I Didnt Know Peace Could Sound Like You
The first time Lia heard Adrian have a nightmare, it scared her more than she expected.
Not because he yelled.
Not because he thrashed violently.
Because he sounded... alone.
And somehow—
that broke her heart far more completely.
—
The rain returned sometime after midnight.
Soft at first.
Then heavier against the penthouse windows while the city disappeared beneath silver-gray storms.
Lia stirred slowly in bed, half-awake beneath warm blankets and darkness.
Something felt wrong.
For a second she couldn't place it.
Then—
Adrian moved sharply beside her.
A strained breath escaped him.
Another restless shift.
Lia blinked sleepily into the dark.
"Adrian?"
No answer.
Only tension.
His breathing sounded uneven now.
Too quick.
Like he was trapped somewhere unpleasant inside sleep.
Her chest tightened instantly.
Moonlight filtered faintly through the curtains, enough for her to make out the tension in his face.
Brows pulled together.
Jaw tight.
One hand clenched hard against the sheets beside him.
Lia pushed herself upright carefully.
"Hey."
Still nothing.
Another strained breath.
Then quietly—
almost too soft to hear—
"Don't."
The word shattered straight through her chest.
Because Adrian sounded hurt.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Hurt.
Lia reached for him immediately, both hands settling gently against his face.
"Adrian, wake up."
His breathing hitched sharply.
Then suddenly—
his eyes opened.
Dark.
Disoriented.
For one terrifying second, he looked genuinely lost.
Until he saw her.
Everything changed instantly.
Relief flooded across his expression so fast it physically hurt to witness.
His hand grabbed her wrist carefully but urgently.
Grounding himself.
"Lia."
The roughness in his voice wrapped painfully around her chest.
"I'm here."
Silence filled the room afterward except for rain against the windows and Adrian trying to steady his breathing.
Lia brushed her thumb softly beneath his cheek.
"You had a nightmare."
A faint flicker crossed his face immediately.
Gone almost as quickly.
But she caught it.
Embarrassment.
Which honestly made her chest ache even more.
Adrian slowly sat up against the headboard afterward, one hand still holding onto hers tightly.
Like letting go felt impossible right now.
The bedroom remained dim and quiet around them.
Warm sheets tangled around their legs.
The city asleep beyond the glass.
Lia watched him carefully.
"You okay?"
A quiet breath escaped him.
"Yes."
"You're lying."
That finally made him look at her properly.
Tired.
Vulnerable.
Too emotionally open for this hour of the night.
And suddenly—
Lia realized Adrian rarely lied to her anymore.
Not really.
So instead of denying it again, he looked down briefly at their intertwined hands.
Then honestly—
"I forgot where I was for a second."
The confession settled heavily into the dark.
Lia's chest tightened instantly.
Because suddenly—
she understood.
He woke up disoriented.
Expecting emptiness.
Expecting loneliness.
Then found her instead.
The realization physically hurt.
Lia shifted closer without thinking.
Immediate reaction.
Adrian's free hand wrapped automatically around her waist, pulling her against him instinctively.
Warm.
Protective.
Necessary.
"You don't have to look embarrassed," she whispered softly.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Rough around the edges.
"I'm not embarrassed."
"You absolutely are."
His chin rested lightly against the top of her head while silence settled softly between them again.
Then quietly—
"I don't usually sleep deeply."
The honesty wrapped tightly around her chest.
Because Adrian sounded almost uncomfortable admitting it.
Like rest itself felt unfamiliar to him.
Lia traced gentle circles against his arm beneath the blankets.
"You sleep deeply with me."
Another silence.
Then his arms tightened slightly around her.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Never hesitation.
Rain echoed softly through the apartment while they sat tangled together in the dark.
Adrian's heartbeat gradually slowed beneath her cheek.
Steady now.
Grounded.
Lia tilted her head slightly upward to look at him.
Big mistake.
Because his expression nearly ruined her emotionally.
Soft.
Exhausted.
Still affected by waking up afraid.
"You know what's sad?" she whispered softly.
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"What?"
"You sounded lonely in your sleep."
The confession visibly hit him.
His gaze lowered briefly.
Then away.
Like he didn't know what to do with that truth.
Lia's chest ached instantly.
Because Adrian spent so much of his life pretending loneliness never touched him.
But it had.
Deeply.
For years.
Until her.
His fingers brushed carefully along her back beneath the oversized shirt she slept in.
Then finally—
so quietly it almost hurt—
"I used to wake up and not care if I fell asleep again."
The words shattered straight through her.
Because Adrian said them without drama.
Without self-pity.
Just truth.
A truth so old it sounded normal to him.
Lia physically felt her heart break.
"Adrian..."
His forehead dropped lightly against hers before she could say anything else.
Warm.
Close.
Like he needed the contact after admitting something that vulnerable.
Then quietly—
"You changed that."
Silence crashed softly through the room.
Heavy.
Tender.
Rain blurred the windows while the city disappeared beyond the storm.
And suddenly—
Lia understood something terrifying.
She hadn't just become part of Adrian's life.
She had become part of his survival.
The realization should have scared her.
Instead—
it made her hold him tighter.
Adrian noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
His eyes closed briefly while his breathing softened again.
"You know what the strangest part is?" he murmured softly.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"What?"
A faint smile touched his mouth.
Small.
Sleepy.
Real.
"I didn't know peace could sound like another person breathing until you moved in."