Can I Hug You?

AYSU

The next day, at dusk, Aysu woke up from a deep sleep. But as she tried to stretch, a certain warmth that hugged her became noticeable and that caused her eyes to fling open.

She had no idea how, but Ximun was lying next to her on that very small bed, his arms wrapping her in a way she didn’t know she would appreciate.

So, when she eased into the reality of that moment, she took some seconds to observe his fineness from that angle.

Ximun looked very peaceful as he gently breathed while casually smacking his lips as though saying something. Aysu saw the way his lashes rested on the base of his eyes and she became tempted to observe more.

She gave in and soon, she was reaching to cup the side of his face.

But the moment her hand contacted his face, Ximun opened his eyes, Aysu panicked and jabbed him so hard that he fell on the ground and yelped in a rather shrilly way.

Aysu wished to laugh at the outcome of her sudden outcome, but she had to have some shame for pushing him without warning. So, she quickly sat up, masked the smile on her face and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Do you think I am?” Ximun rubbed his buttocks, his forehead knitted in pain. “That really hurt, Aysu.”

“I am sorry. I panicked!”

His expression softened and he made sure his eyes were all she could see. Then, he asked, “Why?”

“N-Nothing.” Aysu cleared her throat. “I was just startled.”

“Alright.” Ximun got up after a few seconds of struggle. Once he was towering above her in a way that gave her another angle to admire his rare fineness, his lips moved and she heard him say, “How are you feeling?”

“Well,” she shrugged, “I can’t say right now.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you sleep well?” she asked and he seemed very surprised. “Andrew mentioned that you have been sleep-deprived because you were taking care of me.”

His hand reached for the back of his head. “I didn’t do much.”

“Thank you for staying by my side, Ximun.”

His eyes softened. “Thank you for not hating me anymore.”

Aysu sighed and faced the other direction as though something very interesting was there.

“I didn’t see all of this coming,” she confessed out of nowhere.

“Do you mean the poisoning?”

“That.” She nodded her head. “But also my marriage to you, the mate bond we share, the curse we suffer from, the fact that my father sold me off and the fact that the people of Tarmish wish to tag me as a traitor because I am trying to survive.” Aysu swallowed hard. Listing all those truths weighed her heart down and it could have flung her into a depressed state if she had not tried to brush off the force of those thoughts. “I really can’t believe that much has happened to me.”

Ximun settled on the edge of the bed and she turned to him.

He said, “Those truths are crazy, aren’t they?”

“They are the truths of my life, sadly.”

“Regardless,” Ximun shifted a little closer, “Aysu, those truths will never hurt you.”

“You always speak as though you are certain about the future.”

“I might not be certain about the future, but I am certain about the fact that I want to take care of you.” Aysu’s heart fluttered a little because of that, but she managed to brush it away. “The past events have offered many lessons, so trust me when I say that I will take very good care of you. I won’t make you regret anymore, Aysu.”

“The more you say those words,”Aysu wished to confess that he made her heart dance, but she chose not to, “the less believable you are.”

“Well, I will put in some work, definitely. But I have to say these things to remind us that we are going to work no matter what happens around us.”

“As long as I am happy,” Aysu muttered and it took her seconds to realise that she might have sounded selfish for a second. So, she cleared her throat and said, “As long as you and I can find our happiness, I think it’s worth a try.”

“Can I hug you?” he asked without hesitation.

“Huh…”

“It’s fine if you don’t-”

“Yes,” she ended his words before he could withdraw his question. And she smiled gently to assure him that she wished to be hugged by him.

So, Ximun moved a little closer and after a few seconds of hesitating, as though trying to see if Aysu would punch his arms away, he wrapped her in a very warm hug and they both remained that way for many minutes.

It was the voice of a guard that prompted them to break the hug. But both of them had become so invested in the embrace that it became hard to let go. And as they contemplated continuing the hug, their eyes and gentle breaths met and a huge spark lighted in their souls.

Soon, they went deep into the beauty of each other’s eyes and after a while, they silently debated connecting their lips. At the same time, their heads slowly leaned towards each other and all that was left was to initiate a kiss.

Aysu was expecting that connection.

So, when Ximun pulled back, she almost groaned.

“I don’t want it to happen this way,” he said. “I have to catch the person who tried to harm you first.”

“I had no idea there were prerequisites to kissing,” Aysu tried being humorous while she assured her jumpy side that it was best that they didn’t kiss. Some emotion-sorting still needed to be done, so it really was for the best.

Ximun chuckled and held her waist. “The guilt in my heart will make things worse. It’ll soon start to feel as though I’m hurting you even if I’m doing something as simple as grabbing the hem of your gown.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh on yourself?” Aysu was concerned as the man lowered his head. “It is not your fault that the culprit decided to poison me. You know that, right?”

“I do. But-”

Her hand landed on his. “I am fine, Ximun. Stop feeling guilty before you become an unrecognisable shadow of yourself. Negative emotions like that have a very disgusting way of ruining a soul.”

Ximun nodded and finally looked into her eyes. “I will try to-”

“Your Majesty,” the guard they forgot about interrupted with urgency, “they are back.”

Ximun stood up immediately. With his right hand resting against her cheek, he said, “I will be right back. Please, don’t go anywhere. It’s still dangerous out there.”

Aysu nodded. “I will.”

Ximun then walked away and as he moved, her eyes followed him while warmth grew in her heart.

But when Ximun got to the edge of the exit, he turned to her and asked, “How come you are not asking?”

“About Magnetino and Gideon?”Aysu certainly had been thinking about them since she woke up. But it was unwise to be audibly untrusting at that moment, so she chose not to ask Ximun about their welfare. She wanted Ximun himself to tell her later on about the men’s innocence or guilt.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Not yet,” was her reply. After a curt nod, the man nodded and walked out, leaving Aysu to be with the meaningful thoughts she needed to organise