The storm had calmed by the time the night deepened, leaving behind only the occasional drip of rainwater from the roof. But inside Mahiru's room, warmth filled the air—not from the blankets, but from something much closer.
At some point in the night, instinct had taken over. What had begun as an awkward attempt to sleep in the same bed had turned into something else entirely.
Now, Mahiru lay nestled against Sam's chest, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. His arm, as if acting on its own, had wrapped securely around her waist, holding her close. Their breaths were steady, synchronized, lost in the peaceful comfort of each other's presence.
For the first time in hours, the fear from the storm had completely melted away.
As the morning sun peeked through the curtains, soft golden light danced across Mahiru's face. She stirred slightly, her fingers twitching as she slowly drifted back to consciousness.
The warmth surrounding her was pleasant, inviting. She nuzzled into it instinctively, a small sigh escaping her lips.
But then, something clicked in her sleepy mind.
Warmth?
A steady rhythm of breathing. The weight of an arm around her waist. A firm presence beneath her cheek.
Her eyes shot open.
The first thing she saw was Sam's face—much too close for comfort.
Mahiru's breath hitched. Her heart slammed against her ribs.
W-We… cuddled the whole night?!
She was practically pressed against him, her body entangled with his, his arm still loosely draped around her waist. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, hear the soft rhythm of his breathing.
A deep blush spread across her cheeks.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!
She swallowed, her mind scrambling for an escape plan. Should she move? Should she wake him up? Should she just pretend this never happened?!
Before she could decide—
Sam groaned softly.
Mahiru froze.
His brows furrowed, and his eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, there was silence. Sleepy brown eyes met wide, panicked golden ones.
Then—
Mahiru gasped, quickly sitting up.
"S-SAM!"
Sam blinked drowsily. "...Huh?"
It took him a second to process why Mahiru was so flustered. But as he felt the lingering warmth where she had just been, realization hit him like a truck.
His face turned red.
"W-Wait—"
Before he could say anything, Mahiru grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it.
"Y-You were holding me!"
Sam sputtered. "YOU WERE HOLDING ME TOO!"
"I—" Mahiru opened her mouth but immediately clamped it shut. Her face burned as she turned away, clutching the blanket in frustration.
Sam groaned, rubbing his face. "Look, it was cold, we were scared, and it just… happened, okay? Let's not make this a big deal."
Mahiru peeked at him, still blushing furiously. "...Not a big deal, huh?"
Sam scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean… i-it's not like it was bad or anything—"
WHACK!
Another pillow to the face.
"OW! Okay, okay, I take it back!"
Despite her embarrassment, Mahiru couldn't stop her heart from racing. The warmth from last night still lingered on her skin.
And no matter how much she wanted to deny it…
It had felt nice.
Too nice.
The air between them remained awkward as they went about their morning routine.
Mahiru sat at the edge of the bed, still trying to process everything. Meanwhile, Sam rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure of how to act after what had happened.
Finally, Mahiru cleared her throat. "W-We should, um, freshen up."
Sam immediately nodded. "Yeah! Yeah, good idea."
Without another word, Mahiru grabbed some clothes and rushed to the bathroom. The moment she shut the door, she leaned against it, exhaling sharply.
Oh my god… we really cuddled the entire night!
Her face burned even more as she recalled the feeling of his arms around her, the sound of his heartbeat, the way she had unconsciously sought warmth from him.
She covered her face with both hands.
No, no, stop thinking about it!
On the other side, Sam sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
That… wasn't bad at all.
In fact, if he was being honest, it was probably the best sleep he'd had in a long time.
And that realization scared him a little.
Shaking his head, he stood up, deciding to focus on anything else before his brain could make things even more complicated.
By the time Mahiru finished freshening up, she had managed to calm herself—at least on the surface. When she entered the kitchen, she found Sam already cooking breakfast.
"You're cooking?" she asked, a little surprised.
Sam glanced at her while flipping an egg. "Well, I felt bad for troubling you last night, so I figured I'd at least do this much."
Mahiru watched as he prepared a simple meal—scrambled eggs, toast, and some tea. It wasn't fancy, but the effort made her chest feel unexpectedly warm.
"You didn't have to," she murmured, sitting at the table.
Sam set the plates down and shrugged. "I wanted to."
Mahiru lowered her gaze, feeling the heat creep back into her cheeks.
They started eating in silence. Every now and then, their eyes would meet—only for both of them to quickly look away, flustered. The awkwardness from the morning still lingered, but there was something else in the air now.
Something neither of them dared to name just yet.
Halfway through the meal, Mahiru suddenly spoke.
"Sam…"
"Hm?"
She hesitated, then looked at him.
"...Thank you for staying."
Sam blinked, a little surprised. But then, he smiled softly.
"Yeah," he said. "Anytime."
Mahiru bit her lip, but she couldn't stop the small smile forming on her lips.
Maybe, just maybe…
She didn't mind nights like that as much as she thought.
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