not step forward, but the short glance was enough for her to understand the situation.
Her expression softened slightly before she spoke again.
"I have never seen her so devastated before," Ruby said. "So please... stay with her for so more ti."
The concern in her voice was sincere.
Annabelle had been hurting deeply, and Ruby knew that better than anyone.
Right now, Adrian’s presence mattered more than anything else.
Adrian looked at her for a mont before nodding slowly.
Then he stepped forward and gently pulled the redhead into his arms.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For always being there for her... and for ."
Ruby lted in his arms and closed her eyes.
She herself didn’t know how much she needed this.
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