Dawn

Chapter 28 - Dawn (16+)

a/n: At long last, we have reached the end! Thank you for reading Dawn, and for loving Aryan and Imlie in this AU.

Please do listen to the song shared above. It describes perfectly Imlie's feelings for Aryan through Dawn, especially here:

Where there was dark, now there's light

Where there was pain, now there's joy

Where there was weakess, I found my strength

All in the eyes of a boy.

Dawn

[noun]

A new day

Imlie stretched lazily as she tried to turn to her side, feeling warm under her covers. She stopped when her body rubbed against the hard planes of another.

She cracked her eyes open, finding Aryan's face on the pillow next to her, his lashes resting on his cheeks, his breathing even and slow. He looked so peaceful, so breathtakingly beautiful that she couldn't control the smile that spread across her lips.

She held back a giggle, all but melting into a puddle when she remembered why she was in bed with him.

She had no regrets at all, she realized, taking the step that she had with Aryan last night.

She got up slowly, flexing her leg muscles to rid themselves of the mild ache she still felt. Taking care not to disturb him, she left the comforts of their bed, glancing about for something to wear, deciding that she wanted to watch the sunrise today.

It had been a long time since she had done so, and she felt a calling deep within to go greet her old friend today. Afterall, it felt like a new day, a new life.

Unwilling to miss the dawn, she quickly wrapped the satiny sheet that had fallen on the floor around her naked body instead and padded her way towards the large window near the balcony. She cracked the pane open slightly, reveling in the gust of wind that kissed her face. The rains had stopped, leaving behind a wonderful petrichor that she loved.

The indigo sky dominated the canvas above, subtle veins of red and orange ready to spread outwards in a slow rise. The world was at a standstill, peaceful, rejuvenating itself before the rush of a new day.

She took a deep breath in, feeling pure happiness burst through her for the first time in a very long time. So many things had resolved themselves in the span of 24 hours.

Sure, there were still things to be discussed and she would have been overwhelmed had it not been for the man who had chosen to love her so deeply that all she felt was his security, his support, his comfort surrounding her like a warm blanket, keeping her safe through every storm.

She grazed her fingers against the wildflowers by the window, their blooms softly spilling over the edges as though waiting for the sun to wake up and shower them with warmth.

How far Aryan and I have come since the evening we planted this together! she thought fondly. She'd barely wanted to converse with him then, thinking of ways to avoid awkward encounters with the man she'd dismissed as cold and unfeeling.

How wrong she'd been, she realized, knowing how deeply he felt for her.

She rested her head against the window sill, her arms rubbing away the goosebumps as she sighed, a profound sense of contentment washing over her.

Aryan had panicked for a second when he hadn't felt Imlie's warm body next to him. He breathed easier when he saw her standing near the window, a vision in soft white, the silky cloth gliding around her nymph-like body, hugging her curves as the wind blew against her gently. He propped himself on one elbow, raking a gaze over the supple length of the woman who had captured him so thoroughly.