Danielle turned and saw that he was awake, his eyes fixed on her.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly, her voice calm as she walked back to the bedside and sat down.
“Do you need my help?” Alexander asked.
“No,” Danielle cut him off, her tone a little sharper than she intended. “Alexander, I can handle my own problems.”
A shadow flickered across Alexander’s face. He didn’t push the issue, just nodded. “Alright.”
Silence settled between them again.
Danielle felt suffocated by it. She stood up abruptly. “You should rest. I’ll go check on Niki.”
“Danielle.” His voice stopped her as she reached the door.
She paused but didn’t turn around.
“Don’t go.” His words were soft, tinged with a vulnerability that was hard to ignore. “Just stay with me—a little while.”
Danielle froze.
She could picture his expression without looking: that quiet, pleading look she could never quite turn away from.
She struggled with herself for a long moment before finally turning back, moving slowly as she sat down in the chair beside him again.
A faint, boyish smile flickered across Alexander’s lips, as if he’d just been handed a treat he’d been longing for.
He closed his eyes, and his breathing steadied, exhaustion written across his features.
Danielle sat quietly at his side, watching him.
She watched the shadow of his long lashes against his cheeks, the elegant lines of his face—pale, but still striking—and the way his brow furrowed slightly with pain even in sleep.
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