236. I can't keep this secret any longer

In the late hours, shadows danced in the dimly lit room. The air was still.

Jemma lay sprawled on her stomach across the bed, gripped in a book. Her tousled hair cascaded over the pillow, framing her face. Her slender figure was draped comfortably across the bed, one leg bent upward while the other stretched out leisurely. Dressed in comfortable nightwear, she seemed relaxed, yet there was a hint of tension in her posture. The soft glow of the bedside lamp lighted the contours of her features, highlighting her quiet expression.

As the familiar knock echoed through the room, Jemma's heart raced, but she remained frozen in place. Noah entered, cradling a glass of milk. His eyes fell upon her, a vision of beauty resting on the bed, absorbed in a book. Silently, he set the milk on the desk near the bed and took a seat at the bed's edge, his back turned to her. There was a tangible tension, an unspoken distance between them, both lost in their thoughts, yet so close and yet so far in tha