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Chap 62 memory search

The morning light crept through the sheer curtains, painting slow, golden stripes across the bed.

Anna stirred first.

Her head ached, just a little, dull and hazy like a memory she couldn't fully hold onto. She blinked blearily at the unfamiliar ceiling. Soft sheets. A familiar scent. Warmth... a lot of it.

That's when she noticed the weight around her waist.

Diana.

Her arms were snug around Anna's middle, secure and unmoving, as if she'd wrapped her there on purpose and refused to let go. Her body pressed flush to Anna's back. Bare legs tangled. One of Diana's hands splayed beneath the hem of Anna's sleep shirt, resting against her stomach.

And her face... was tucked into Anna's neck. Breathing slow. Soft. Warm.

Anna froze.

They'd fallen asleep on the couch last night... hadn't they?

She remembered the wine. The kisses. The way she had begged, soft and tearful, for Diana to come back to her. Her cheeks flushed with mortification.

God, did I really say that?
Did I really...
...straddle her?

Anna squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. She wasn't even sure how they ended up in the bed. Diana must've moved her after she fell asleep.

But she stayed.

She stayed, and now her body was wrapped around Anna like she was something worth holding.

Anna's heart skipped, panicked and tender all at once. She didn't want to wake her. Didn't want to face whatever came next. She tried to shift slightly, maybe slip away without disturbing her, but the second she moved, Diana's grip tightened instinctively.

No words. Just a soft breath against her skin. A thumb brushing gently along her side like a silent "stay."

So Anna stopped moving.

Instead, she lay there for another minute. Then another. Her breath evened out. Her mind didn't. And before she could stop herself, she turned, slowly, onto her back to look at the woman next to her.

Diana.

Peaceful. Her dark lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Her lips parted slightly in sleep. The lines that tension always carved into her brow were smooth now. She looked so... soft. So quiet.

Anna forgot to breathe.

She reached up, tentative, gentle, and brushed a stray piece of hair from Diana's face. Her fingertips lingered for half a second too long.

And then, in a whisper so quiet she thought the silence might swallow it whole, she said:

"I love you."

She didn't expect an answer.

But Diana's eyes opened.

Anna flinched. Her hand darted back, guilt and panic flashing in her face.

Too late.

Diana caught it. Fingers curling around Anna's wrist, drawing it back to her cheek and keeping it there.

She smirked, slow, teasing, and entirely awake now.

"You weren't this shy playing with me last night," she murmured, voice thick with sleep and a rasp of mischief.

Anna's cheeks went crimson. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean, if I made you uncomfortable...."

Diana's smirk deepened, her thumb now stroking lightly along Anna's palm.