Incandescence

Chapter 27

I glanced at the wall clock on the wall in front of me. Anis will be coming home soon and I wasn't even ready yet. Dammit!  I stood in front of the wardrobe, clad in a towel, glancing at the dresses I had bought yesterday. Why was it so difficult to choose one outfit for a dinner party? I slid numerous dresses along the horizontal rod and then came across a dress that had caught my eyes yesterday. It was plain, with fluffed up sleeves and square neckline. It was simple and pretty.

Sliding it off the hanging rod, I brought it to the dressing room and slipped it on. It looked gorgeous with my fair coloring and dark head. I quickly brushed my hair and blow dried it into semblance. I applied a light layer of makeup on my face and was sliding into my matching sandals when I heard the front door open and Anis come in. I knew it was him because only he had the key to the front door. He had left early in the morning as I was already asleep and didn't want me to wake up.

I quickly strapped the sandals on my feet and came outside, smiling at him. I greeted him and then watched as his head jerked upwards and his gaze fell on me. His gazed roamed from my forehead to my chin and then down all over my body. My skin felt heated as I watched him look at me from head to foot.

"Beautiful." He whispered and then came towards me, determination gleaming in his eyes. I backed a few steps.

"Anis...!" I could barely say his name when his swooped down and took my lips in a long, passionate kiss that left me breathless.

Every time he kissed me, it was better than the last one. His hands held my arms firmly in his as he took my lips passionately in his, kissing me deeply and coaxing my lips to open up. I moaned at the back of my throat and gave in to the urge of having him invade my mouth. Liquid heat flowed through me as his tongue invaded my mouth, stroking and licking every contour. My knees threatened to buckle beneath me but his hands shot out, holding me to him as he kissed my lips. All these feelings were so new to me that I didn't have any idea how to respond. His mouth came up from mine after some while and I looked at him, with wonder and amazement in my eyes. How did he evoke such strong feelings in me? I was never going to understand that. He still held me tightly, lest I fall, which made me smile a bit.

His hold was almost protective.

"I'm fine." I managed to whisper as we stood there in that position for the longest time. He gave me a small smile and stepped back, breaking his hold on me. My heart beat relaxed a bit and I looked at his, his hair tousled which made him look almost boyish.

"You are gorgeous!" He said with a gleam in his ice, which made me smile.

"Thank you!" I took as a compliment which made him move closer to me and peck my lips once more.

"I'm ready." I informed him about being ready to go to the dinner.

"I know." He replied but I thought I heard a hint of dual meaning to that. Did he mean that I was ready for what? Maybe he thought I was ready for him. Oh God no! I didn't know if I was ready for him or not? With my ugly looks, how can I trust Anis? Guys didn't like ugly girls with flaws in fact they like beautiful girls like those who walked the ramps in the Fashion Shows.

"Let me get fresh and then we will leave." He said as he moved towards his room to change his clothes and freshen up. I slumped on the couch as soon as he left the room and sighed deeply. What was happening between us? Deep down, I enjoyed the intimacy and closeness that Anis and I was sharing but it couldn't get further than this. I couldn't let it because of how I looked. The society won't just accept me and he was an important person in the society, I couldn't ruin his reputation just like that. What was I going to do? A small part of my mind told me to go back home but that would hurt him since he'd told me the reasons for bringing me here. Another part wanted me to let fate guide us to our destination, which sounded logical enough. I had to decide what I had to do and do it soon.