Ocean Kisses

Sleeping Angel

XB pov:

I couldn't help but laugh quietly as I watched him sleep. This man—Keralis—was a strange mix of stupidity and sweetness, and honestly, it was endearing. His breath was steady, the lines of tension from earlier now gone. His face looked so peaceful, and despite his earlier half-drunk ramblings, there was something about it that made me smile. I never quite understood how he could be so unaware of how charming he was, but that was part of the fun, I suppose.

I shifted my gaze to the necklace I’d given him. The shells I’d used to bind the gem were starting to grow, wrapping around the stone, slowly hiding the blue hue beneath. The change was slow, subtle—but it was happening. Eventually, the shells would completely cover it, making the stone nothing more than a part of the natural world again. But the magic wasn’t in the shells themselves; it was in the connection between us, a bond that started the moment I placed it around his neck.

I smiled, amused by the thought.

He didn’t know what he had, but I’d be there for him. He didn't need to understand it all, at least not yet. Maybe I was getting too sentimental, or maybe I just liked the idea of him having something that tied us together, something that couldn’t be easily explained or ignored.

I watched him for a moment longer, still curled up beside me, his warmth radiating in a way that made me feel more at ease than I had in a long time. The way he rested, so trusting, so unbothered—it was almost impossible not to want to protect that. The necklace was just a start. The connection was the important part. And maybe, just maybe, Keralis was starting to understand that too.

I let my fingers linger for just a moment on the strand of hair, a quiet sense of affection tugging at my chest. His calm face, the way he was so oblivious to the changes happening between us, was endearing. He never questioned anything, never looked too deep into things. Maybe that was what made him so easy to be around. The simplicity of it all was... peaceful, and for once, I didn't mind the quiet.

I glanced at the necklace again, now almost completely enveloped by the shells. The bond between us was almost complete, though he didn’t know it yet. There was a part of me that wondered if he ever would fully understand, but honestly, I didn’t mind if he didn’t. Some things didn’t need to be explained. The way he trusted me, without question, was enough.

But there was also a part of me that didn’t want this to change. Not yet. He was so unaware of everything that was happening—of the bond, the connection, the pull that was slowly weaving us together in ways neither of us could control.

I rested my head back against the pillow, allowing myself to just... be. The noise of the world outside, the rustling of birds and the distant hum of the wind, seemed so far away. All that mattered was here, in this room, with him. The world outside could wait.

As my eyes fluttered closed, I couldn’t help but think that maybe—just maybe—I was starting to want something more than just this fleeting moment. Something real. Something that wasn’t so easily explained. Something with him.

But for now, I was content to just be here with him, letting everything unfold as it would. The bond between us, the necklace, everything... it didn’t need to make sense. All I needed was this.

I couldn’t help but think about the weight of what I had just done. A Heart of the Sea wasn’t just a piece of jewelry or a trinket. It wasn’t just something that could be casually given away. It was a guardian’s heart, a bond, a connection to something much deeper than either of us could understand.

I had chosen to give it to him. I hoped, with all my being, that he would appreciate it, that he would cherish it as I did. That he would understand, even without words, that it wasn’t just a gift, but a symbol of something far more important.

I closed my eyes for a moment, the weight of that decision pressing down on me. What if I had made the wrong choice? What if he didn’t understand the significance of the Heart of the Sea? What if he didn’t realize that it was more than just a necklace, that it was a guardian’s trust, a bond that tied me to him in ways I wasn’t sure I was ready to explore?

But then I looked at him again. His peaceful expression, the way he slept so soundly beside me, as if nothing in the world could touch him. I felt a calm wash over me. Maybe it didn’t matter if he fully understood it right away. Maybe, in time, he would.

The heart of the sea always found its way to the one who truly deserved it, the one who would treasure it, protect it, and—most importantly—never take it for granted. I just hoped that I had made the right choice in giving it to him.

I could feel the weight of that thought settling in my chest, the uncertainty creeping in. It was true—I had barely known him. We had only shared a handful of moments, a few days, but in that time, something had clicked between us. A trust had formed, fragile yet undeniable. And I had made the decision to give him the Heart of the Sea, a symbol of that trust, of something deeper.

It was a hasty decision, no doubt. I didn’t know everything about him—his past, his intentions, his fears. But something about the way he made me feel, the way he seemed to understand me even when I wasn’t saying a word, made me feel like I was making the right choice. There was an unspoken connection between us, something that neither of us could deny, no matter how reluctant we might have been to admit it.

I wasn’t one for rushing into things. I usually took my time, analyzed every angle, weighed every decision. But with him, it felt different. I trusted him, even if it didn’t make sense. And maybe, just maybe, that trust was enough to carry us through whatever came next.

I shifted slightly, keeping my gaze on him as he slept beside me.