A Good Night's Sleep
The sky was lightening up as Dante stirred awake in bed. As his vision began to refocus, a smile appeared across his face. It had been a while since he had such a well-rested night.
With Laina by his side, he had no worries to keep him up. He looked over to her sleeping form, huddled close to his chest. He could feel the warmth radiating from her body. He leaned in closely, careful not to wake her up.
He wanted to be here when she woke up. But he made a promise and he intended on keeping it. Dante sat up in bed and stretched out his arms. As he looked over to Laina's dressing table, he noticed the blood rose in the vase.
A smile appeared across his face.
He had not expected her to cherish it this well. He got out of bed carefully and walked over to the vase. He picked up the blood rose and spun it in his fingers. The rose still looked fresh. As fresh as the day he had picked it from the garden.