I could, but why bother?

The alarm blared, breaking the morning silence with its shrill, unrelenting sound.

Alaric blinked awake, his hand automatically reaching over to silence the noise on his phone.

He switched on the bedside lamp, casting a soft glow around the room, and sat up in bed, shirtless and groggy. His eyes drifted over to Raven, who lay beside him, still fast asleep.

Raven was in the exact same position Alaric had left him in the night before—flat on his back with his head slightly elevated.

Nothing had shifted; not even the blanket that Alaric had draped over him. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the only sign of life in an otherwise still figure.

Alaric turned his gaze to Raven, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Gently, he reached over, stroking Raven's hair with delicate fingers.