Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 105

Chapter 105

They did not leave the bed until evening.

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The light in the room had changed by then. It was no longer the soft gold that had followed them in earlier. Now it was dimmer, calmer, quieter, the kind of evening light that made everything feel slower and more intimate. The room still held traces of them. Their warmth.

Their scent. The faint lavender from the sheets now mixed with soap, skin, and something sweeter that belonged only to the two of them. Meadow was still not used to how quickly Ethan could turn a place into something that felt like home just by being in it with her. This

room had already felt beautiful when he showed it to her, but now it felt lived in. Claimed. Loved in. Like it had already been made theirs

fabrics could ever do.

in a deeper way than fresh paint and prett

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Ethan did not mind that they had stayed hidden away that long. He knew Keith and Elaine would come looking for them eventually. He

knew Keith in particular would never let this pass without teasing him. Even before they had come by, Keith had already sent enough

through the mind link to make Ethan roll his eyes more than once. Keith was not subtle, and he was not going to become subtle now. Ethan knew the smirk his friend would wear before even seeing him. He knew the kind of look he would get. He knew the questions would

be there without needing to be spoken. th

But Ethan did not care.

For once, he truly did not care.

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If Keith wanted to tease him, let him. If he wanted to smirk and hint and act smug because his hard work on the cabin had helped set the

mood, let him do that too. Ethan was too satisfied to be annoyed by it. Too content. Too full of quiet pride. Things had gone well between

him and Meadow. Better than well. Something had shifted. Not only between them, though that alone would have been enough to leave

him dazed and grateful. Something in him had shifted too. Something he had thought was gone.

The thought drew his hand back to his thigh almost without him meaning to.

He touched the same place again, lightly, cautiously, as if he still did not trust it. The sensation was there. Faint. Not full. Not strong

enough to make promises from. But it was there. The smallest whisper of feeling in a place that had been numb for so long it had begun

to feel like dead territory. He kept his face calm. Kept the discovery locked away inside himself. He was not ready to say anything yet. Not

when he did not understand it. Not when hope could still make a fool of a man if he let it rise too quickly.

So he kept it to himself and looked at Meadow instead.

She was busy trying to dress,

That alone almost made him smile like an idiot,

She was turned slightly away from him, focused on the simple task, unaware that he was staring. Completely unaware. That made it worse

somehow. Made her even more beautiful in his eyes. There was no performance in Meadow. No deliberate seduction in the way she moved

now, no knowing little glances tossed over her shoulder to keep him looking. She was only being herself. Quiet. Honest. A bit flustered. A

bit distracted. Sweet in a way that did not feel naive so much as pure. She had no idea what she looked like to him then, half dressed,

moving through the room with all that innocence and softness and afterglow still clinging to her.

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11:59 Wed, Jun 17

Chapter 105

He admired that about her more than

could say.

:))

Her innocence. Her honesty. The way she still moved through the world with some gentleness left in her despite all the cruelty it had

shown her. Meadow was a gem to him. Rare. Bright. The sort of person a man could damage by accident and spend the rest of his life regretting. Looking at her now, Ethan felt something heavy and warm settle in his chest again. Gratitude. Real gratitude. He thanked the

goddess for her in silence. Not in some dramatic way. Not aloud. Just a quiet, private thing from a man who knew enough loss to

recognise blessing when it came and sat smiling in front of him.

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MermicornQueen

Beautiful x

7 days ago

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Underwater: The Silent Luna