**Beneath the Surface**

The warmth of Hange's arms lingered on my skin even after I woke up to an empty bed. I stretched, feeling the softness of the sheets and the gentle give of the mattress. The room was quiet, the only sound the distant hum of the city outside. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and looked around the room. Hange was nowhere to be seen, but his side of the bed was rumpled, and his pillow still held the indentation of his head. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and planted my feet firmly on the ground. The cool hardwood floor was a shock to my skin, and I quickly pulled my feet back under the covers. Hange's absence was starting to unnerve me. Where had he gone? And why hadn't he woken me up? As I waited for him to return, my mind began to wander back to the conversation I'd overheard the night before. Who was on the other end of that call? And what did they want from him? The questions swirled in my head, making it hard for me to focus on anything else. The door to the bedroom creaked open, and Hange walked in, carrying a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of pastries. He set them down on the bedside table and smiled at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Good morning, sleepyhead," he said, his voice low and husky. I smiled back at him, feeling a little more at ease. "Good morning," I replied, taking the cup of coffee from him. The aroma was heavenly, and I took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. Hange sat down beside me, his eyes scanning my face. "You okay?" he asked, his voice gentle. I nodded, taking another sip of my coffee. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little curious about last night's conversation." Hange's expression changed, his eyes clouding over for a moment before he forced a smile. "It was just work stuff," he said, his voice dismissive. "Nothing to worry about." But I wasn't convinced. There was something in his tone, something that told me he was holding back. I leaned in, my voice barely above a whisper. "Hange, what's going on? You're not telling me something, are you?" He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of uncertainty, but then his mask slipped back into place. "I'm telling you everything I can, sweetheart," he said, his voice soft. "Just trust me, okay?" I nodded, feeling a little more reassured. But as I looked into his eyes, I knew that I wasn't going to let this drop. I was going to dig deeper, to find out what was really going on beneath the surface of Hange's life. And I was going to start by asking him more questions. As we sat there in comfortable silence, I noticed a piece of paper on the bedside table. It was a note, scribbled in Hange's messy handwriting. I picked it up, my eyes scanning the words. "Meet me at the warehouse at 10. -J" My heart skipped a beat as I looked up at Hange. Who was J? And what did they want with him? The questions swirled in my head, and I knew that I had to get to the bottom of this. I was determined to uncover the secrets that lay beneath the surface of Hange's life, no matter what it took.