Neil's
When I walked into the living room carrying her suitcase, I found Nadia sitting beside her uncle, a strange expression on her face.
I knew she wasn't happy.
This place must have made her uncomfortable. Her eyes kept wandering, quietly observing every corner of my house. When she noticed me taking her luggage into the room, her expression softened a little.
Had she thought she wouldn't have a separate room here?
Oddly, her reaction didn't irritate me. Instead, I felt sorry that I couldn't meet her expectations.
This was our family home. It held too many memories for me, and I had wanted to spend this special night here.
More than anything, I wanted everyone to leave us alone.
After we had both freshened up, her uncle Mr. Rayan and Aunt Samira said goodbye and left for their hotel. They would return tomorrow to take us to visit her parents.
Soon after, my family also left for my sister's house upstairs.
Yes—for privacy.
We might not have a house as grand as Nadia's family home, but we had enough space. For a few days, everyone could adjust.
When I entered the room, she was sitting on the cot with her knees drawn close to her chest, holding her phone in one hand and wrapping the other around her legs.
She looked fragile.
I had been eager for this night.
Just yesterday, we had planned to steal a few moments to talk during the Pre-wedding feast, but after dinner she had left me with nothing more than a small smile.
"Tired?"
She said nothing.
But her eyes smiled for her.
They told me she wasn't tired—only waiting for this moment, just like I was.
Or was I reading too much into it?
"What should we do?"
She only shrugged, her eyes teasing my nervousness.
I switched off the main light before walking toward the bed.
Her eyes widened immediately, startled like a deer sensing danger. She moved farther back, giving me enough room to sit.
I sat down and turned on the AC and fan.
"Why?" she asked softly.
Her voice lingered in the air, unsettling me in ways I hadn't expected.
"This feels good."
"What does?"
"The feeling of spending a night with a girl," I said. "Never in my life have I stayed this close to someone who looks at me like that."
She smiled, then quickly turned her face away, trying to hide it.
In the dim light from the AC indicator, I could barely see her expression.
So I picked up my phone and turned on the torch.
Her eyes widened again, soft and doe-like as they met mine.
"Why? Just turn on the light."
"No," I said. "I don't want anyone to know we're still awake talking."
She looked at me, confused.
"So..." I moved a little closer.
At once, she slipped off the bed and sat on the floor beside the cot, resting her face against the mattress.
"Hey, come up."
"No."
"Seriously?"
She nodded.
God, she was torturing me.
The way she avoided words and chose expressions instead—I had never experienced such torture before.
"So... what about you?" I asked. "Are you scared?"
"About what?"
"What if I do something to you?"
She chuckled softly.
"No, you won't. I know."
"Why not?"
She only shook her head and smiled.
That quiet certainty in her—that calm trust—settled something restless inside me.
"When are you going to sleep?" I asked.
"After you."
I laughed and leaned closer.
"Why?"
"I don't want to lose the bet."
"You'll doze off."
"Then help me."
"Huh?"
"If you sleep before I do, I'll remember your sweet gesture," she said, as if I would obey her without question.
God… she was something else.
"If I want to sleep," I said slowly, "shouldn't I finish today's ritual first?"
"Hmm?"
"A kiss?"
She smiled and shook her head, waving her index finger in refusal.
"At least on the cheek? I've been waiting for five months, Nadia. You know that."
Instead of answering, she pressed a kiss to her fingertips and blew it toward me.
A flying kiss.
It reminded me of that day after our engagement—when I gifted her a dress for her birthday and she accidentally did the same thing over a video call, overwhelmed with emotion. That was the first and last time.
After that, even asking for a kiss had turned into an argument once. She had almost cried.
Still… this small gesture now felt enough.
Almost.
I extended my hand toward her.
"Good night."
She placed her hand in mine.
I held it a little longer than necessary, reluctant to let go, and then pressed a soft kiss onto her hand.
She pulled back immediately, looking at me with wide, amused eyes—as if she hadn't expected that.
"Let's sleep," I said. "I'm tired. I haven't slept properly for the past three days."
She nodded and got up.
"I'll sleep on this side."
"Your call."
She lay down on the left, and I took the right side of the bed.
"What?" she asked, eyes half-closed.
"What?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? Turn off the phone light, will you?" she said with a faint smile.
I switched it off and closed my eyes.
"Hey… one more thing."
"What?"
"I have very bad sleeping habits."
She opened her eyes again. Even in the dark, I could feel her gaze on me.
"Like what?"
"I sometimes shout in my sleep when I'm too tired… so…"
"That's fine, I guess."
"And I might throw my hands and legs around…"
She turned to look at me in disbelief.
Never in my life had I imagined I'd be this affected by something as small as a slight frown of her eyebrows.
I wanted to see every expression she could make.
This was supposed to be a perfect arranged marriage. Even though I was the one who had personally chosen her profile, I had never expected this—never thought that the girl from a passport-sized photo on a matrimony app could be this… captivating.
"Just sleep."
Her voice pulled me back to reality.
After those two simple words, she closed her eyes, turned away from me, and pulled the blanket closer around herself.
No one could possibly understand how badly I wanted to be that blanket.
A mere piece of cloth—and yet it was getting on my nerves.