As Elyse slept, Alessandro watched her. He couldn't seem to look away. In this moment, his brimming confidence seemed to dim with uncertainty. He laughed quietly to himself. Elyse didn't hear him at all when he confessed in the dark. "There was a void. Here. Before you." He guided her palm to his chest, pressing it against the strong, steady beats. "Fuck me but I did not know what I was capable of feeling. Until you.”
