Nina woke before my alarm, shifted against the sheets, then made a quiet sound when tenderness followed the movement. I opened my eyes immediately, though I kept my hands still until she decided whether contact felt welcome. Morning changed the available information without changing what either of us had chosen earlier.
"Good morning," I said, voice rough from too little sleep plus several hours of private fear.
"Water first," Nina replied, reaching toward the glass on her side without hiding the careful way she moved.
I passed it after she nodded, then assessed my own body while she drank. The healed area carried a mild muscular ache below three on the agreed scale, with no swelling or sharp pain.
"My pain is two," I said because the information affected her safety planning, "it is decreasing when I rest."
"Mine is soreness," Nina replied, placing the empty glass down, "nothing alarming, but I want a slow morning."
