The tent was quiet except for the distant sounds of the forest and the occasional crackle from the dying campfire outside. William lay on his side facing the tent wall while Claire was on the opposite side, and both of them were clearly still awake despite the late hour.
"Are you awake?" Claire asked softly as she turned toward William's back and hesitantly placed her hand on his.
"Yeah," William replied while still facing the other side, his voice low enough not to disturb the others in nearby tents.
"Can't sleep?" Claire asked, and there was something vulnerable in her tone that reminded him of their conversation from this morning.
"Yeah," William said simply.
There was a pause before Claire spoke again, and her voice carried the kind of honesty she had shown earlier when discussing her childhood.
