Youre Mine When Youre Half Asleep
Lia woke up slowly.
Not all at once.
First came warmth.
Then the quiet sound of rain against windows.
Then the steady feeling of breathing beneath her cheek.
Her eyes opened slightly.
And immediately—
she froze.
Adrian.
Memory crashed back instantly.
The couch.
The storm.
Him pulling her closer.
Somehow during the night, she'd fallen asleep against him completely.
Not just leaning slightly.
No.
Curled into him.
One of Adrian's arms wrapped securely around her waist while her head rested against his chest like it belonged there naturally.
Heat rushed violently into her face.
Oh my god.
Very carefully, Lia tilted her head upward.
Big mistake.
Because Adrian was already awake.
Watching her.
Of course he was.
Dark eyes steady beneath the dim gray morning light filtering through the apartment windows.
"You're staring again," she whispered immediately.
"You drool when deeply asleep."
Horror filled her entire soul.
"I WHAT?"
A faint flicker of amusement touched his mouth.
"Relax. It was cute."
"That is the opposite of comforting."
Her attempt to move away failed instantly.
Not because Adrian stopped her.
Because his arm tightened reflexively around her waist before he even seemed aware he'd done it.
The movement went still afterward.
Silence settled heavily between them.
Lia looked down slowly at his hand resting against her sweater.
Then back up at him.
Adrian's expression had changed.
Not calm anymore.
Not fully.
Something darker moved quietly beneath the surface now.
Possessive.
Too instinctive to hide quickly.
His jaw tightened slightly before he loosened his hold immediately.
But the damage was already done.
Lia noticed.
And Adrian realized she noticed.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Breathing suddenly felt difficult again.
"You did that in your sleep," Lia murmured softly.
Adrian held her gaze.
"Yes."
The honesty hit again.
Always the honesty.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You held onto me."
"Yes."
"Like you thought I'd disappear."
Something unreadable flickered behind his eyes.
Then quietly—
"You move away from me when awake."
The words settled painfully somewhere beneath her ribs.
Because he sounded almost frustrated by it.
Not angry.
Something worse.
Affected.
Lia stared at him for several seconds too long.
Close enough to notice faint exhaustion beneath his eyes.
Close enough to feel his heartbeat beneath her cheek still steady and calm despite the tension crushing the room.
"You watched me sleep, didn't you?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Of course not.
Lia pressed a hand over her face slowly.
"You genuinely belong in psychological studies."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Low.
Warm.
The sound moved through her chest embarrassingly fast.
Adrian's hand remained against her waist.
Not gripping now.
Just there.
Heavy warmth through soft fabric.
"You stayed," he murmured.
Lia looked back at him carefully.
"You noticed that too?"
"I notice everything involving you."
God.
That shouldn't still affect her this much.
And yet—
her heartbeat betrayed her every single time.
Rain softened outside into gentle tapping while gray morning light wrapped quietly around the apartment.
The intimacy of the moment felt dangerous.
Not sexual exactly.
Worse.
Tender.
Lia shifted slightly, trying to regain some form of emotional stability.
Adrian's gaze immediately dropped toward her mouth.
And stayed there.
Her pulse stumbled hard enough to hurt.
Because suddenly—
she became painfully aware of how close they actually were.
One movement.
That's all it would take.
Adrian noticed the realization crossing her face.
Of course he did.
Something dark flickered behind his eyes immediately.
"You're thinking too hard."
"You make existing stressful."
"That isn't denial."
Her breath caught softly.
Again.
Always again.
Every conversation with him felt like losing balance slowly.
Adrian lifted his hand carefully.
Slow enough for her to stop him.
Then brushed loose hair back from her face.
Gentle.
Reverent almost.
The touch sent warmth flooding through her chest so suddenly it almost hurt.
"You look different when you wake up beside me."
Lia stared at him.
"You say things that sound illegal."
A faint smile appeared briefly.
"You stayed in my arms all night willingly."
Heat rushed violently into her face.
"I was asleep."
"You moved closer twice."
Her soul physically attempted to leave her body.
"No, I did not."
"You wrapped your leg around mine at 2:14 AM."
"Oh my god."
Adrian looked genuinely pleased now.
Which honestly made this worse.
Lia buried her face against his chest immediately out of pure humiliation.
The second she did—
Adrian went completely still.
Silence filled the apartment.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Because suddenly she became aware of two things at once:
One:
Adrian's heartbeat had changed.
Two:
His hand against her waist tightened again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like control was slipping inch by inch.
Lia looked up immediately.
Big mistake.
Because Adrian was looking at her differently now.
Not calm.
Not composed.
Hungry in the quietest, most dangerous way possible.
The air between them thickened instantly.
His voice lowered.
"You should stop doing things like that."
Her throat felt dry suddenly.
"Doing what?"
"Acting affectionate without realizing what it does to me."
The confession wrapped tightly around her spine.
Adrian's thumb brushed once against her waist.
Barely there.
Enough to ruin every coherent thought in her brain.
"You affect me too much when you're half asleep," he said softly.
Lia's breathing turned uneven.
Because Adrian sounded controlled.
But barely.
And maybe the scariest part?
Part of her wanted to see what happened if he stopped trying to control himself at all.