⚠️ ADULT STORY - Magical Realism
In the quiet, lantern-lit streets of Matsushima, Sharva stumbles upon a small ramen shop hidden between towering buildings. Hungry and desperate for warmth, he steps inside-only to be captivated by Aika, the enigmati...
The days that followed passed in a surreal blur, yet each moment felt weighted with a significance neither could deny. They were married in the simplest of ceremonies—a brief exchange of vows in a sterile office, with no witnesses but the officer behind the desk. There were no flowers, no music, no grand declarations. Aika's quiet smile illuminated the room, but her eyes betrayed the shadows she still carried.
Sharva didn't care about the simplicity. It didn't matter how or where it happened. What mattered was the promise exchanged between them, the binding of their lives in a way that no danger could undo. She was his now, and he was hers.
When the papers were signed, he brought her to his apartment—a modest space, small but secure, tucked away from the chaos that had dogged her every step. Her former hiding place, though humble, had become a magnet for peril. It was too exposed, too known. Here, in this quiet corner of the city, he felt he could guard her better.
The apartment had always felt like a temporary shelter to Sharva, but now it felt like something more. Every creak of the floorboards, every whisper of the wind against the window set his senses on edge. He had lived with vigilance for so long that it had become second nature, a constant companion. But now, it wasn't his life alone he was guarding—it was hers.
Aika, for her part, tried to settle into the space. She moved through the apartment like a ghost, always aware of the precariousness of their safety. Her worry wasn't for herself, though. It was for him. Every glance she cast in his direction was laced with unspoken concern, every touch a silent plea for reassurance.
"What if they come for you?" she asked one night, her voice trembling as they lay together in the dark. The faint glow of the city lights filtered through the curtains, painting the room in soft shades of gray. She curled closer to him, her head resting against his chest, but her body remained taut with tension. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
Sharva stroked her hair, his touch gentle, his voice steady. "I know how to stay safe," he assured her, the calm in his words masking the turmoil within. "I've done this before, Aika. If it comes to that, I'll call the police. I'll run when I need to. I'll protect you, and I'll protect myself."
But her grip on him tightened, her breath catching in her throat. "You don't understand," she whispered. "If something happened to you because of me... I wouldn't be able to live with it."
He kissed the top of her head, letting her feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear. "Nothing will happen to me," he murmured. The words were soft, reassuring, but a lie nonetheless—or at least half of one. No one could make promises in their world, not with the dangers they faced. But Sharva had survived worse than this, hadn't he?
What Aika didn't know—what she couldn't know—was that Sharva wasn't the helpless protector she imagined him to be. He wasn't an innocent bystander caught in her dangerous orbit. He wasn't just the man who had stumbled into her life.
He had his own shadows, his own demons.
Unlike Aika, whose royal blood had painted a target on her back, Sharva's life had been forged in violence. He had been born into wealth or privilege but had trained as a killer machine. He had lived in the underworld she so feared, shaped by it, twisted by it. The man she knew now was a mask, a façade of normalcy he wore for her sake.
Because he loved her.
But beneath that mask, the monster remained—a creature born of survival, of cold calculation. It lingered in the corners of his mind, quiet but ever-present. He didn't want her to see that side of him. Not yet. Aika thought he could be hurt, thought he was fragile. And maybe he was in some ways. But if they came for her again, they wouldn't find the man she imagined.
They would find the predator waiting in the dark.
Sharva let her cling to the illusion for now. She needed to believe he was someone she could trust, someone who could keep her safe. And so he let her worry for him, let her fear for his safety. But when the inevitable moment came, when the shadows they had tried so hard to escape came clawing at their door, he knew she would see the truth.
The real danger wasn't what lurked outside. It was what he had buried deep within himself.
He had married her because he loved her, because he wanted to protect her. Yet there was still a fear he couldn't shake. He was afraid to touch her, afraid to cross a line that might drive her away. Aika was fragile, like a porcelain figure, and he didn't want to be the one to shatter her. He would guard her, care for her, without asking for anything in return. But what if she wanted him?
The thought haunted him, a question he couldn't answer.
In the stillness of the night, as they lay entwined but separated by an unspoken distance, his gaze wandered to her sleeping form. Her breathing was soft and even, her face relaxed for the first time in days. She was beautiful in a way that made his heart ache, a way that made him question whether he deserved her at all.
But then her voice, soft and unsure, broke the silence. "Sharva," she murmured, her eyes fluttering open. "Are you still awake?"
He turned to her, his hand brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "I'm here," he said quietly.
She hesitated, her fingers tracing the edge of his shirt. "Do you ever regret this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Marrying me, getting involved in all of this?"
"Never," he said firmly, his gaze locking with hers. "I'd make the same choice a thousand times over."
Her lips trembled, and she closed the distance between them, her head resting against his shoulder. "Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve this. That I don't deserve you."
Sharva's heart clenched at her words. He tilted her chin upward, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You deserve more than I could ever give you, Aika," he said. "But I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be enough."
Her gaze softened, and for the first time, she leaned up, pressing her lips to his in a tentative kiss. It was soft and hesitant, but it ignited something in him, a spark that quickly grew into a blaze.
Sharva hesitated for a moment, his instincts warring with his restraint. But when she pulled back, her eyes searching his face for a sign of rejection, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. He cupped her face in his hands, his thumb brushing her cheek as he kissed her again—this time with the full force of everything he felt.
Their world fell away. There were no shadows, no threats, no pasts to haunt them. In that moment, there was only the two of them, bound by a love that was both fragile and unbreakable.
When they finally pulled apart, Aika rested her forehead against his, her breath warm against his lips. "I trust you," she whispered. "With everything."
"And I'll protect you," he vowed, his voice a low murmur. "No matter what."
As they lay together, tangled in each other's arms, Sharva knew the road ahead would be perilous. But for the first time, he felt as though they might just have a chance. He wasn't a hero. She wasn't a damsel in distress. They were both broken in their own ways, but together, they were something stronger.
He would protect her. Not because she was weak, but because she was his. And that was enough.
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25 Nov 24
From now on, I only publish every Monday and Tuesday
