Chapter 205: Veiled Horizon
The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting gold-tinted stripes across the bed sheets and the mess of tangled limbs we’d turned into overnight. My body ached in places I didn’t know could ache from simple stillness. One arm was pinned beneath Alexis, the other wrapped instinctively around Sienna, whose warmth radiated against my chest like a heartbeat I could borrow. Camille’s leg was still draped lazily over my knee, completely unbothered by gravity, social norms or the words I had just told her. And Evelyn, blindfold still on, had somehow crept closer, her head now resting lightly against my side.
I didn’t move. I didn’t want to disturb this moment. It was absurd, cramped, a logistical nightmare, and yet peaceful.
Eventually, likely due to the conversation that me and Camille had, Sienna stirred against me, her breath catching slightly as she adjusted. Alexis let out a soft grumble but didn’t let go of my arm. Evelyn, however, tensed the moment she realized how close she’d gotten. Her hand jerked back and she sat upright with a gasp, cheeks flushed red as she scooted awkwardly toward the edge of the bed.
"S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to..." she started, readjusting her blindfold and attempting to reposition the blanket like a barrier.
"It’s alright," I murmured, voice still scratchy from sleep. "You didn’t bite."
That only made her flush harder. "Still. Boundaries. I... overstepped."
Camille rolled onto her back, stretching dramatically as she yawned. "Oh please, it’s not like you were spooning him. You were barely ghost-touching."
Sienna giggled quietly, her hand still resting gently on my chest. "It’s okay, Evelyn. We were all practically stacked like furniture."
Alexis finally opened one eye. "You’re fine. Rey’s practically a heat lamp. Everyone gravitates toward him when it’s cold."
"I’m not a heater," I said.
"You kind of are," Camille mumbled, already halfway back to sleep. "Also I can’t believe that you agreed with what I asked."