Beatrix and Rhys just laid there, in silence. Beatrix was far too paralyzed to say anything.
Rhys' hoarse voice cut through the thick emptiness in the room, his tone barely above a whisper.
"Can't sleep?"
Beatrix shook her head, hoping she wasn't just imagining things and he was really beside her.
"No," Beatrix finally managed to reply, her voice barely audible. She shifted slightly, turning her head to face Rhys, confirming that he was indeed there, lying beside her. His presence offered a small glimmer of comfort in the midst of the overwhelming silence that had settled between them.
Rhys reached out a hand, his fingers lightly grazing Beatrix's arm as if to assure himself of her presence.
"Me neither," he admitted, his voice still raspy from the weight of their recent ordeal. "It's hard to shut off my mind after everything that's happened."
