The next morning, Siddharth found himself in the guestroom of his apartment.

He woke up groggily, frowning at the initial unfamiliarity of the room.

"What.." He mumbled blinking rapidly, to shoo away any remnants of sleep from his eyes.

He sat up, disoriented, thinking. A few seconds later, he remembered the events of the last night that had led him to this room.

A smile formed on his lips, his eyes lighting up at once. He remembered how he had carried his cute little sleeping beauty home.

He recollected, how she had snuggled closer to him, into a comfortable position in his arms, he remembered how she had later held his hand in her sleep, like a child would hold her mother's, seeking peace and safety.

His cheeks heated up pink and his smile broadened ever so slightly. 

He had made her sleep in his room, he didn't know why, but the guest room didn't quite look like the right place for her. After all, she was no guest. 

She was his.. 

She was his smile mate. 
His best friend 
His pretty little angel. 
His Shehnaaz.

He pulled the brakes, before his brain could go overboard and cook up another few dreams and got out of bed in all his bare chested glory. He grabbed the black T-shirt lying carelessly on the armchair near the bed and pulled it over his head before leaving the guest room. 

He quietly went about his morning routine, taking care to not disturb the sleep of the girl in the master bedroom. 

He was an early riser, that didn't mean that she had to be one too.

Two hour later, Siddharth had finished his jogging, freshened up and prepared himself a strong mug of black coffee.

It was 8:06. 

After putting his coffee to boil, he made his way to his room as quietly as he could. Shehnaaz was sleeping like a child, wrapped in a big fluffy blanket. Siddharth tiptoed over to the window of the room and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight wash over the whole room, illuminating it. Shehnaaz groaned softly, burying her face in the pillow.

Siddharth chuckled at her antics and sat next to her on the huge king sized bed. He ran his fingers through her silky tresses, affectionate and gentle. "Rise and Shine." He exclaimed softly, as she buried herself further into the bedclothes. 

"Five minutes please." She mumbled, half asleep.

Siddharth smiled and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's kind of late." 

Shehnaaz moaned in displeasure, peeling her eyes open with difficulty. "Siddharth?" She uttered confused, squinting at him. "Good Morning." 

"Morning sweetheart." Siddharth said affectionately. "Did you sleep well last night?" 

Shehnaaz stretched herself, sitting up in the bed. She looked like a little kitten all wrapped up in a blanket almost double her size, surrounded by soft pillows.

Her eyes were half closed, her lips forming a small pout.

Siddharth smiled at the adorable sight "I did fall asleep in the car, didn't I?" She asked, rhetorically. 

"Yeah. You looked like you needed all the sleep that you could get, so I didn't wake you up." Siddharth said "Like I said, I really didn't have a problem carrying you home." 

Shehnaaz sighed, "Thank you, and to answer your question, yes I did sleep very well last night." 

Siddharth smiled, "Great. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Or tea maybe?" He asked.

"Coffee sounds like a good idea, right about now." Shehnaaz said quietly.

Siddharth nodded, "One cup Siddharth special, coming right up." He exclaimed, making Shehnaaz chuckle and shake her head fondly at him.

"Do you want to grab breakfast here? I won't mind the company." Siddharth asked hesitantly. 

Shehnaaz laughed softly. "I'd love to." 

Siddharth nodded. "I'll fix your coffee." He said softly, smiled at her and left the room.

"I'll come and help with-- you know whatever it is that you're going to do." Shehnaaz said nervously. 

"That's a great idea. I'm not very good with thinking up breakfast ideas." Siddharth confessed sheepishly.

Shehnaaz giggled. "I'll be with you in a minute, after I.." She gestured towards the bed, which looked-- well slept in. 

"I would hate to leave it this way. I did use the room last night." She added, looking at the man for approval.

Siddharth nodded. "The coffee is already brewing in the pot." He told her.

Shehnaaz smiled. "I'll be quick." She promised.

"You better be." 

***

Later that morning, Siddharth set the table with Shehnaaz helping here and there. "I remember when my parents were alive, we used to have family meals at least once a day." Shehnaaz said quietly. Siddharth smiled at her, moving slightly closer to her and took her hand in his. 

"Dad was a big shot. He had this huge business and he was always telling me that the business was a kingdom and I was the princess of that kingdom. The business kept him on his toes. He had always been a busy man." Shehnaaz chuckled dryly.

"I'm sure it was a beautiful kingdom. A princess like yourself would deserve that." Siddharth said truthfully.

"My dad never thought he would have to leave so soon, apparently he never wrote a will and when he was gone and when mom was gone, the kingdom just went away. I was too young for legal battles of that sort and my caretakers they never bothered. I don't care either, if you ask me. I had my parents for a few years and it was a good time. Money can have nothing over that. The memories, smiles. They mattered. Money doesn't." 

"I can understand that." Siddharth smiled at her softly. His heart broke a little for the girl. 

"I just can't believe I had so little time with them. It was not fair." Shehnaaz whispered quietly, her voice breaking.

Siddharth pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back comfortingly. "..miss them Siddharth.." She mumbled against his chest.

Siddharth leaned slightly, dropping a long and comforting kiss on her forehead. "It's okay." He whispered as Shehnaaz buried her face in his chest.

"It's okay baby." He assured her again, running his fingers through her tangled tresses. 

"I didn't mean to-- to paint the morning in gloom." Shehnaaz looked innocently up at him.

Siddharth sighed. "Doesn't matter. We can't always tell ourselves what we should be feeling at a certain point in time. Emotions are out of our control, Sana." He said softly. 

Shehnaaz nodded. 

Siddharth smiled and kissed her forehead in a gentle, chaste and assuring manner.

Hello people. I'm sorry for being late and thanks a bunch for 1k reads already!!

I wrote this chapter twice and I'm honestly so damn frustrated with wattpad!!

Again I'm very sorry for being so late.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Love
-Your Author