Lyney

Lyney stared up at the ceiling. Sleep did not come easy, and the uncomfortable thoughts rolling through his mind only made it worse. No matter how much he tried to distract himself, Aether was still on his mind.

He groaned, shifting on the bed to grab a pillow and cover his head. He was tired—mentally, physically, emotionally drained. But as much as he tried, he could not shake the thought off.

He pulled the pillow away from his head and let out a frustrated sigh. He had been lying there for at least an hour now.

Lyney reached over, blindly groping around until his hand found his phone. He picked it up, the screen’s bright light casting a harsh glow over his face.

His fingers found the ‘Messages’ icon quickly, thumb hovering over Aether’s name. He stared for several long moments.

But his inner protest fell on deaf ears. He pressed the contact name, and the chat screen loaded. He couldn’t stop himself from typing a quick message:

Are you awake?