Despite the mock-pout still lingering on Rhea's lips, a quiet melancholy hung over the sudden shift in her plans. It wasn't the logistical reality of the situation that bothered her; it was how easily this routine, one theyโd so silently built together, could be shuffled around. Even with their lives as chaotic as they usually were, this just felt odd. "You still manage to juggle those eggs with great ease, baby" she teased softly.Her expression melted the second Treโs voice hummed tenderly against her ear, followed by the comforting weight of his arms wrapping around her like her favorite weighted blanket. The gentle pressure of his cheek resting against her hair dissolved the rest of her trapped sigh, and she eased her entire weight back into his shoulder. She gave his collarbone a second little nudge โ much gentler than the first playful 'bonk' before leaning into him completely. There was a profound calmness to the way his tiniest, tracing touches could instantly ground her. They kept her locked right here in the present moment, even if the reality of their sleepovers being cut short was already the absolute biggest bummer of her week. "Yeah..." Rhea sighed again, though the corner of her mouth slowly curved. "You'd be public enemy number one, babe" Her voice was quieter now, a low murmur that vibrated against his skin with each syllable. As she finally let her gaze drift up to meet his, the weight of his words settled in. It hadn't truly dawned on her until lately how even their longest, most exhausting days apart couldn't compare to the heavy, stretching distance that just forty-two hours seemed to hold now. They had crossed into that territory where the more stable they became, the more jarring it felt whenever the routine got shaken up.
A lopsided grin bloomed across her face "I object that statement" she chuckled lightly "I actually think that might be the most rock-and-roll thing you've ever said, actually" she countered, her hand lightly tapping over his chest. "Not many guys can truly appreciate the mystery of a stray hairpin. It's kind of like when a cat leaves you tiny gifts you don't know what to do with" She chuckled, looking up at him with pure affection. "Consider them my tiny gifts."
Rhea couldn't help but let that grin turn far more affectionate, softening at the mere tone of his voice. Her eyes crinkled, lighting up at his mention of such simple, everyday things โ the tiny routines she had begun to perform so naturally over the last few months. There were traces of her everywhere now. Scents of her perfume mingling with his when she had to leave, a preferred side of his bed, a book left on his nightstand, or a half-finished crossword puzzle she hadnโt cracked yet. Their lives and things were slowly merging together, fitting perfectly like interlocking puzzle pieces. Rhea let the corners of her mouth curve up, her brow raising mockingly as she shifted against him. "Finders keepers, losers weepers, man" she added, giving the waistband of her boxers a playful little tug "And for the record, I never said you couldn't wear my underwear either. Take your pick from my drawer" And the thing was, he was right. Maybe not continuously, but Rhea had left more and more additional things at his place every time. Gradually, that mock expression faded, taking her chuckle with it, replaced once more by a soft, quiet calm. She leaned her face fully into his chest for a long moment, breathing in the familiar scent, letting out a muffled sigh against the fabric before finally tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. "I know..." she answered, her voice dropping into a low register. "You're right" she gently nodding "We'll figure it out" she repeated, leaving a kiss against the corner of his lips as she shifted her weight into him "In a perfect world we'd have unlimited sleepovers. No distractions" Rhea added, the playful twinge within her voice carried those words.