The Sinner's Saint

DAY OFF 1/3

NEXT DAY
She wakes up before Lev which isn't unusual when they sleep together. She stays there, watching the side of his face the way she wouldn't let herself if he were awake. He sleeps deeply, completely, the way unbothered people do, you wouldn't even know he has only one facial expression. One arm is still loosely around her even in sleep.

She dreamt they kissed. It was so good it was almost mean, the kind of dream that doesn't feel like a dream while you're in it, feels like something that already happened or was always going to happen. When she woke up, her first thought was warmth and her second thought was fuck.

Because now he's going to wake up and they're going to have to exist in the same room as last night and she doesn't know what his face is going to do and she doesn't know what her face is going to do and that is deeply uncomfortable information to be sitting with at whatever time this is... 7am.

She slides out of his grip carefully. His arm adjusts without him waking, searching briefly then settling. She watches him do it.

She grabs the first slippers she finds on the floor, his and shuffles into the kitchen. She's not a one-night stand and this is not that situation so she's going to make him breakfast because she is actually a good person and also because standing in his kitchen doing something normal helps her brain pretend last night was normal.

She grabs everything and checks her phone while the pan heats up. Her manager interpreted her day off as "cram everything she's ever said yes to into one day."

The schedule sits in her messages aggressively. First, the date with William, just a park walk, then brunch at some place he found that she's sure is genuinely lovely, She's already decided to stop what they have. Last night was enough of a wake-up call. Better now than when it's actually too late and she's strung him along past the point of being decent about it.

After that, a podcast interview she'd agreed to but barely remembers agreeing to it. And then a gala or launch or something that requires a floor-length dress, which she does not have the energy for right now but here they are.

She's just turning to check the pan when she hears it.

Fridge opening.

She does not scream. Trust.

But her soul leaves her body, takes a lap around the kitchen and comes back. She turns around and there Lev is, shirtless as always, holding his water bottle because God forbid this man drinks out of anything else, reading something on his phone like he didn't just appear out of nowhere. He always does this and she always gets tired.

"Morning Lev."

He nods, moving closer to look at what's in the pan, then looks at her with a small smile. She recognises this. He's in his quiet mood, so she'll do all the talking for them.

"Did you sleep well?" He nods again, already on his phone, typing. He types his answers when talking is too much effort and she stopped finding it strange a long time ago.

She turns back to the pan. Behind her she hears him typing again and then her phone buzzes on the counter.

Are you busy today?

"Not exactly but I've got stuff to do. Don't miss me too much yh." He rolls his eyes and Types again.

Come somewhere with me tonight.

She makes a thinking face, tilting her head like she's genuinely weighing it. Even though they both know what she's going to say, she takes her time anyway because she can. He makes a hurry up gesture with his hand and she glares at him before going to back to her normal face.