Asher looked at her helplessly, guessing that the nightmare had frightened her. "You can't sleep?"
Melanie responded with a soft, "...Yeah."
She wasn't sure why, but sleep eluded her... All she could think about was how long this night seemed to be stretching.
After a moment's thought, Asher reached out and half-embraced her. Startled by his sudden action, Melanie stammered, "You..."
But Asher remained composed. "You said you can't sleep, right? It's probably from the fright. If I hold you like this, it might give you a sense of security and help you fall asleep faster."
Melanie nodded, "That makes sense."
Not only did it make sense, but she was also getting to enjoy his embrace, which she considered a bonus.
She cautiously scooted closer to Asher. If he was already holding her, being a little closer shouldn't matter, right?
Although she wasn't sure when Asher started developing feelings for her, the fact that he had feelings for her meant he didn't dislike her. So, maybe she didn't need to rush into confessing just yet?
She decided to wait until Asher fully recovered, was discharged, and they were back in A city. Then, she would plan a grand confession.
Melanie felt content, enveloped by his familiar scent. His embrace indeed felt safe. She whispered, "Goodnight, Asher."
"Goodnight," Asher replied, his expression serene throughout.
This time, Melanie quickly drifted off to sleep without further nightmares, not waking until morning...
Melanie was the first to awaken. Upon opening her eyes and attempting to move, she sensed something amiss.
Oh, right. Asher had held her last night.
She stiffly adjusted her position, realizing the situation had become a bit awkward. Perhaps due to her restless sleeping habits or inadvertently treating Asher like a stuffed toy, she found herself wrapped around him like an octopus.
Melanie silently tried to retract her arms and legs, stealing a glance at Asher, relieved to find him still asleep.
She thought she could pretend nothing happened before he woke up.
Half a minute later, Melanie got out of bed, relieved that Asher hadn't stirred.
How embarrassing it would be if he woke up and found her clinging to him like that?
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she left for the bathroom, Asher's eyes snapped open, clear and alert, betraying no trace of just waking up. He had clearly been awake for a while.
Melanie freshened up quickly.
Before long, Mr. Smith also rushed to the hospital and brought breakfast along.
Melanie felt a pang of guilt. "Mr. Smith, thank you for all the trouble, having to follow me around like this..."
"Miss, it's no trouble at all. It's my duty," Mr. Smith waved off her concern with a loving smile. "But how did you sleep last night? Let me take over tonight, and you can rest well at the hotel."
Melanie lowered her head, her earlobes tinged pink. Last night, she had indeed slept well...
Mr. Smith missed her reaction, assuming she agreed.
Meanwhile, at the Snow residence in A city, Vivienne urged Leonard impatiently, "Can you hurry up? It takes hours to get to B city!"
Leonard replied, "Ah, I know, I was just busy with work last night."
Vivienne rolled her eyes internally, thinking, By the time your daughter gets whisked away, you won't be so worried about work.
She often wondered how Leonard's brain functioned—sometimes overly anxious, other times incredibly slow, yet always, always devoid of common sense, as far as Vivienne was concerned.
Her look conveyed her sentiments loud and clear.
