That evening, it rained again.

Not the kind of heavy rain that flooded the streets like the night Miu stayed over before. Just soft, steady drops tapping against the window, gentle enough to make the world feel quieter if one listened closely.

Lena texted first.

Lena: Have you eaten dinner?
Miu: I have. What about you?
Lena: I just finished work. I'm on my way home. Do you want to come over?

Miu stared at the message, her cheeks warming.

They had been seeing each other almost every day since then.
But this was the first time Lena asked so directly.
No excuse. No detour.

Miu: Do you... want me to come?

Ten seconds passed.

Then Lena replied.

Lena: Yes. I want you to.

Miu didn't know why two simple words could soften her so completely—but they did.

Miu: Then I'll come.

⸻

When Miu arrived, the door was already open, as if Lena had been waiting.

"Come in," Lena said, her voice low and slightly hoarse, like she'd just stepped out of the shower.

Miu noticed it immediately.
The loose gray T-shirt.
The damp hair.
The way Lena looked... softer than usual. Less guarded. Less distant.

"You worked a lot today?" Miu asked as she stepped inside.

"Not really," Lena said, taking the towel off her neck.

"I just... thought too much."

"About what?"

Lena didn't answer right away.

Miu waited.

Some silences meant weight.

Finally, Lena spoke.

"I'm afraid of tiring you out."

Miu blinked. "What? Why would I be tired?"

Lena looked at her as if searching for the simplest words for something difficult.

"Because I want you too much."

The room went very still.

Lena didn't look away.
She wasn't joking.
She wasn't hiding.

It was simply the truth.

Miu stepped closer, her voice soft.

"But... I don't feel tired."

"You don't yet," Lena said, closing her eyes briefly.

"But I'm afraid one day you might."

"You're misunderstanding," Miu said gently, her fingers brushing Lena's wrist.

"I get tired when I have to guess what you're thinking."

She smiled.

"But you wanting me? That doesn't scare me."

Lena opened her eyes.

"Kiddo..."

"Just say it. Want me. Love me the way you are." Miu's smile was small but certain.

"I already chose you."

Something inside Lena quietly gave way.

"...Come here."

Her voice was soft, but it carried weight. Miu stepped closer without thinking.

Lena lifted a hand and rested it against Miu's cheek.

"Stay tonight."

Not a command.
Not pressure.
Just a gentle request.

Miu nodded.

"I'll stay."

⸻

They lay side by side on the bed. Only the warm glow of a bedside lamp remained. Outside, rain continued to fall.

Miu turned toward Lena.

"You can't sleep?" she asked, noticing Lena's open eyes.

"I'm not used to it," Lena admitted.

"Having someone next to me."

"Am I making it hard to sleep?"

"Not hard," Lena said quietly, staring at the ceiling.

"...Just makes me a little afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

After a few seconds, Lena turned and looked straight at her.

"That you'll disappear in the middle of the night."

Miu felt her chest tighten.

For the first time, Lena didn't hide the fear beneath her composure.
For the first time, she let Miu see her weakest place.

Miu didn't speak. She simply slid her hand into Lena's beneath the blanket and held on.

"Lena," she said softly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Lena looked at their intertwined fingers. Her gaze softened.

Miu pulled Lena's hand closer to her chest and shifted nearer, resting her forehead against Lena's.

"If you're scared to sleep," Miu whispered, "...then let me hold you first."

Lena opened her eyes, startled.

"You'll hold me?" Her voice dropped lower.

Miu blushed but didn't take it back.

"Because tonight... I want you to sleep well."

There was a brief silence.

Then Lena closed her eyes and exhaled, as if letting go of something heavy.

"Miu."

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Lena whispered.

"For being here. For letting me know... I don't have to be strong with you."

Miu wrapped her arms around Lena's waist, gentle but sure. Lena placed a hand on Miu's back and held her close.

Their breathing slowly aligned.

And for the first time in a long while, Lena fell asleep.

Not guarded.
Not restless.
Not awake until dawn.

But truly asleep.

In Miu's arms.

That night, no one said "I love you" again.

They didn't need to.

The way their hands stayed intertwined beneath the blanket.
The way Miu kept Lena close when she shifted in her sleep.
The way Lena instinctively pulled Miu closer when she slept deeply.

All of it already had a name.