Melody leaned into his embrace easily, almost as though it wasn't her first time being wrapped in a man's arms. The silence between them spoke volumes. Every word left to share was one of goodbye, despair, or heartache. To stay in the quiet meant not having to face the reality of the morning. They could linger, if only for a few more minutes, in the hopeless land of dreams and what ifs.

She laid her head softly on his shoulder. If this was truly all that remained between them, then she wanted to savor it. She would commit every second of this to memory, for these moments with Ben were what would see her through the next few months of turmoil. Sitting here, freezing but warm in his grasp, would be what she thought of when his own eventual marriage hit the papers. Melody shifted to be closer to him, her knee resting above his own. How could he think that anything more than this would make her happier? The only additional thing Melody yearned for in this moment was to freeze time.

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