The door yawned with a soft creak as the light seeped out of it. The knob turned smoothly, and the shadows lurking in the pitch-black bedroom receded as the warm, cosy, golden light shone from behind the door.

As I slept soundly, burrowed in a fluffy blanket, a piercing light reached through my closed eyelids and nudged me awake. I shifted my head to where the light spilt and saw a penumbra in my close-eye view.

His silhouette displayed his ethereal masculinity as he turned on the lamp, bent down to untie his shoes, slid his suit off his shoulders, and tugged his tie loose.

"If only I could savour the moment a little bit longer," is what I thought as I peeked from under the covers. However-

To see him stagger in his intoxicated, half-awake state, dragging his body to bed, made me move out of my comfy haven and my blooming fantasies. Instead, I walked up to him, wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and helped him to bed.

It is all going well until he puts all his weight into mine, causing us both to wobble out of control and end up falling to bed.

"Argus, can you please move aside? "I asked, in an awkward tone, as I fell directly beneath him.

I hugged myself as we fell, safeguarding myself from possible contact. In that instant, I looked away.

"Mhm," he mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself on top of me in an extremely awkward position.

My flustered self could not contain all the awkwardness of the situation and jokingly added, "I know I wasn't your type, and I know you never really want to take this to the next level, right? So, can you please move aside? Okay? HAHA. "A weird smile crept out of my face, born out of the unexpected turns of events.

Argus, whose face shows confusion, blinks his eyes faster than usual. His ears turned red, and his breath turned fiery. In my persistent struggles to avoid his gaze, my eyes led me to witness a view that even my eyes wouldn't want to see: his lower clothing bulged from within.

Before I knew it, I turned my gaze away, a response born out of the sudden surge of both heightened bodily reflexes and nervousness. At that instant, an unexpected drought engulfed my throat, compelling me to instinctively nibble at my parched lip in an attempt to restore moisture to its abrupt aridity.

Meanwhile, amidst dealing with my internal anguish, it completely slipped my mind that Argus was there, honed to the subtlest of cues. 

The uneasiness I sensed from him just a little while ago is now gone. Instead, his eyes turned like a predator in search of its prey; they were vicious and sent shivers down my spine.

Our breaths mingled and shattered the awkward silence that enshrouded the room. It's a moment of silence, but it's telling.

Though barely a moment had passed, being beneath him felt like years had slipped by.

"This can't be," I uttered in a low tone.

Weakened by the desire that bound me to him, I gathered all of my strength and shoved him away, only to realize that I had unwittingly stepped into his carefully laid trap.

His legs encircled mine, and his solid grip held my wrist down, leaving me powerless to resist. "I want to," he said with his deep, rugged, manly voice, which resonated throughout the room.

A sudden breeze came out of nowhere and instantly gave me chills, and soon after, the door shut on its own.

"You asked me if I wanted to take this to the next level, right? I want to." He spoke with an unmistakable longing in his eyes, a silent plea that stirred the emotions within me.

My tongue was in knots, and my words slipped like sand through my fingers. There's nothing else left for me to do but swallow my thoughts, avoiding every initiative.

He abruptly guided my chin to face him and rushed his lips to capture mine. He caught me in an instant. Our lips met in a tender collision, and we consumed an intoxicating nectar from each other, causing us to succumb to our desires.

Our mouths ring at the subtlety of the moment. Our bodies entwined in a feverish ecstasy, but as his hand attempted to trace a path south, I interrupted, "Stop! "

"Why? ," he asked, holding back the dance of his ferocious carnal hunger as his eyes glistened at every glance and his every touch spoke volumes.

His longing, lonely eyes gleamed as he turned on the lamp and said, "Iari," which he addressed affectionately. "Don't you also like me? "

"I do! But---"

Before I finished what I was saying, he interrupted, "I knew it!" with a radiant visage on his face that even I had failed to witness until today.

Marks of passion blossomed like a delicate flower on all visible parts of me, like a trail of his as he traversed my whole body. The pause that turned our desires into a flicker swiftly evolved into a restless tide.

With a slow, deliberate motion, he untied my robe's ribbon, making it slip apart from the other, showing my barely covered body wearing thin lingerie enfolding me.

As if madly jealous of the tiny coverage embracing me, he traced all its tracks with his fingers gritting his teeth and said, "You don't need this anymore." before ripping it all to shreds as he savored every curve and contour hidden behind it.

"Can we turn off the lamp? "I asked, sheepishly avoiding his gaze as the warm light reflected on my completely bare self.

"Why? It's not like I haven't seen it. Have I? "He replied deviously, with a grin in the corner of his lips, and his eyes glistened with delight at what I said.

The night I never imagined spending in my years of marriage passed by in a blur. He called to me gently, yet he did not know who I was. The body he held seemed unfamiliar, and the kiss we once shared felt like a far-off memory from the past. How come you didn't recognize me, Ari?

The weight of his ignorance crushed me more than the bitterness of his words ever could.

"By the way, I am Zula. And also, Iari wasn't me."