Kisa

Midnight had arrived. In her window, as always, the light was burning. I knew her schedule better than my own. The last algebra test had been a disaster, and now she was trying to make up for lost ground, fighting against sleep and exhaustion. I saw how her head drooped toward the textbook, how her eyelids grew heavy, and how her fingers turned the pages slower and slower. She was stubborn, my girl. Ready to fight until the very end, even when her strength was spent. And then, finally, silence. Her breathing became steady and deep, and her hand slid lifelessly off the table. She had fallen asleep.

My heart beat faster as I cautiously entered her room. The air here smelled of her perfume—light and sweet, like a ripe pear. I approached the desk where she lay, immersed in sleep. She seemed so defenseless, so small. I easily lifted her into my arms—she weighed almost nothing, like a fluff of down, like a fallen petal. Her head leaned helplessly against my shoulder, and her warm breath touched my neck. In that moment, the world narrowed down to this fragile warmth in my arms.

I laid her on the bed and adjusted the pillow to make her comfortable. In the dim light, her face looked peaceful, almost childlike. I covered her with a warm blanket, carefully tucking in the edges so the night chill wouldn't seep under the fabric. Then I sat on the edge of the bed, unable to leave. I wanted to stay here forever—to become a shadow at her bedside, a silent guardian of her sleep. I watched as her chest rose and fell smoothly, as her eyelashes cast light shadows on her cheeks. I wanted to touch her hair, to run my fingers through those silky strands, but I restrained myself. One wrong move—and the spell would shatter. She would wake up, and it would all be over.

For now, she wasn't supposed to know. For now, my love remained a quiet story that only I told—in the darkness, in solitude, gazing at her lit window. I slowly stood up, stealing one last glance at her sleeping figure, and dissolved into the night, leaving her alone—in warmth, in safety, in ignorance.