Me And The Dark

Chapter 15

Valentina

The soft sound of birds singing their morning melody gently roused me from my sleep. I blinked a few times, lulled to sleep by the steady, soothing sound of a heartbeat echoing in my ear.

The darkness of the night was slowly dissipating, replaced by the soft light of the dawning day.

My face rested on Mattheo's chest, and I could feel every beat of his heart against my cheek. His arms held me firmly, creating a reassuring embrace that had enveloped me all night.

It was a peaceful, intimate moment, far removed from the hustle and bustle of our usual lives.

I found myself thinking about how I perceived Mattheo. The man who was always under tension, always ready to take on the world, was sleeping peacefully before my eyes. His heart beat with a soothing regularity, and he was surprisingly calm. 

It was a side of him I'd rarely had the chance to see.

I looked up to see his face asleep. The hard lines of his jaw seemed softened in sleep, and his lips were slightly parted. He seemed far removed from all the worries that weighed on him when he was awake.

Part of me wanted to stay like that, curled up in his arms, sheltered from the outside world.

However, reality called me to order. We were friends, and I didn't want the others to discover our early-morning closeness and start asking questions for which I did not have an answer.

I gently slipped out of his embrace, feeling his grip reluctantly loosen. My gaze fell on his serene face, and I smiled as I realised how peaceful he looked.

But I had to wake him up.

I nibbled my bottom lip, hesitant to break his stillness. My hand rested gingerly on his cheek, and I whispered softly, "Hey, Matt..."

He let out a few sleepy grunts, squirming slightly before finally opening his eyes. His husky voice caught me off guard, sending a shiver down my spine.

It was strange to hear him sound like that.

"Val...?" he whispered, his half-closed eyes settling on me.

"We... We need to get back to our tents. We slept here all night," I said, feeling my cheeks flush at the thought of spending the night in his arms.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to understand what I was saying. Then he stretched, offering me his hand to help me up.

"Come on, I wouldn't want the others to get the wrong idea," he said with a smirk.

A small hint of annoyance crossed my mind at his words, but I quickly dismissed it with a nod. "Yes, I'm going to join Enzo before he wakes up."

We got up, readjusting our wrinkled clothes, and quickly put our appearance in order. Even though we had spent the night together for perfectly innocent reasons, we didn't want others to make the wrong assumptions.

Mattheo entered his tent without another glance, while I headed for Lorenzo's. The morning was cool, but the sun promised to warm the air soon.

When I entered Lorenzo's tent, I found my friend still sound asleep, his peaceful face in stark contrast to the nightmares that had shaken my night. It was rare to see him so calm. I decided not to wake him and let him enjoy his well-deserved rest.

I pulled on a jacket to keep warm, then climbed out of the tent and sat down by the fire, which was still crackling gently. The morning sunlight bathed the camp in a golden glow, and I took a few moments to appreciate the beauty of the nature around us.