The night had settled into a heavy, comforting silence.
Outside, the breeze whispered through the trees, rustling leaves like lullabies.
Inside, the room was still—just the soft rise and fall of two bodies tangled in warmth and sleep.
Artur had one arm lazily draped over Billy, their legs overlapping beneath the sheet, their breaths syncing in a quiet rhythm only lovers shared.
But the peace didn't last.
Billy stirred first.
His body tensed, breath caught in his throat. A flash of something—shouts, water, bright lights, voices calling a name but distorted, like through thick glass.
His brow knit, a quiet whimper escaping as his hand clenched the sheet.
Then—he jolted upright, chest rising too fast.
Moonlight poured in through the window, casting a silver glow across his bare shoulders.
He sat there for a moment, frozen, heart pounding like it was trying to break out of his ribs.
