You Look Too Comfortable Here
The first time Lia fell asleep alone in Adrian's penthouse, Adrian nearly lost his mind.
Not because something bad happened.
Because she looked too natural there without him.
And somehow—
that affected him more than it should have.
—
Thursday nights were always the worst.
Adrian's board meetings ran late, which meant Lia usually studied alone at the penthouse for hours before he came home.
At first she used to wait up nervously.
Now?
Now she walked around barefoot wearing his clothes while stealing food from his kitchen like she paid rent there.
Which honestly felt deeply concerning in hindsight.
The rain had finally stopped for once, leaving the city outside glowing gold and silver beneath clear night skies.
Lia sat curled sideways on the massive couch surrounded by textbooks, empty snack wrappers, and academic despair.
At some point during studying, she'd accidentally fallen asleep.
Laptop still open.
Highlighter uncapped.
One of Adrian's hoodies swallowed around her frame while soft music played quietly from the penthouse speakers.
The apartment lights remained dim.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Then sometime after midnight—
the elevator doors opened.
Adrian stepped into the penthouse already exhausted from fourteen straight hours of meetings, negotiations, and pretending other people were worth his patience.
His tie sat loosened around his neck.
Dark coat hanging open.
Expression cold and distant until his eyes landed on the couch.
Then instantly—
everything in him softened.
Completely.
Adrian stopped walking.
Lia slept curled against the cushions beneath one of the blankets he always left near the couch for her.
One of his pillows rested beneath her head.
Her laptop balanced dangerously near her leg.
And God—
she looked like she belonged there.
Not visiting.
Not temporary.
Home.
The realization hit Adrian hard enough to physically still him.
His chest tightened painfully.
Because somehow—
this apartment no longer felt empty before he arrived anymore.
Not when Lia existed inside it.
Adrian set his briefcase down quietly before walking toward her slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was afraid to disturb something precious.
The closer he got, the more details destroyed him emotionally.
His hoodie swallowed her hands completely.
Her ring caught softly beneath the warm lamp light.
One of her books rested open against her chest like she'd fallen asleep trying to study.
And there—
on the coffee table—
sat a mug with lipstick stains beside his untouched whiskey glass from the previous night.
Their lives mixed together so naturally now it physically hurt sometimes.
Adrian crouched slowly beside the couch.
Then simply looked at her.
Completely gone.
No board member had ever seen him like this.
No one would believe it if they did.
Adrian Monteverde—the cold, terrifying billionaire everyone feared—sat beside a sleeping girl at midnight looking emotionally destroyed because she wore his hoodie while sleeping in his apartment.
Pathetic.
Completely pathetic.
And he loved every second of it.
His fingers brushed lightly against her hair before he could stop himself.
Immediate reaction.
Lia shifted softly beneath the blanket.
Her brows furrowed sleepily.
Then slowly—
her eyes opened.
For a second, she looked disoriented.
Then she saw him.
And immediately softened.
That alone nearly ruined him.
"You're home," she murmured sleepily.
The rough warmth in her voice wrapped tightly around Adrian's chest.
Home.
There it was again.
She said it naturally now too.
Adrian's hand moved gently against her cheek.
"You fell asleep waiting for me."
Lia blinked slowly before glancing at the laptop still open nearby.
"Oh."
A faint smile touched Adrian's mouth.
"You look too comfortable here."
The words came quieter than intended.
More emotional too.
Because she did.
She looked like she belonged inside every part of his life now.
Lia pushed herself upright slowly, still half asleep.
The blanket slipped slightly down one shoulder, exposing more of his hoodie beneath.
Adrian physically looked away for half a second.
Because somehow—
domestic intimacy affected him worse than anything else.
"You're late," Lia whispered softly.
"I told you the meeting would run long."
"You still should've texted."
The sleepy complaint settled warmly inside his chest.
Because there it was again.
Need.
Small.
Soft.
But real.
Lia wanted him around too now.
Adrian reached for her immediately, pulling her gently into his lap before she could fully wake enough to protest.
Natural instinct.
His arms wrapped around her automatically while Lia melted against him with zero hesitation.
That nearly destroyed him too.
"You missed me," he murmured softly against her hair.
A sleepy sigh escaped her.
"You work too much."
Not denial.
Interesting.
Adrian's fingers slid slowly along her back beneath the hoodie.
Warm skin.
Soft breathing.
The familiar scent of her perfume mixed with his apartment.
Everything about this moment felt dangerously permanent.
Lia rested her forehead lightly against his shoulder while Adrian held her closer.
Neither spoke for a while.
The city glowed quietly beyond the windows.
The penthouse remained warm and still around them.
And Adrian realized something terrifying.
This no longer felt like letting someone into his life.
It felt like building one with her.
The realization settled deep inside his chest.
Heavy.
Permanent.
Lia shifted sleepily against him before mumbling softly:
"You smell like outside."
A rough laugh escaped him quietly.
"That's a terrible compliment."
"You still smell good."
God.
Sleepy Lia might actually kill him someday.
Adrian pressed a slow kiss against the top of her head before leaning back slightly just to look at her.
Big mistake.
Because she looked beautiful like this.
Sleepy.
Safe.
Wearing his clothes while sitting in his lap like she belonged there naturally.
His chest tightened painfully again.
"You know what scares me?" he murmured softly.
Lia blinked up at him slowly.
"What?"
Adrian's fingers brushed lightly against the ring resting on her hand.
Then his gaze lifted back to hers.
"I can't imagine this apartment without you anymore."
The honesty settled heavily between them.
Not dramatic.
Not possessive.
Terrifyingly sincere.
And somehow—
Lia didn't look scared by it at all.