Noah's POV
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the time.
The second was the arm wrapped around my waist.
My eyes widened.
I immediately reached for my phone on the nightstand.
7:13 AM.
I sat up abruptly.
"We're late."
The arm around me tightened.
"No, we're not."
I froze.
Diamant's voice was rough with sleep.
I turned slightly.
His eyes were still closed.
"You have work."
"So do you."
"We're late."
"We're not going."
That got my attention.
"What?"
One eye opened.
"We're not going anywhere today."
I stared at him.
For a second, I thought I was still asleep.
"What do you mean we're not going?"
"I canceled everything."
Now both my eyes were fully open.
"You canceled work?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
I looked genuinely concerned.
"Are you sick?"
Diamant finally opened both eyes and looked at me.
"Noah."
"What?"
"You sound disappointed."
"I'm alarmed."
"You should sleep more."
I ignored that.
"You canceled an entire day."
"You make it sound dramatic."
"It is dramatic."
This was the same man who once attended a meeting while recovering from a fever because apparently business executives weren't allowed to have functioning immune systems.
And now he was casually announcing he'd canceled an entire day?
Voluntarily?
Without a natural disaster?
I narrowed my eyes suspiciosly.
Diamant looked completely unbothered.
Then he pulled me back down against him.
"Noah."
"What?"
"Sleep."
I opened my mouth.
He tightened his hold.
I closed it.
A few seconds passed.
"...You really canceled everything?"
"Go to sleep."
Somehow, despite my confusion, I did.
The second time I woke up, sunlight was spilling through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Warm light stretched across the bedroom floor.
The city beyond the glass looked distant.
Quiet.
For once, neither of us had anywhere to be.
The realization still felt strange.
Beside me, Diamant was already awake.
Reading something on his tablet.
Because apparently even on his day off, he couldn't completely behave like a normal human being.
"Good morning."
His gaze shifted toward me.
"Morning."
"You brought work to bed."
"I brought reading material."
"That's work."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It isn't."
I stared.
He stared back.
Neither of us moved.
Then he returned to his tablet.
The argument was apparently over.
Just like that.
The house felt unusually peaceful.
Without calls.
Without schedules.
Without assistants appearing every five minutes.
The large residence seemed less intimidating.
More lived-in.
The kitchen occupied an open section of the first floor, connected to the dining area through a wide marble island.
Sunlight streamed across the countertops.
I walked in just in time to see Diamant placing toast onto a plate.
"...You're cooking."
"I am."
"Should I be worried?"
"No."
"Should I prepare emergency services anyway?"
Diamant glanced at me.
"I know how to cook."
"Fair."
He handed me a glass of juice.
The breakfast itself was simple.
Toast.
Eggs.
Fresh juice.
Nothing fancy.
Just food.
Actual food.
Which apparently gave Diamant an opportunity.
"You should learn from this."
I immediately frowned.
"Learn what?"
"How breakfast is supposed to look."
I nearly choked.
"That was one time."
"Several times."
"It was one breakfast."
"It was three disasters."
My jaw dropped.
"The toaster was defective."
"The toast was black."
"The toaster-"
"The toast was black."
I pointed at him.
"You're obsessed with that toast."
"You nearly turned it into charcoal."
"It wasn't that bad."
Diamant raised an eyebrow.
"It caught fire."
"...Briefly."
"It caught fire."
I looked away.
Traitorous memories resurfaced.
The pasta incident.
The sauce incident.
The disaster that had somehow ended with Diamant staring silently at his plate for nearly a minute.
"The sauce wasn't that salty."
"It tasted like seawater."
"It did not."
"It did."
"It was edible."
"It was a weapon."
I started laughing despite myself.
Diamant shook his head.
"There are international laws against what you call cooking."
By afternoon, we had somehow ended up in the living room.
A movie played on the enormous television mounted against the wall.
Neither of us was paying much attention.
The room was spacious without feeling empty.
Large windows overlooked the estate grounds beyond.
Soft daylight filled the space.
At some point, I'd ended up leaning against Diamant.
I wasn't sure when.
Or how.
I only noticed when his fingers absentmindedly brushed through my hair.
The gesture made my chest feel strangely warm.
The movie continued.
Some action scene was happening.
Things were exploding.
People were yelling.
I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Because Diamant had pressed a kiss against my forehead.
Then another against my temple.
Then one against my cheek.
I looked up suspiciously.
"You're being weird."
"I'm sitting."
"You know what I mean."
"I don't."
"You do."
A faint smile tugged at his mouth.
That smile always felt rare.
Like witnessing something not many people got to see.
He brushed his thumb against my cheek.
And suddenly I forgot what I was complaining about.
Sometime later, I woke up.
For a moment, I didn't know where I was.
Then I felt the familiar weight beside me.
I blinked.
The movie credits were rolling.
The room was darker now.
Golden evening light filtered through the windows.
Apparently we'd both fallen asleep.
I shifted slightly.
Diamant was asleep too.
The sight made me pause.
He looked different like this.
No sharp edges.
No cold expressions.
No intimidating CEO presence.
Just... Diamant.
Human.
Tired.
Peaceful.
Without thinking, I reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from his forehead.
His eyes opened immediately.
I nearly jumped.
"How are you awake already?"
"I wasn't."
"That's terrifying."
"I know."
Dinner became an argument.
A surprisingly normal one.
"We should order pizza."
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's unhealthy."
"So?"
"So we're not ordering it."
I stared at him.
"You canceled work."
"Yes."
"You cuddled me through an entire movie."
He said nothing.
"You fell asleep on the couch."
Still nothing.
"So clearly today is already unusual."
"Your point?"
"My point is we should celebrate."
"With vegetables."
"Pizza."
"No."
"Pizza."
"No."
"Pizza."
Diamant closed his eyes briefly.
Like he was reconsidering every life decision that had led him here.
"...Fine."
Victory.
Glorious victory.
I grinned.
Diamant looked deeply unimpressed.
The pizza arrived.
We ate in the living room.
Boxes spread across the coffee table.
"Diamant."
"Hmm?"
"What's your favorite book?"
"I don't read books."
"Movie?"
"I only watch movies when I'm with you."
"Why?"
"Because you like them."
"There has to be one you find interesting," I insist.
"No, Noah. I barely pay attention to them."
I narrow my eyes at him.
"My attention is only for you," he says simply.
"Blah," I reply flatly.
Diamant lets out a low chuckle and leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
Outside the window, the city lights shimmered like scattered embers as night settled over the skyline.
For once, neither of us spoke about work.
Or responsibilities.
Or problems.
We talked about random things.
Movies.
Books.
Terrible cooking.
Normal things.
Small things.
The kind of things people usually took for granted.
And for the first time in a long while, I did too.
Maybe only for a day.
Maybe only for a night.
But it was enough.
Enough to breathe.
Enough to laugh.
Enough to believe, even if just a little, that things were finally getting better.