The weight of someone’s eyes on her face had Ella’s eyelashes flickering. She knew it was Rome before she even opened her eyes, before she was even fully awake, but she didn’t want to come back to the real world just yet. She knew where she was, and she was glad he was there with her, but facing life in the compound wasn’t nearly as blissful as the dream she’d be leaving where she and Rome were alone on a secluded beach, his arms around her, the sun beating down on them as the cool waves crept up their legs.
Unable to fight it any longer, she moaned and rubbed her fists in her eyes. “What time is it?” she asked, her voice so groggy she hardly recognized it.
“Almost eight,” he said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She opened her eyes to see a small amount of light coming in through the cracked door, enough to illuminate his silhouette as he kneeled beside her on the floor.
