Chapter 36: As Specters in the Night

Hailey’s POV

I wake before dawn, feeling the slow rhythm of his chest, rising and falling in tune with his dreams. Owen's body rests against mine as he hugs me from behind. He has his arms around me, with one hand wrapped around my bare hips and the other nestled against my chest.

When I look up I see his lips. He is asleep, but although I am ashamed to admit it, we have had little sleep, so I understand that he barely reacts. But in my case, anxiety has kept me awake, so I find myself immersed in my thoughts as silence clouds the room.

I know that my decision to be with Owen has been made, but that involves many concepts that I had not considered having to discuss with him and that now rest uneasily between us.