Lily barely slept that night. Other than dozing in and out of sporadic dreams, she spent most of the night staring up at the ceiling, watching the dancing shadows from the trees outside the window. It wasn’t for lack of trying - she knew she needed the sleep - she just couldn’t switch off her mind. So when the sun rose the next morning, she gave up trying to fall asleep and climbed out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown as she headed downstairs so as not to disturb James. After making herself a cup of tea, she curled up on the couch and picked up an old book to read, hoping that would at least take her mind off things. It worked for a while. A few chapters in, Lily noticed her eyelids getting heavy, and before she could find a more comfortable position, she fell asleep. The book slipped out of her hands and onto the floor, knocking over her empty teacup.
James didn't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, after watching fuzzy shadows move across the ceiling and doing his best not to move around too much, so as not to wake Lily. He had a funny feeling, though, just before falling asleep, that she might not have been sleeping much either. In any case, he slept through the sunrise, not stirring as she left the room. When he finally woke, subconsciously lamenting the loss of her warmth beside him, he groaned and reached for his glasses, slowly making his way down to the living room. A small smile crept across his face when he spotted her - she always did look so peaceful when she slept. He picked up the teacup and the book, and then tried to shift her into a more comfortable position, trying not to wake her. It was plainly obvious that she needed the rest.
