My precious flower

20| A gift

PLZ COMMENT!!

"I do not know if you remember but today is the day we were married, three years ago. I know you do not like to talk about it but I want to. I would have done much more if I knew you were happy but at the least, I would like to say a few things in honor of it. May I?" Arsalan said hopefully and I hesitantly nodded. He seemed so sweet right now and I felt like I would be extremely rude if I denied his simple request.

"The first time I saw you Isbah, it was when fate locked us in a room together. At that time, I couldn't believe my eyes and when you tried to leave the room where we were trapped alone, my respect for you only grew. I knew then and there that you were an intelligent and honorable girl of strong character. Someone with the confidence to differentiate between good and bad. Your beautiful self and your innocent attitude grabbed my heart and soul. Since that day, I couldn't get you out of my mind. I saw you everywhere I looked and my eyes grew to love your presence, even if it was a hoax. You had tugged at the strings of my heart and it told me not to lose you. Talks of my marriage had already begun and my family was in search of a girl for me. When I told them about you, some of them were hesitant at the start but nonetheless, they agreed. That is when the proposal was sent to you" Arsalan said and then paused for a bit. After a glance at me, he continued, "On our wedding day, I was the happiest I had ever been before, every moment passing like a year. I was so eager to see my bride so to keep myself sane, I went out for a walk. And then, I saw a beautiful girl dressed as a bride at my stables" Arsalan chuckled and my cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

"She was so amusing and cute in her attempt to be brave. After a talk with her, I realized that she had concerns about the marriage and I couldn't blame her for it, it was her God given right to accept or deny me. I had just hoped she would have decided earlier and in my favor. Regardless, I left that moment leaving the choice entirely to her. But hear me when I say that my heart cried at that offer, I just wanted to take her with me but how could I. And well, you know what happened next better then me" Arsalan paused for a moment and looked at me with a soft smile before continuing, "These last three years, I've spent every second waiting to see you again, waiting to have you by my side, as my companion, my partner through life's highs and lows. Waiting to enjoy life's special moments with you. I do not know how, but our relationship has only strengthened my feelings for you with no limit or requirement. Even without your presence to sooth my eyes, heart, and soul, I fell for you and I never wanted to get up. After God, It is my love for you that has me on my knees. For my sake Isbah, give our relationship a chance. I am willing to give you your space and time but at least give it a chance" Arsalan said and his words touched my heart. He spoke so beautifully that even I began to feel for him. I couldn't believe I misunderstood such a sweet soul who only had loving things to say to me. All of a sudden, my hatred for him began to diminish. I still didn't like him as my husband but at least I was willing to accept him as a good man.

"I also have a gift for you that I brought to remember this special occasion by. However, I would like to present it to you today as you as your friend" Arsalan said and dug his free hand into his pocket. Within a few seconds, his hand emerged with a delicate golden chain hanging from it. It was a gorgeous looking anklet. He held it up for me to see and gave me a smile.

"May I?" He asked and I bit my lower lip in nervousness. I didn't feel comfortable letting him touch me even if it were to put on a piece of jewelry. Sure I had more respect for him now but he was still a stranger to me.

"I'll just put this on and nothing more" He added. I guess he must have figured out what I was thinking about and I shuddered at the thought of it. I shouldn't have thought of him like that but since we were alone in the dark, I didn't know what to think.

I hesitantly adjusted my legs up straight in a triangle on the bed and wrapped my arms around my knees. I slid one food closer to Arsalan while the other rested within my arms. He gave me a smirk and placed the candle bowl on the bed a little distance away from my foot which I had presented. He then adjusted the anklet in his hand and bent down slightly to see my foot better. I slowly lifted my skirt to expose my ankle fully and my cheeks warmed up at this action. I then felt his cool touch on my skin as he wrapped the anklet around my ankle. My body slightly jolted at his touch but I think he ignored it to spare me some embarrassment. Once he had hooked it on, he sat up straight and looked at me again but I refused to meet his gaze. This felt so wrong and weird but a little corner of my heart was excited, increasing my heartbeat by the second. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I tried to keep myself from trembling. While lost in thought, I suddenly felt his chilly hand wrap around mine and that pushed me into the present moment. I looked at him wide eyed, not being able to do anything.

"You are so beautiful, Isbah, more beautiful than anyone else I have seen before. Your eyes are like a trance within which I want to be lost forever. Your face glows with the light of your pure soul" Arsalan said lovingly as he brought his other hand to mine as well. Now he was holding my hand in between both of his in a light squeeze. I began to tremble slightly, feeling uncomfortable in such a vulnerable situation. His words were beautiful but I was too scared and worried about why he was telling me all this right now.

"You are as innocent as a child and pure as an angel. I want to keep you like that, keep you away from the harshness of the world, protected and safe" He said with eyes filled with many emotions. They kind of reminded me of my baba's whenever he'd be concerned for me.

"However, you are also naive and I find that rather cute at times" He said with a smirk and that got me on edge. I jerked my hand away from his grip, thankfully he let it go as well.

"I am not naive!" I stated seriously with an angry look but Arsalan just chuckled which gave me an unsettling feeling

"We'd be living like a normal married couple right now if you weren't naive" He said with a smirk and my heart dropped at that. I could feel the butterflies flapping aggressively in my stomach now.

"That has nothing to do with it" I argued

"Oh really?" He said with a sly smile and raised eyebrows. I just stared at him seriously after giving him a nod.

"Ok, I guess I will be sleeping here tonight then" He said referring to the bed and my breath hitched. I gawked at him, He must not be serious.

"Fine, if that proves to you that I am not naive. I'll stay on the chaise lounge" I fired back and turned my head so I didn't have to look at him

"I mean both of us" He said with a smirk but I remained silent. I couldn't meet his eyes as I shied away from his expressions, I could feel my warm cheeks redden.

"Don't worry, you can take the bed. I was merely proving my point" He said with a wink and I looked at him a little annoyed. Maybe I was naive but I didn't like being thought of like that by others.

"How did you like the first day so far on the ship?" He asked, changing the topic completely.

"It was good" I simply replied while trying to keep myself poised from the inside and contain my anger

"Just good?" He persisted

"I liked it. It was good being somewhere other than Rysore" I said elaborating a little so he would stop asking questions but he either didn't get the hint or ignored it.

"What did you like most?" he asked

"Everything was good" I replied

"Come on Isbah, are you still sour from what I said?" He asked with an unapologetic sly smile

I just glared at him which only made him smirk at my behavior.

"Did I forget to mention that you are quite intelligent as well?" He asked sneakily and my glare softened

"If you look at yourself through my eyes, you'll see someone no less than perfect, no matter how you are" He said with a smug smile and my glare vanished. His words touched my heart like a sweet lullaby but I couldn't tell him that. 

He grabbed the candle bowl from the bed and after glancing at me, he stood up off the bed. He took a step towards me untill he was standing right beside where I sat. My senses was on high alert at his close presence but I tried my best to control my trembling. I slowly turned my head to look up at him and meet his eyes. Without warning, he brought his hand towards my face and before I could push it away, he tucked a few of my hair strands drooping on my face behind my ear. After giving me a final smile, he went to the chaise lounge and prepared to sleep. Without looking at him any further I scooted up on the bed near the headboard and tucked myself under the blanket. I lay straight with my eyes open staring at the ceiling. Some time passed by but sleep was far from me as my mind was busy replaying all that had happened. Was Arsalan asleep or awake like me?

"Th..Thank you" I whispered loud enough for him to hear if he was awake, "For the anklet"

"You are welcome my princess" He said in a hushed and sleepy voice. His last word sent tingles down my spine and I shuddered. It was a long night but I eventually fell asleep to the rocking motion of the ship.

HOW WAS IT???