Bewitched

•thirty eight•

Fawad gently laid Mahira's wet body on the soft feather mattress of the double poster bed. It was only now, in the bright light of the fire that crackled from the fireplace of his sleeping quarters in the stables that he was able to see her face a bit more clearly, radiant and beautiful even when she lay unconscious.

She's really here, he thought, still not believing that he she had come all the way to the Manzil and that he had found her, amidst all the odds. Looking at her unconscious figure a moment longer, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Junaid stood outside, nervously biting his fingernails.

"It's late, Junaid. You should go home now." Fawad stifled a yawn, suddenly feeling very tired.

"But Aphrodite..."

"I'll tend to her myself. You should go home."

"No, I will stay to help you."

"I will listen to nothing. You will do as I say."

Junaid gave a melancholic nod, his drooping shoulders showing his disappointment at having failed to cater to his duties. He turned to leave but-

"Wait," Fawad patted his breast pocket, and took out a thousand rupee note, "You did well today."

Junaid shied away from the money, "But I caused so many problems."

Fawad ruffled the boy's hair, "But you also helped solve them," He said and placed the money in the boy's palm, "You have shown a lot of courage today, and this is your reward."

Junaid's face lit up in delight, "Thank you, Master Fawad."

"Now hurry along. Your mother must be worried."

Watching the young groom's retreating figure, Fawad heaved a sigh. A gentle neigh sounded from Aphrodite's stable and he was once again made aware of the pressing matter at hand. But first, he thought as he inspected his wet garments, he'd have to change into something dry.

•

Mahira awoke to find herself in a foreign room. For a moment, she thought that she was still crouching on the wet forest floor but then the memories of her rescue flooded back into her mind.

Propping herself against the bed's headboard, she looked around the room which was illuminated by the crackling fire . It was a small room, with modern panelings and artistic paintings. The furniture itself spoke of very good taste-

Suddenly, as if only realising for the first time, Mahira abruptly looked down at her clothes. Her heart stopped when she realised her wet garments were replaced by a dry shirt and pants. Leaning in to smell them, Mahira's nose caught a whiff of a very particular scent. Fawad's cologne.

Had he..? Mahira gripped the sheets in agitation as bizarre theories seeped into her mind. But before she could jump to conclusions, hushed voices sounded from outside the door.

She leaned in to hear what was being said and could distinctly make out Fawad's husky voice and another feminine one.

"Thank you for your assistance, Ruqaiyya Baji. I could not have asked anyone else to do the job better."

The name sounded awfully familiar, and Mahira breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that she was one of the head maids.

"No need for that, sir. Are you sure that she will be alright?"

"I am certain. The fever is gone. She will wake soon." His reassured her.

"Well then, I must go now." Her shuffling footsteps indicated that she had turned to leave.

"Please, I hope that you will be discreet regarding this matter. I don't want mother to worry. If she inquires of our whereabouts, tell her that we will be back in time for dinner."

"Of course," Ruqaiyya Baji replied and the silence that ensued made her certain that she had left.

A moment later, the door clicked open and Fawad entered. Mahira's breath hitched in her throat as their eyes met.

"You're awake." He said quietly, more to himself than her.

Mahira barely managed a nod and averted her eyes, "How are you feeling?"

Looking up, she noticed an unfamiliar emotion swimming in his orbs, "Better."

"Good," He said and came to stand in front of the fireplace, his back towards her.

Unable to stand the awkwardness that stood like a wall between them, Mahira opened her mouth to speak but Fawad beat her to it.

"I should be mad at you." He breathed out, still not meeting her gaze, "Your lack of foresight put both you and Aphrodite in so much danger today."

Quietly, Mahira got up from the bed and in spite of the lingering weakness in her limbs, made her way towards him.

"Then why aren't you?" Her voice came out as a bare whisper.

The choking tension in the room was almost palpable. It reeked of anger, unspoken words, and within the many layers....desire. As he finally turned towards her, Mahira finally saw the emotion swimming in his onyx orbs and knew that it mirrored her own.

He searched her face for a moment, and then took a step towards her. 2 steps. 3. Until Mahira finally found herself backed up against the wall, his figure towering over hers.

"Because I can't." He said huskily and placed his hands on the wall behind her head, preventing any routes of escape.

His intense gaze was enough to make her go weak in the knees, but she held her head high, not wanting to give him the satisfaction just yet.

"Why?" She asked again, laying her trap. He was going to bend this time, and she was going to make sure of it.

He leaned ever so closer, taking her bait, "Because I can't lose you, now that I've finally found you."

With him in such close proximity, Mahira found difficulty breathing, let alone forming a coherent sentence, "Why?" She tried again and looked deeply into his eyes.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, "Because I love you." The words were so quiet that it was a miracle that Mahira had heard them. For a moment, she could not believe it for these were the very words that she had ached to hear for so so long.

"What?" There was shock in her voice.

"I love you." He breathed out once again, "I have loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you."

Mahira felt a certain dampness on her cheeks and realised they were her own tears.

"If you truly loved me, you would have stayed."

"I thought you were happy with Zaroon."

"Happy? I told you I loved you."

"But then you left, and I thought....." Fawad looked away, feeling vulnerable.

Mahira sighed, knowing that he was right and that there was no point mulling over it anymore. He was finally here, in front of her and now that he had finally confessed his feelings for her, she didn't know how to respond. All she knew was that a warm feeling was slowly creeping through her core, making her legs wobble and her head feeling faint.

"Do you really mean it? That you love me?" She  heard herself ask, knowing that she would never tire of it, even if he said it a thousand times.

"On my heart and soul," Fawad replied and felt her grip his muscled arms to prevent herself from falling.

It was only then that he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against her soft, plump ones, conveying everything that words could not. Love, longing, desire.

For a second, Mahira grew rigid at the contact, shocked at this sudden gesture. Then, snapping back into reality, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss with a passion that set fire to her very soul. As he pulled her ever so closer, Mahira finally allowed herself to melt against his strong body and for the flames to finally engulf her being.