Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

“You’re the best. If it’s uncomfortable, feel free to remove it after I fall asleep. Good night.” With gratitude, Rose gave Edward a kiss and settled in to sleep. Everything was just right.

The reason Rose was so calm and didn’t feel anxious was because she considered the following night as her wedding night. She simply wanted a good night’s sleep. There were many more days ahead of them in the future, so there was no need to rush.

However, Edward was different. A man in his thirties who had always slept alone, he now found himself embraced by his girlfriend, and he couldn’t move at all. His arm remained encircled by Rose’s. If not for the fabric of their pajamas separating them, there would be zero physical distance between them. He thought, “How could I remain calm?” Half an hour later, Rose hugged Edward and fell asleep happily, a smile on her lips. In her dreams, she must have been imagining something that brought her joy, perhaps looking forward to registering their marriage the next day.

On the other hand, Edward had insomnia. In the dim light, he gazed at Rose’s peaceful sleeping face. She was very still, unlike the restless moments before falling asleep. Her even, gentle breaths warmed Edward’s neck. It felt ticklish, like a feather lightly brushing against his heart. Edward closed his eyes in helpless surrender once more.

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He couldn’t even go to the bathroom if he wanted to; the path was blocked by Rose. She held him tightly, preventing him from getting out of bed. He had no choice but to divert his thoughts elsewhere.

In the quiet night, held by his gentle girlfriend, Edward contemplated how to explain things to the Roberts family. To Edward, who had always been rule-bound, Rose’s actions felt misguided. However, if Rose wanted to go through with this, he was willing to stand by her, even if it meant taking the blame in the end.

No matter what, he was a man. When the Roberts family inquired, he would claim that it was his idea. He didn’t want Rose to face criticism from her elders. At worst, he could handle being reprimanded by Frank.

Edward listed all the issues in his mind while held in Rose’s arms, bracing himself for the worst.

As he pondered, Rose’s leg gradually rose higher until it almost reached his shoulder. He thought, “Is this how she normally holds her pillow? It seems like she is genuinely treating me as a pillow.”

Edward couldn’t help but chuckle. With a bit of effort, he freed one of his hands and gently repositioned Rose’s legs from his shoulders to his waist. Since Rose mentioned she liked being held to sleep, he was willing to oblige.

He hoped he wouldn’t be kicked out of bed while he slept.

The next morning.

The scene on the bed had shifted. The roles had reversed. Edward now lay in his pajamas with his legs curled up, uncovered by the blanket. Meanwhile, Rose resembled a silkworm cocoon, her entire body hidden beneath the rolled up blanket, with only a hint of hair peeking out.

At first glance, it seemed like Edward had been mistreated.

Rose had set the alarm the previous night, eager to register their marriage as soon as possible. The sound of the alarm abruptly roused the person sleeping soundly in the bed.

She reached out with her eyes closed and searched around but couldn’t find her phone. Edward, who was a light sleeper, had already taken the phone and turned off the alarm. Rose opened her eyes in a daze and said in a slightly bewildered voice, “You’re awake.”

She yawned so deeply that tears welled up in her eyes. Edward appreciated the genuine Rose, and without any pretense, he gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Eye gunk?” No, that couldn’t be. She had washed her face last night. She reached out to touch the corner of her eye and realized there was no eye gunk.

“No, just tears. Do you want to sleep a bit longer?” As soon as he finished speaking, Edward sneezed.

Rose glanced at Edward. Since she had slept alone, she had never been aware of her habit of rolling up the blanket. Frank had never mentioned it to her. She assumed Edward had a cold. “You have a cold? Are you feeling warm? Why did you give me the blanket?”

“I was wondering why I felt so warm last night. I don’t easily feel cold, so I don’t need so much of the blanket actually,” Rose said.

She quickly got out of bed and searched through her luggage. Every time she traveled, Grace would prepare some common medicines for her to take. She retrieved a box of cold medicine and handed it to Edward. “Take one of these after breakfast for precaution.”

Edward didn’t know how to explain Rose’s playful nighttime behavior. The fact was, he had a rather eventful night. At times, she would rest her leg on him, and at other times, she’d suddenly hold him tightly. When she felt uncomfortable sleeping in one direction, she’d shift. And when Rose turned around, she had a habit of cocooning herself in the blanket, like a silkworm.

He asked tentatively, “Rose, did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah, I slept quite well. I’ve realized that sleeping with you at night is especially enjoyable.”

From Rose’s tone, it was evident that she wasn’t aware of her blanket-rolling habit from the previous night: Edward didn’t bring it up. “Go brush your teeth first. Should we head to the downstairs dining room for breakfast or should we call for room service?”

“Let’s head downstairs, so we can choose what to eat. It’s a buffet, isn’t it?”

“Sure, go freshen up first. I’ll get changed,” Edward arranged.

Speaking of changing clothes, Rose wanted to expedite her plan to see his abs. She stood by the side, not moving. “You’re changing? Let me have a look,” she suggested.

Edward was speechless.

Seeing Edward’s confusion, Rose explained, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do crazy things to you. I just want to see how many abs you have. You promised to show me at the cinema last time. You forgot.”

“So that’s what it was,” Edward recalled that he had promised to show her after the movie ended.

Rose stared directly at his pajamas. She thought, “After this morning, the man before me will be my husband. What is wrong

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with openly looking at him?”

Seeing this, Edward suddenly shed his usual demeanor. He approached Rose with a mischievous intent. This thought crossed his mind in a split second. “Rose, I’ll let you have the pleasure.”

“Ah… You want me to take off your clothes?” As he spoke, he pointed at his own face and gazed at Rose in disbelief.

Rose thought, “Why does it feel like Edward has changed after just one night of sleep?”

She had assisted William in putting on a suit and handed her brother his clothes, but she had never helped a man undress before. She was the one who had suggested it, but now she was the one feeling shy. Her face was slightly flushed, and her trembling hands stretched on tiptoe to unbutton the first button of Edward’s pajamas.

At that moment, Rose wished Edward wasn’t wearing clothes with buttons. She thought, “Why did he choose such conservative attire? Something with a waist tie would have been more convenient to remove.”

Rose had unbuttoned his shirt quickly, and after a moment, Edward looked at her reaction with a faint smile. He reached out to halt her actions. “I’ll show you tonight.”

If this kept up, there was a risk she wouldn’t be able to leave the house in the morning. Regardless, they had to prioritize registering their marriage in the morning. That’s more important now.

Having a certificate also made things more convenient. It added legitimacy to their actions.

Rose let out a breath. “Fine.” With that, she immediately fled to the bathroom and closed the door. She leaned against the back of the door and panted heavily.

After Rose went inside, Edward’s phone rang. It was Kyle Jenkins. “Hello.”

“I’ll head back first. I hope things improve between you and Miss Roberts once you return.”

Edward was in a good mood. He looked up at the closed bathroom door and smiled. “We will go register our marriage

soon.”

Kyle asked, “What did you say? Marriage? Really?”

“Yes, bye.”

Edward didn’t pay much attention to Kyle’s reaction to Rose at all. It was fine as long as he was informed and supportive.

Kyle, who was in the next room, was in a state of disarray, holding his luggage. Edward and Rose had registered their marriage in just one night, They were moving incredibly fast.

He genuinely felt happy for Edward. Besides the Landor family, there was also Trevon who might be looking forward to Edward truly being happy.