You're my dawn

19. Beautiful

She had her last exam yesterday after which she had sprawled on the bed for hours, sleeping like Rip Van Winkle. 

Arsh had patiently been waiting for her to come out of the sleep marathon but it seemed like she had no desire as such. 

He had rounded the room for umpteenth time to check on her and everytime he did, he saw her in deep slumber. 

Since she loved white sauce pasta, he thought of preparing it before waking her up. As he finished cooking, he cleaned up and strode towards their room on a mission to wake her up 

He approached her side and shook her shoulder gently. "Seher, it's time to wake up."

"Hmm," Responding with a mere murmur, she shifted away from him, clutching the blanket more tightly. 

"Seher, please, wake up" he urged her while shaking her shoulders vigorously.

Protesting, she whined and wriggled out of his grasp. "Let me sleep," she pleaded, evading his attempts. 

 "If you don't get up in the next two seconds, you will be responsible for the consequences." He said in a warning tone. 

She didn't bother to respond to his threat and kept sleeping like it was the most important thing in the world. 

Undeterred, he muttered near her ear. "You have been sleeping since yesterday, now it is time for you to rise and shine." With one arm sliding behind her knees and the other cradling her neck, he lifted her effortlessly, carrying her in a tender bridal hold. 

Caught off guard, she abruptly opened her eyes, surveying her surroundings with a frantic gaze. It took her a few seconds to understand the situation she found herself in. As her eyes landed on him, she saw him mischievously grinning at her expense. 

"Arsh!" She screamed, flailing her arms. "Put me down this instant!"

Unyielding, he winked at her, proceeding to open the washroom door using his shoulder. "Not happening, darling." 

"Ahhh!" She protested, attempting to escape his grasp. "Why are you taking me to the shower area?"

"Because, sweetheart, you need a shower to come out of your sleep marathon," he declared, firmly placing her on her feet while keeping her arms confined within his hold. 

"Look, I am awake now. I promise to not sleep anymore." She proclaimed, widening her eyes in an attempt to convince him. "Leave me; I need to brush my teeth."

He bit back the bubbling laughter in his chest at her cute attempt to get away from the shower cubicle and leaned closer to her left ear, whispering. "This is a punishment for making me feel lonely. I wanted to spend time with you but you chose to prioritize sleep."

She opened her mouth to defend but instead a gasp left her lips as the water hit her head. 

"Leave me! leave me! leave me!" She cried, jumping in her place while he shook with laughter at her priceless reaction. "I washed my hair yesterday, I don't want to wash it again!" She pleaded, using all her strength to break free from his grasp. 

"It is too late now," he snickered as she attempted to glare at him but failed to even keep her eyes open under the running shower. 

Irritated with the way he was enjoying her condition, she bent down and bit his wrist, the very hand that held her captive. 

"Ah!" he exclaimed, releasing her arms and pulling back. "You wild cat!" He glared at her upon noticing the red mark etched onto the back of his hand. Before she could escape he grasped her wrist and pulled her towards him. 

"You need to learn a lesson." He declared, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her flush against his body. She looked up, meeting his gaze, and gasped as she witnessed a maelstrom of emotions swirling in his dark, captivating eyes. Her heart began pounding erratically within her chest, unable to break free from his captivating stare. 

With a feather-like touch, he traced his index finger from her forehead to her chin. 

"A-Arsh," she stammered. 

"Hmm?" He responded, his finger delicately holding the tip of her chin, tilting her face upwards. 

"I-I," she struggled to articulate her thoughts, her voice seemingly abandoned. 

 Words, logic, sanity, had deserted her as felt the beats of his heart in sync with hers. 

"Hush," he hushed her, placing his palm upon her fluttering, inviting lips before bending down. As his lips met her throat, a jolt of electricity coursed through her being and she forgot to breathe. Her mind buzzed and her eyes fluttered shut. 

Within a few fleeting seconds, he withdrew. 

"Come out, quickly," he urged, pecking her forehead and he pulled away. She stumbled on her feet as her knees felt Jell-O. He grinned while steadying her on her feet. Once again, pecking her head, he left the washroom while she kept standing there with her foggy brain. 

***

She had showered, and changed into a casual cotton printed outfit. She knew Arsh was waiting for her outside but she felt extremely awkward to face him. 

She thought to slip under the covers again to avoid him but she knew if he found her sleeping again he might repeat the previous episode. The thought alone sent a rush of warmth to her cheeks. 

Shaking her head and patting her cheeks she tried to get out of the Arsh-affect. 

"What are you doing?" She was busy patting her cheeks more like slapping her cheeks when she heard him. "I have been waiting for you."

Her hands froze and her head jerked towards the door. There, he stood, observing her with a perplexed expression, a slight frown on his forehead.  

"I-I," she stuttered, while rising to her feet from the bed immediately. Dropping her hands to her sides, she started rummaging her brain to find some reasonable excuse. 

"I was… trying a face massage." Finally she found one. "Yes, that's what I was doing."

He stepped towards her. "Face massage?" 

It was clear he had never heard of it. 

"Yes," she replied, now with more confidence. "It gives your skin a radiant glow."  

Standing just inches away, he raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You need not resort to slapping your face; you already glow so much."

She averted her gaze, her cheeks turning a shade of crimson. "Beautiful!" She heard him murmur. 

"I am hungry, can we go out to eat?" She proposed in an attempt to get away from his piercing gaze while tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. 

"I have prepared white sauce pasta." He announced. 

"Really?" She grinned, excitedly. 

He mirrored her expressions. "Really."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She sprang out of the room and Arsh followed her out, shaking his head with a smile and also at relief that she wasn't upset at his previous action. 

Happy reading!