[color=#b97703]“I feel great,”[/color] Cas nodded with a soft smile when Iris commented on how well-rested he looked. He didn’t know if he could vouch for being the calmest he’d ever felt, but that morning was certainly somewhere in his top ten, and it was definitely the most at peace he’d been since his mother had passed. All his father, work and classes brought to him was stress and the burden of responsibilities. Before he’d met Iris, he had decompressed by going out to parties with his friends, drinking, dancing and socializing with the other high borns in an effort to escape from reality for a few hours. In contrast, the relaxation he felt when he was with her was more genuine. He wasn’t running away by being with her, but rather had someone else to shoulder everything with him. It was nice. He also loved spending so much time with her and even waking up next to her in the morning instead of finding himself alone.

[color=#b97703]“Says you,”[/color] he mumbled petulantly when she said they couldn’t stay in bed all day. Already, the feeling of her warm body pressed up against his was lulling him back to sleep. He’d been so busy for the last few weeks that he hadn’t realized just how much he’d needed a good night’s rest. Now that he finally had the opportunity to make up for the deficit, he didn’t want to get up. Besides, it wasn’t like there was a reason to rush. No one knew where they were, so they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other’s company. There was nothing that could interrupt them as long as he kept his cell phone shut off, since it was his only line of communication with the outside world. He could deal with his father later.

So, when Iris told him that she had a bad feeling, he sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He didn’t want her to worry when things were finally going right for them. There was no reason for either of them to be concerned. They’d made it through the night without soldiers banging on their door, so he felt confident that they were perfectly safe in their suite. Granted, there was no telling what their next move would be when they eventually left the Sunset Veil, but that was a problem for another day.

[color=#b97703]“Just relax,”[/color] he told her, stroking her shoulders gently with one hand. As he spoke, he closed his eyes again and nestled his head more comfortably against hers. [color=#b97703]“We’ll figure it out when we get there, okay? You don’t need to worry because we’re fine right now. I love you, and I’m going to do everything I can so that we can be together. Let’s just enjoy this holiday while we can before we have to think about the future.”[/color] He knew this was the calm before the storm, since his father was going to be furious with him if or when he returned, but that didn’t negate the fact that he was enjoying himself. It was hard to be concerned about anything when he had Iris in his embrace. He wanted to pretend like everything was fine, if only for a little while longer.