Melanie couldn't help but feel uneasy knowing Asher was lying right beside her. Her heart pounded wildly, seemingly unable to settle down. Perhaps due to her tension, her entire body was taut.
After a brief moment, she thought she heard Asher's voice. Turning to him in astonishment, she asked, "Did you say something to me?"
Was it merely her imagination playing tricks?
Under the dim light, Asher's handsome face was etched vividly in her mind, almost too beautiful to be real. Something inside her seemed to explode, and she heard him murmur, "I just said, don't be so nervous."
Melanie snapped back to reality, her eyes darting around as she instinctively denied, "Nervous? I-I'm not nervous at all!"
Not in the least bit nervous.
Her own words left her feeling awkward.
She quietly tugged at the covers, hiding her face to prevent any further embarrassing remarks.
Asher chuckled at her reaction, refraining from commenting further. He gently tucked the covers around her.
The soft glow of the light scattered over them, creating a warm and harmonious scene.
Gradually, Asher detected the steady rhythm of Melanie's breathing, indicating she had fallen asleep.
He sighed, gazing at the person beside him with a focus deeper and more complex than usual...
Melanie found herself in a dream, revisiting her past life where she had lost everything. Aria still brought ruin to her family, pushing her off the rooftop with a twisted expression, causing that terrifying sensation of weightlessness...
Melanie jolted awake, sitting up with a hoarse cry, "No!"
"A nightmare?" came a gentle voice beside her.
She turned her head to meet Asher's gaze. Almost impulsively, she reached out to touch his face, muttering, "You're really here..."
It was all just a dream.
Asher took her wrist, feeling its coolness. With his other hand, he gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue, his voice and actions impossibly tender.
"Of course I am. I'm right here with you. Melanie, it's okay. Whatever happened, it was just a nightmare."
Melanie nodded, "Yeah..."
Just a nightmare.
Asher got up to fetch her a glass of water, which she accepted, feeling guilty for being a burden. He was the patient, and she was supposed to be watching over him, yet here he was, fetching her water...
She pondered for a moment before asking, "Were you not asleep? Or did I wake you up?"
Asher felt a touch of helplessness.
"Melanie, you only slept for twenty minutes."
With such a short duration, it was natural he hadn't drifted off.
Melanie was stunned.
"I've only slept for twenty minutes?"
It felt like she had slept for ages, and the dream had been so incredibly long.
"Yes, so try to sleep again. Don't overthink it."
Asher took the cup from her, placed it back, and lay down beside her again. Everything felt perfectly natural.
Melanie realized she was indeed overthinking things. Since her reincarnation, she often found herself uncontrollably lost in thought.
Just like now, Asher was lying innocuously next to her, yet her mind wandered elsewhere...
Sigh, this wasn't good, really not good.
She silently scolded herself.
Then, she laid back down.
Twenty minutes later...
Melanie was bewildered.
Had she really only slept for twenty minutes?
Why, after waking up, had another twenty minutes passed without her falling back asleep?
Instead, she was becoming increasingly alert.
Her eyes were bright and alive, betraying her state of mind.
