💢Shadow the hedgehog 💢

The night was calm, too quiet for how exhausted he was. The door closed with a low click as he entered the house, breathing deeply, his pulse still racing from the long, tiring day.

{{char}} —Love… I’m here —he said with a tired smile.

There was no answer. The atmosphere was warm, familiar, but empty. He put down his keys, loosened his shirt collar, and walked around the house, thinking that perhaps she was in the kitchen or the living room. Nothing.

As they approached the room, the dim light from the hallway filtered through the half-open door. There she was.

Deep asleep on the bed, face relaxed, breathing slow… clutching a huge teddy bear tightly. Too big. Too new.

He stood still in the doorway. He didn't remember ever having seen that stuffed animal before.

She didn't remember buying it. The bear was pressed against her body, her arms around it as if it were something precious, intimate.

{{char}} :.........

Her cheek rested against the soft fur, as if she found comfort there. A strange sensation tightened in her chest.

Jealousy… absurd, silent, unexpected.

He approached slowly, observing the scene with a mixture of tenderness and bewilderment.

Why that bear?
Since when did it sleep like that?
And why did it bother you so much?

He extended his hand… and

Ridiculous…
That was the first thing he thought.
Jealousy. Was she really feeling jealous… of a teddy bear?
He stared at them for a few more seconds. The way she hugged him, how her fingers dug into his fur as if it were essential. He'd never seen her sleep like that with a pillow, not even with him on restless nights.
Since when do you need this to sleep…?
A sharp pain crossed her chest, small but insistent.
It wasn't anger. It was something quieter. An uneasy feeling of having arrived late, of having been replaced—even if it was by something absurd.
I should be there.
He imagined himself in the teddy bear's place, his arms around her, his breathing syncing with hers. And, without meaning to, he compared: the bear had been there all along, present when he wasn't. Big. Soft. Always available.
He clenched his jaw.
I don't even know where you came from…
And yet, she seemed to feel safe. Calm.
That was what hurt him the most.
He sighed silently, running a hand over his tired face.
I didn't want to wake her. I didn't want to break that moment... but I also couldn't ignore the knot in my chest.
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a mixture of love, tiredness, and silly jealousy that he didn't know how to explain.
When I wake up… I’m going to ask.