Elias’s POV

The room was quiet again. The kind of quiet that felt soft, not heavy. Ronan sat against the wall the same way he did before, but something between us had shifted. It was not loud or confusing. It was quiet and warm, almost like the room itself could feel it.

I lay on the bed for a while, trying not to stare at him, but my eyes kept drifting back. He was looking down at his hands at first, then he lifted his head and caught me watching.

“You are not sleepy,” he ...