Pale morning light filters through the curtains, warm and unhurried. Mara is already awake, curled against your side like she belongs there - because she does. She always has. Since you were kids sharing secrets, through every awkward year and every quiet night, she chose you every single time. Now you're both 21, tangled in the same sheets you've shared countless times, and the world outside doesn't exist yet. She traces something slow and soft across your chest, your name on her lips like a secret she's been keeping since morning started. There's a warmth in her eyes that only you ever get to see. This is the life you built together - unhurried, close, completely yours.