Somewhere in the silence, a clock ticked. It counted each moment, the more of which passed, the more sleep seemed unreachable.

Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

You realized that, at some point, your breathing had aligned with the metronome offered.

Tick, inhale.
Tick, exhale.
Tick, inhale.

You turned your head slowly, looking at the sleeping figure behind you. He looked so serene and, simply put, gorgeous. You couldn't help but smile, thinking of how lucky you were to have him.

You rolled over so you could fully face him. Always the light sleeper, he began to stir with your movement. You cursed yourself for waking him up, but all irritation disappeared when he groggily blinked and smiled upon seeing your face.

“Is everything okay?” he asked sweetly, his voice a little hoarse. You stared at him, wondering whether to be honest and disturb him or let him peacefully go to sleep. You should be good and choose the latter, but some part of you craved his affection.

“I can’t sleep,” you mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

He blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He then scooted closer to you and loosely slung an arm over your waist before touching his forehead to yours. You felt yourself blush, and he must have seen it as well, because he chuckled.

“Anything in particular bothering you?"

You shook your head. This kind of thing just happened. You knew he’d understand, because sometimes you were the one staying awake with him. He removed his hand from around your waist and moved it up to your face. With his smallest finger, he traced your jaw before awkwardly resting his palm on your cheek.

Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

You were now blinking in time with the clock.

Blink.
Tick.
Blink.

He slowly moved in, giving the tip of your nose a light peck, causing your blushing to intensify.

"Try to sleep again, okay? I’ll hold you, so you’ll be nice and warm,” he said, smiling slyly.

You nodded and turned over. He pulled you back so that your back was pressed against his chest. In the silence, you could feel his heartbeat, and you were given a new metronome, one much less distracting and annoying than the clock.

He placed his arm around your waist and you instantly felt a wave of comfort wash over you. Before you knew it, you couldn’t even hear the clock anymore, just his steady heartbeat and even breathing.

Finally, you felt like you could sleep peacefully.