Chapter 14

I got up and followed him to his room while he carried my futon with him.

He set up my futon and I laid down on it. He laid down as well on his futon just beside mine. My heart was in a whirlwind as I thought I was sleeping in the same room with him.

I turned around to a side where my back was facing him and said stuttering, "I-I am sorry I disturbed your sleep. I will be careful from now on."

He let out a big sigh as I heard him move on the futon toward me. "You don't have to be sorry. And I was the one who should ask for an apology since I made you scared."

"It-it's okay..." I mumbled and felt guilty immediately because I occupied his room now so I told him, "I will be sleeping in my room from tomorrow. I can't bother you with my stupidity."

"Turned around," he ordered and I stiffened.

"I said, turn around, Bianka." Arashi saying my name made my skin tingle.

I turned to him still not looking at his eyes as my heart thumped against my ribcage.

"Look at me," he ordered again.

I barely looked at his eyes as my eyes were moving everywhere but him. And as soon as our gaze met, my breath caught in my throat. His dark, smoldering eyes were looking intensely at me as if he could see through my soul.

"What was the fifth rule again?"

"Umm... T—to s—sleep here..."

He said his words again but this time with pressure, "From now on you have to sleep with me. Take it as a fifth rule."

I could not say anything. I had no courage to say anything and after that he bid me good night and fell asleep.

It took me a long time to calm my thumping heart and finally I drifted to my slumber.

Morning sun rays illuminated the house so it was difficult to keep my lids close. I sat up and stretched my back when I realized Arashi wasn't there. I moved my eyes in the room and the next thing I realized that I was not on my futon but on his futon. What was I doing on his futon?

I stood up quickly as a gasp escaped from my mouth. It was embarrassing and I came out of the room to find him.

As I went to the large drawing room I saw it was clean and Arashi was sitting on the wooden veranda. He had already started doing his morning work.

His long black hair was wet. He bathed already? But I found him attractive as his clothes were sticking to his wet body while drops of water falling from his hair. His chest could be seen as his cloth hung loosely and he hadn't bothered to close his buttons.

His masculine shoulders firmly stayed yet they looked very strong. There was something in him that I was unable to avert my eyes. What if he found out that I was gawking at him? He would think I was some kind of a pervert! My belly tumbled. Well, nobody should call me a pervert because I was watching my husband, not any other man. Right?

While I was in a river of thoughts he asked without looking at me, "How long are you going to stay there and observe me?"

"You knew?" I was dumbfounded. "No! I—I wasn't watching you! I w—was..." I tried to find an excuse, "...just re-collecting my thoughts..."

"Ho~" He teased as his doubtful gaze fell on me and my cheeks heated.

"Yes, I was curious to ask why I was on your futon." I didn't know what to say because he caught me off guard and sprouted out another embarrassing thing. I was flustered.

He said with a straight face yet mischief danced in his eyes, "Well, that is exactly what I wanted to ask as well when I found you on my futon this morning."

"I—I don't know..." I mumbled. Was I the one who slipped beside him? Why? I had never done that. Well, I had never shared a bed with anyone other than him.

Arashi stood up as he was finished and said with a sigh, "I was expecting a morning greeting instead I got questioned about the thing I had never done."

Now I was really shy and guilty. "I—I am s—sorry." I bowed and said, "Good morning."

"Morning." He looked at me and asked, "Do you really like to hold me that much or you were so scared that you had to hold me? Whole night you slept while hugging me."

My whole body heated and I was embarrassed to death. Why did I do that...! Was that the reason he woke up early because he could not sleep while I was hugging him?

This time, I bowed down deeply as my head touched the ground. "I—I am sorry. I will never do that again. I caused you a sleepless night. I will accept any punishment you give me."

"Wh—what are you doing? Don't apologize." He held my shoulders as he yanked me up. He scratched the back of his head as he said, "I was just teasing you. Well, you did hold me but not hug me."

I gave him a blank look. He was teasing me again!

"Besides," he said as mischief danced in his eyes, "Even if you hugged me to your sleep, there is no way that I can't sleep."

I drifted away in shyness. He was just teasing me again.

He must have sensed my rigid body as he said with a smile, "Okay. Enough with the teasing. As an apology from me, I will take you to the shrine."

Now I looked at him with a pair of excited eyes. "We will go?"

He nodded. "Go take a bath and eat your breakfast."

I nodded and left to take a bath as my heart danced inside my chest.

After bath I came and saw he was putting the plates which was my work. "When did you cook? I was supposed to cook."

"But you were late."

"But it is not even that late. When did you wake up?"

"At four." That was why all the work was already done by now. Well, most of the work.

"I didn't know. I will try to wake up and make breakfast from now on." I said.

He smiled and said, "Take your time to get accustomed to it."

We ate in silence. The food he made was really tasty. After our meal, I washed the dishes and saw he had changed into one of his traditional dresses again and not to mention, he looked handsome as always.