31. Unusual warmth

Bonus chapter ✨

.・。.・゜✭・♡・✫・゜・。.

That same night, in Aditya's Room

The moonlight crept softly through the curtains, illuminating the room in a silvery glow.

A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, carrying the scent of jasmine from the garden below.

The night was tranquil, yet Aditya stirred from his sleep. His hand instinctively reached out, searching for the warmth he had grown used to feeling beside him.

His brows furrowed when he found only an empty space. Half-asleep and confused, he sat up, scanning the room until his eyes landed on the open balcony door.

Rising from the bed, he pushed the door slightly open and stepped outside.

There, nestled in the cozy swing on the balcony, lay Ananya. Her slender frame was curled up, her arms tightly wrapped around Mr. Puppy, the stuffed dog she never parted with.

She looked peaceful, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, her face illuminated by the soft moonlight.

Her hair cascaded over her face, slightly messy yet somehow perfectly framing her features.

Aditya couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at his lips. The sight was endearing in a way he’d never admit.

His usual stoic demeanor softened as he murmured to himself, “How could someone be so cute yet so annoying, Kitten?”

He paused, the word lingering in the air as though testing its weight.

“Kitten...” he repeated, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Yeah... That suits you. So small and vulnerable, yet so annoying and fierce.”

He stood there for a moment longer, watching her sleep. The swing gently swayed with the breeze, but her position looked anything but comfortable.

She was curled awkwardly, her head resting at an odd angle. Aditya sighed, shaking his head.

“You’ll wake up with a sore neck, stubborn kitty,” he muttered under his breath.

Stepping forward, he bent down and slipped his arms under her, one beneath her knees and the other supporting her back.

As he lifted her effortlessly, a wave of surprise hit him.

She was so light, weighing less than half of his usual gym weights. Yet there was something about holding her that made his chest tighten in a strange way.

She fit so perfectly in his arms, as though she had always belonged there.

He shook his head, pushing the thought away.

No, this is just fatigue messing with me, he thought, but the faintest smile lingered on his lips as he carried her back into the room.

Aditya carefully laid her on the bed, taking extra care not to disturb her sleep.

Ananya’s arms instinctively tightened around Mr. Puppy as she settled into the soft mattress, completely oblivious to the world around her. Her peaceful expression tugged at something deep within him.

He stood there for a moment, watching her. She looked so serene, so unguarded, as though all the fiery energy she exuded during the day had melted away in her dreams.

Aditya returned to his side of the bed, but his gaze kept drifting to the tower of pillows she had stacked between them—a clear boundary she had insisted on.

He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head at her childish antics.

With quiet determination, he reached over and began removing the pillows one by one.

When the last pillow was gone, his line of sight to Ananya was clear. He lay down, turning to face her, his head propped on one hand as he studied her sleeping face.

For someone so loud and chaotic during the day, she seemed so fragile in her sleep.

Her brow furrowed slightly, as though she was dreaming about something. Aditya couldn’t help but smile.

What is happening to me? he wondered.

His mind told him to stop. To look away. To bury these thoughts and feelings as he always had.

He prided himself on being composed, on always listening to his brain rather than his heart.

But tonight, for the first time, he allowed his heart to take over.

It felt dangerous, uncharted territory, but he didn’t fight it. Instead, he let himself bask in the quiet comfort of her presence.

“Kitten,” he murmured softly, the word carrying an unexpected tenderness.

He closed his eyes, still facing her, the image of her peaceful face etched into his mind.

The steady sound of her breathing lulled him into a rare state of calm, and before he realized it, he had drifted off to sleep, his heart lighter than it had been in years.

.・。.・゜✭・♡・✫・゜・。.

The soft rays of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm golden glow across the room.

Ananya slowly began to stir, the gentle light tugging her from her dreams. She blinked a few times, her eyelids heavy with sleep, before sitting up on the bed.

Her hand instinctively went to rub her eyes, as though trying to chase away the remnants of slumber.

For a moment, she simply sat there, her head still hazy, letting the tranquility of the morning settle over her.

But then, a sudden thought struck her, sharp and clear, like a bolt of lightning through her foggy brain.

Wait...

She looked around, her confusion growing.

How did I end up here?

Her gaze swept across the room. She was no longer in the swing on the balcony where she had fallen asleep last night, clutching Mr. Puppy in her arms.

She was in the bed, lying beneath the covers. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to piece together the events of the night before.

She quickly turned her attention to the bedside. Her brow furrowed when she noticed something odd.

The pillow tower that she always made to separate herself from Aditya was missing. There were no pillows stacked between them.

Her little brain worked overtime, trying to connect the dots. She pondered, brows furrowed in concentration, her fingers tapping absentmindedly on the bedsheet.

The more she thought about it, the more puzzling it became.

Then, like a flash of insight, the thought struck her.

“Did Mr. Grumpy bring me here?” she muttered aloud, scratching her head in disbelief.

The idea seemed almost too ridiculous, yet it made too much sense.

Her mind raced back to the evening—Aditya’s usual gruff demeanor, his stoic silence, and the odd way he always seemed to care more than he let on.

It wasn’t entirely out of character for him to have carried her to the bed, even though she’d never admit it to his face.

Ananya chuckled at herself, shaking her head. “No way. He wouldn’t. I must be imagining things.”

But even as she said the words, there was a nagging feeling deep in her chest that suggested she wasn’t wrong.

She glanced at the empty space on the other side of the bed, as if expecting Aditya to appear at any moment.

But the room remained still, quiet except for the faint rustling of leaves outside.

I guess I’ll never know for sure, she thought, lying back against the pillow and staring at the ceiling.

The mystery of how she had ended up in the bed lingered in her mind, but the thought of confronting Aditya about it made her laugh.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing Mr. Grumpy was in a good mood last night,” she whispered to herself, grinning mischievously.

With that, she pushed the thought aside, deciding to focus on the day ahead.

But deep down, there was a flicker of curiosity—and maybe something more—that she couldn’t quite shake.

.・。.・゜✭・♡・✫・゜・。.

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LOVE IS TIMELESS 🩵✨