Kyle awoke slowly, consciousness returning in gentle waves.
The golden light filtered through his eyelids it was warm and comforting.
A stark contrast to the memories that came crashing back the moment his mind cleared.
Last night.
The tears.
The way he had clung to Aurelia like a frightened child. Sobbing into her shoulder like he was some five years old kid.
His face burned with humiliation.
He groaned, dragging his hands down his face as if he could physically wipe away the memory.
"I want to dig a hole straight to the center of the planet and live there forever" he muttered into his palms.
But beneath the embarrassment, something else lingered.
A quiet, fragile sense of relief.
As if a pressure he hadn't even realized was crushing him had finally eased.
He exhaled slowly, letting his hands fall to his sides.
The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the quiet room.
2:10 PM.
'Twelve hours.'
He had slept almost half the day.
