In the early morning, Layla slowly opened her eyes beneath the covers and glanced at the bedside alarm clock. With still a few minutes left before it was set to go off, he turned his head away, closed his eyes with a clear conscience, and went back to sleep.
Savoring the warmth of the bed, he drifted off to dreamland once more. When he opened his eyes again and looked at the clock, there was only one minute remaining. Layla unhurriedly closed his eyes and waited quietly for the alarm to ring. He switched it off to prove that he was already awake, and then, still wrapped in a hazy drowsiness, he pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
After a prolonged internal struggle between staying in bed and getting up, Layla finally managed to sit up, squinting his eyes as he put on his clothes. He walked over to the window and pushed it open. A gust of cold wind rushed in, making him shrink his neck and shiver before taking a deep breath of fresh air.
Chapter 17