Chapter 148

Kaelen

Maren falls asleep faster than I expect.

One minute she’s still half-laughing about being unemployed and academically deceased, the next her breathing evens out, slow and warm against my side. Her head rests on my chest, one hand curled into my shirt like she’s making sure I don’t disappear while she’s not looking.

I don’t move.

Not because I’m afraid to wake her.

Because this—this—feels ea