Chapter 93 : "Go on, talk to your brother."

The world woke up to a furious drumbeat of thunder, the sky a charcoal grey canvas ripped open by jagged streaks of lightning. Rain lashed against the Rahman mansion, each drop a tiny hammer pounding against the glass panes.

In Ibrahim and Ava's bedroom, a sliver of sunlight, pale and hesitant, crept through the curtains. A startling rumble jolted Ava awake. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the surroundings. This wasn't Farah's cozy apartment, this was their room. And beside her, on the edge of the bed, sat Ibrahim.

He seemed absorbed in his phone, his right hand deftly scrolling the screen. And his left hand....his left hand rested beneath her head, his palm cradling it tenderly. She wasn't propped on a pillow; her head nestled directly in the curve of his hand.

Had she sleepwalked? How did she end up here, in the Mansion? Had Ibrahim slept here in the bed? But Ava noticed they weren't usually this close in bed. A safe distance was there between them. 

"Didn't I… wasn't I at Farah's?" she croaked, her voice thick with sleep.

Ibrahim looked down at her with a gentle smile. "Oh, you're awake! I brought you home last night."

Ava tried to recall the previous evening after her tearful confession, but her mind remained stubbornly blank, "I don't remember," she admitted, a frown creasing her brow.

Ibrahim chuckled, " You were sleeping like a baby, didn't even notice when I carried you in. Even slept on my hand when I laid you down." 

Slept on his hand? The whole night? Her heart lurched. Had she been that… that lost in sleep? Her cheeks burned as she scrambled to sit up, the blanket slipping down on her lap, "You stayed like that… all night?"

Ibrahim didn't sleep beside her. He was sitting in the same position, "Couldn't sleep with you so close without your permission, could I?"

 Ava felt a pang of guilt. "You could have just… moved your hand," she mumbled, her eyes downcast.

Ibrahim's lips curved into a playful smile. "Wouldn't that have woken you up?" he countered, "Besides, why wouldn't I take advantage of the situation and spend a little more time close to you. I couldn't move my hand after you'd claimed it as your throne."

Ava swallowed hard, her gaze darting to his attire. He was still in the same clothes from the previous day, a navy blue shirt and black pants. The fabric wrinkled from the hours he'd spent beside her. He hadn't even changed for her because she was sleeping on his hand. 

"I'm.....I'm so sorry," Ava murmured, her voice laced with guilt. "I didn't mean to keep you awake."

Ibrahim noticed the goosebumps erupting on her arms. Then, He moved closer, his hand reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face and pulled the blanket higher on her body, burying the goosebumps erupting on her arms from the chilling rainy weather. 

Their faces were inches apart, his breath warm against her cheek. Ava held her breath. Then, he leaned in, his lips brushing her forehead in a kiss, "Why are you saying sorry, Ava? For you, I wouldn't hesitate to stay awake… not just one night, but a lifetime."

His fingers traced the curve of her cheek, a tender caress that sent a wave of heat through her. The gold earrings that usually glinted in the sunlight remained subdued in the dim light, yet a faint shimmer seemed to emanate from them. 

"Why were you crying last night, Baby Girl?" he asked gently.

Ava panicked. He hadn't seen the tears, had he? Or worse, had he heard her confessions from Farah? She couldn't let him know the truth, not yet.

"It was nothing. We were... we were just talking about old days, school days. That's it." Ava lied.

Ibrahim's gaze held hers. Though she couldn't read his true thoughts, she felt a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. But he didn't push further. He could she how nervous is Ava as she was biting her lower lips unconsciously, the soft flesh caught between her teeth. 

Ibrahim's fingers traced a path from her cheek to her lips, "Didn't I tell you not to bite your lips, baby girl? You're so selfish. They're too precious for such rough treatment."

Ava froze and halted her lip-biting motion, the chill seeping into her bones despite the blanket wrapped around her. One of his fingers slipped past her parted lips, exploring the moist, velvet flesh along the gum line. 

Ava tried to turn her head away, to break the spell that his fingertips were weaving. But Ibrahim cupped her chin, his thumb brushing against the soft skin below her jaw, gently forcing her gaze back to his. His eyes, those stormy pools she could drown in, were filled with a raw hunger. He had another kind of obsession with Ava's lips.

"Ava" Ibrahim murmured. "Don't those lips deserve more than the harsh bite of your worry? Don't bite them like this, baby girl," he pleaded, his finger tracing the tiny indentations left by her teeth. "Let me," he breathed, his lips hovering inches from hers, "Let me show you how they should be treated."

Ava was looking at him with a blank mind. Before Ava could even grasp the meaning of his words, Ibrahim's lips descended upon hers. Simultaneously, a thunderstorm erupted outside. The storm raged on, its relentless pace serving as a backdrop to their fervent embrace.

It was a kiss born of the storm, wild and untamed, yet tempered by the tenderness of his fingertips on her cheek. His warm breath mingled with hers. His lips moved against hers in a slow. Ibrahim wasn't demanding, not forceful. He took his time, savoring the sweetness of her lips. The room seemed to grow more colder. Ibrahim sucked every inch of her lips..... every inch. Slowly, smoothly. He made her to close her eyes. 

Ava found herself lost in the moment, her senses overwhelmed by the heady aroma of desire and the gentle pressure of Ibrahim's lips against her own. Her trembled hand rose to push him away, but he anticipated her move. Ibrahim captured both her hands in one of his, pinning them gently behind her back. He held them there with one of his hands. And his other hand traced the curve of her neck, finding the hidden pulse that throbbed against his touch. 

 The struggle pushed the blanket from her shoulders. 

Then, the kiss deepened. His bold and unafraid tongue sought entry into the depths of Ava's mouth to taste her sweetness. It swirled around her own tongue in a playful dance, drawing her in, deeper and deeper. 

Ibrahim brushed his tongue against hers, a teasing caress that sent her senses into overdrive. His tongue tasted every hidden nook and cranny. It traced the outline of her teeth like a cartographer charting unknown territory.

On the other hand, Ava was lost in dizziness. The taste of him filled her mouth. She felt herself melting into him, her resistance crumbling like sandcastles under the relentless tide.

But their kiss got disturbed by the shrill ring of Ava's phone. Both heads snapped towards the sound, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment before Ava scrambled off the bed to grab her purse from the bedside table. Her phone was inside her purse. 

 "Who the hell is calling at this hour?" Ibrahim growled under his breath. His brow furrowed in irritation. 

It was Elara, his name flashing on the screen and a cold dread settled in her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she answered the phone, "Hello, Elara."

"Ava? How are you?" Elara's voice came through the phone.

But before Ava could give a reply, Ibrahim snatched the phone from her grasp, placing it on speaker mode. Ava looked at Ibrahim with confusion, as he held her phone in his hand.

"Ava?" Elara repeated, "Is everything alright? Why aren't you answering?" 

"Yes, I'm... I'm fine," Ava mumbled, her gaze flitting nervously between her phone and Ibrahim.

Ibrahim placed the phone on the nightstand, just out of Ava's reach, but not too far for Ava to continue the conversation. Then, with a smoldering look in his eyes, he pushed her back onto the bed, his body hovering over hers, a delicious heavy weight pressed down on her.

Elara's voice continued, oblivious to the silent drama unfolding in Ava's bedroom. "Why haven't you told me you're back in Kuala Lumpur?"

Ibrahim's breath played on her ear as he murmured, "Go on, talk to your brother."