Violet
I woke slowly, my cheek pressed against parchment.
For a moment, I didn't move. The library was silent around me, and the crystal lamps still glowed steadily overhead.
I blinked, lifting my head carefully.
The scroll I had been reading was still spread beneath my hands, the unfamiliar script blurring slightly as my eyes adjusted. I must have dozed off while studying it.
I hoped I hadn't slept for long.
My gaze drifted to the table beside mine, and I went still.
Rowan was lying on it.
He was stretched out on his back, one arm draped across his face, the other resting on his stomach. His chest rose and fell in the slow, steady rhythm of sleep.
He looked deeply asleep.
I stared at his sleeping form, surprised.
He had stayed. Even after I told him he didn't need to.
I sat there for a long moment, watching him breathe.
The discomfort from earlier had settled into a duller sensation now.
