"You can stay here and explore the room all you want," Adrien said, backing toward the door with that slow, infuriating grin. "I'll be back in a while."
Alicia gave a small nod, still half-dazed from everything—the room, him, the teasing, and now the silence he left in his wake. The heavy doors clicked shut behind him, and for the first time since they arrived, she was alone.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and gently slipped the sling bag from her shoulder, placing it on the plush snow-white chair near the window. The cushion was so soft it practically sighed under the weight, like freshly fallen snow.
Turning slowly in place, Alicia took it all in—the chandelier overhead still shimmered like starlight caught in crystal. The canopy of the bed swayed ever so slightly, moved by the breeze that whispered through the cracked window panes. Her fingers itched to touch everything—just to make sure it was real.
