Your Grace - Burak Çelik

CHAPTER 33

"Oh my," she gasped, immediately lowering her volume so as to not wake him. "Sweet merciful Lord..."

Her voice faltered away, for she was beguiled by the sight in front of her. As Burak slept, his body was laid out comfortably across the couch; Ayedah noticed how the deep blond locks of his attractively long hair fell over his sleeping face, the sound of his soft snores finally reaching her ears. She could not help but smile at the sight, her heart easing at once, her shoulders relaxing after they had previously been heaving up and down due to her heavy breaths. A fuzzy, warm feeling filled her chest the way a tasty hot drink would heat up a cold mouth as she let her eyes rest upon Burak's sleeping form, the sound of his slightly ragged breathing calming her once panicked mind.

Ayedah then realized that he was sleeping without a blanket. She personally would never, and could never be able to sleep without having something to cover her, even if the air and weather was hot. Her eyes fell upon a cashmere blanket folded over one of the arms of the couch, and her immediate instinct was to throw it over him. It's the least I can do, if he allowed me to sleep here, she thought, trying and failing to fight against the heat rising in her already red cheeks. She hoped against hope that she was in a guest bedroom and not in his actual room- she would never forgive herself if she had slept on his bed whilst he was forced to sleep on a sofa.

She was about to get up and do as she intended- that was, until an enormous, ruddy-colored cat jumped onto her stomach, surprising her and making her scream.

Burak jolted awake at her cry, sitting up from the couch in an instant, making her regret screaming immediately.

"Ayedah, are you alright?" he asked, worried. Her face flushed till she was the color of a beetroot, and she shook her head frantically. "Y-yes," she squeaked out. "I-I'm sorry I woke you- please go back to sleep." "It's okay," responded Burak. "I have to get up anyway." He yawned as his hand reached up to run itself through his neckline-length, wavy blond hair, and his arm's bicep flexed noticeably due to his short-sleeved, white shirt. Ayedah went an even deeper shade of red than she thought possible, before she looked away.

"Er..."

Burak smiled at her awkward failed attempt to speak, so he spoke up instead; "I didn't sleep here all night if that's what you were wondering," he said knowingly, making her clear her throat. "I checked in on you several times during the night, then I just sat here and fell asleep after dawn." He winced slightly, realizing something as his hand took to scratching the back of his neck once again, the way he always did whenever he was nervous or anxious. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you up for prayer, you were still out cold," he said embarrassedly. "I tried to-" "It's okay," said Ayedah quietly. "I'll redo it." Burak nodded, and then stood up from the couch. He walked closer to the bed, making its inhabitant look away again out of shyness. "Did you rest well?" he asked. "Are you feeling better?" Ayedah was silent for a while, before she looked up at him and nodded.

"I'm fine."

He did not seem fully convinced, but he nodded in turn and left the room for a while, only to return with a pair of jeans, a large hoodie and a scarf. "You can take a bath if you like," he offered, putting the clothes beside her. "And here's Busra's trousers and either her or one of my mother's scarves that they left behind once...I can't find any of their tops, unfortunately, so you will have to wear one of mine." Ayedah nodded, still rather speechless from the embarrassment and shyness that she was feeling; she did not meet his eyes as she took the clothes.

Burak, sensing that she was not able to reply, only nodded again before continuing; "I'll be in my room, having my shower if you need me," he informed her. "Don't hesitate to er...knock." He gave her a small, awkward smile, before he turned to leave the room, but Ayedah stopped him by calling out his name. "Burak!"