Arden’s POV:
Sleep never came.
It never did.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, as I had done countless nights before.
Silence filled the room.
Too much silence.
I turned slightly, exhaling through my nose.
Nothing.
My mind refused to settle.
Work.
Moriarty.
Muse.
That last thought made me pause.
I frowned slightly.
Why was she even in my mind?
I sat up.
Enough.
Another wasted night.
By morning, I already knew I looked exactly how I felt—tired, irritated, and far too aware of every sound in the house.
I stepped out of my room.
And there she was.
Muse.
Sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching something on the TV.
She turned immediately when she heard me.
“Good morning,” she said softly.
I didn’t answer right away.
I must look terrible.
“…Did you sleep at all?” she asked, tilting her head.
That question annoyed me more than it should have.
“No.”
Muse blinked.
“You didn’t sleep?”
“I don’t sleep,” I corrected flatly.
She frowned.
“That’s not healthy.”
“I didn’t ask for your diagnosis.”
She went quiet for a moment.
I turned to leave—
“I can help you,” she said suddenly.
I stopped.
Slowly turned back.
“What?”
“I mean…” she hesitated.
“My mum used to get really bad headaches. I used to massage her head when she couldn’t sleep. It helped sometimes.”
I stared at her.
“You want to touch me?”
Muse froze slightly.
“…Only if you’re okay with it.”
I should’ve said no.
I usually said no.
But my body felt heavier than my pride today.
“…Fine.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Really?”
“Yes. Before I change my mind.”
She stood quickly.
“Sit down.”
I hesitated for half a second.
Then sat.
The moment her hands touched my head—
I froze.
Warm.
Gentle. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Careful.
Too careful.
Her fingers moved slowly through my scalp, easing tension I didn’t even realize I was holding.
“…Is it okay like this?” she asked softly.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then she adjusted slightly.
And I caught it.
Her scent.
Vanilla.
Honey.
Soft, warm, almost unfairly comforting.
My thoughts slowed without permission.
My body… followed.
I exhaled.
Strangely.
I didn’t feel like resisting anymore.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Her touch stayed steady.
And for the first time in years—
My mind stopped fighting itself.
Everything went quiet.
I don’t know when I fell asleep.
But I did.
Because when I opened my eyes again—
It was later.
The light had shifted.
Muse was still there.
Still beside me.
Still careful not to move too much.
I blinked slowly.
“…I fell asleep,” I said, almost disbelieving.
Muse’s eyes widened.
“You did. Properly.”
Silence.
I sat up slowly.
And realized something.
The pressure in my head—
It was gone.
Completely.
I felt… lighter.
“…You actually helped,” I admitted.
Muse smiled a little.
“I told you.”
I studied her.
For some reason, she looked… different now.
Not in appearance.
But in presence.
Calm.
Soft.
Safe.
I didn’t like how much I noticed that.
Then I said it.
“You’ll sleep in my room tonight.”
Muse froze.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
She blinked rapidly.
“I… I can’t just—” The source of this chapter is g.com.
“You can.”
Her hands tightened slightly on the blanket.
“…Arden,” she said slowly, “that’s not really appropriate.”
I frowned.
“Why not?”
Her eyes flickered away.
“…It just isn’t.”
I watched her carefully.
There was something she wasn’t saying.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something closer to… awareness.
Of me.
Of herself.
I leaned back slightly.
“…You already stay in my house.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
She hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything she wasn’t willing to say.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“…Muse.”
She sighed.
“I just think it might be weird.”
“Why?”
She didn’t answer.
Not immediately.
Then quietly—
“I might not sleep properly either.”
That made me pause.
“…Why?”
Her grip tightened again.
“I just don’t.”
A lie.
Or half of one.
I studied her for a moment longer.
Then exhaled.
“…Fine.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
But I wasn’t finished.
“You’ll still sleep in my room,” I added.
Her head snapped up.
“What?”
“Not in my bed,” I clarified.
“Just in my room.”
She stared at me.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m consistent.”
She groaned quietly.
Then muttered—
“…Fine.”
I allowed myself a small exhale.
Good.
Strangely…
That felt like progress.
If I’m being honest with myself—
I didn’t just want sleep anymore.
I wanted her presence in the room when I closed my eyes.
And that thought…
I did not question.
Not yet.