Zara's POV

My eyes flutter open, adjusting to the bright morning light peeking through the curtains. It's way too early to be awake, the voice inside my head is telling me, as I nuzzle my head deeper into a hard, warm curve. My fingertips touch the heated, hard as rock surface I'm lying on as I try to make myself more comfortable. I'm lying on Zaid, with one hand sprawled over his chest and the other in his hair. Our legs are tangled together. How I managed to fall asleep in this position is crazy.

Zaid is fast asleep, with his arms around my waist, holding me close. The thin, white sheet is covering our bodies and it reaches my mid-back. I smile, glancing up to meet his face. God, he's so handsome. To call Zaid hot or handsome is an understatement. How I'm his wife, I have no idea, but he loves me. He showed me exactly how much he loves me, last night.

My cheeks heat up as I recall the vivid memories of last night. It definitely wasn't anything like it's described in the books or movies. Sweet, enjoyable, amazing. It was definitely not. It was painful. Super painful. Last night, I went through the most pain I've ever experienced in my entire life. But Zaid held me through it all, kissing away my tears and constantly apologising. I felt bad when he kept apologising to me, for causing the pain, because I'm the one who had asked him for it. He kept asking me if I wanted to stop, but I shook my head and pulled him closer to me. He stopped so many times, and I would plead him to continue. He rained kisses all over my face, to make me forget the pain. After a couple of minutes, it started to work.

It was super painful, but last night had been perfect. The closeness I felt with Zaid, I've never experienced that before, and I love it. I felt so emotionally and physically close to him, that it made me so happy. I'm very happy now, although I am feeling extremely sore. I wonder how he feels now. A blush makes its way onto my cheeks as I touch my swollen lips.

Zaid hugs me closer to himself, I can feel his whole body on mine. I'm wearing his shirt, which is open. How is it open? I'm sure I buttoned it up, at least the first few buttons, before I fell asleep last night. My blush intensifies, and I bite my lip. Ouch. Even my lips hurt right now.

I snuggle closer to my husband, smiling contentedly. I feel so comfortable, so at peace in his arms. I want to stay here and not leave. I brush the lightest kiss on his shoulder, before pressing my cheek deeper into the curve of it. I sigh with happiness, again recalling the memories of last night. Zaid definitely had made it the perfect day for me. I trace his muscular chest and stomach with my cold fingertips, his body warm to the touch. Then, I rest my right hand on his chest, watching it rise up and down under my touch. I can hear and feel his steady heartbeat. I've never felt so close to Zaid before. Today, I feel complete.

A few seconds later, I place a gentle kiss at the side of his neck, and another at the hollow of his neck. I know how much he loves it when I kiss him here. I smile to myself as he holds me closer, and I start to trail my fingers down his hard chest, and then down the ridges of his toned abdomen.

Suddenly, he flips us over so that he's above me. My head crashes into the softest, plumped pillows, and my heartbeat increases. He holds both my hands above my head, and looks at me with a mischievous smirk. He was awake. My cheeks heat up, and my eyes widen in shock.

'You..you were awake all this time?!' I mutter, glaring at him.

He smirks again, before looking down towards my body. Damn. My (his) shirt is unbuttoned, and it's the only thing I'm wearing, with my underwear. I squeal, trying to cover myself up but I can't, as he's holding both of my hands in his huge ones. I try to cover myself, but don't realise that I'm raising my body to meet his.

When I feel Zaid's soft lips on my collarbone, I gasp. My hands squirm in his left one, trying to free myself so I can bring him closer. He kisses the side of my neck, making me groan.

'Zaid,' I mumble, staring into his heated eyes.

"Hmm?" He answers, before burying his face into the crook of my shoulder. I laugh, holding him close. I want us to stay like this, forever.

'I need to take a bath. And so do you,' I say, shyly.

He raises his head to meet my eyes, and he has a slight grin on his lips. "Yes, we do. Together."

My blush deepens as I somehow manage to free one hand from his hold, and I hold him close to me, hugging him. 'Shut up.'

I can hear and feel his laughter for a few seconds, before his tone turns more serious. 'How are you feeling, baby?'

I hide my face into his hard, warm chest. "I'm okay, what about you?" I ask him in reply.

'Perfect.' I blush even harder, closing my eyes and recalling last night. It had definitely been intense. Zaid had been very gentle with me, but it had been a crazy night.

"I'll get the bath ready. You got it ready for me last night, now it's my turn. You must be feeling quite sore. I'm sorry, Zara, I'm so sorry. You were in so much pain, because of me." He's still blaming himself.

I sigh, looking into his eyes. 'It's fine, Zay, it's okay. I promise. I'm feeling absolutely fine, and I can't wait to go to Disneyland today.'

He finally grins, and I pinch his cheek gently and touch his dimples. I lean up towards him and place a sweet, chaste kiss on his closed lips. His, too, are swollen.

He smiles at me and kisses me deeper, but he makes sure to be very gentle. And then he kisses me again.

After stealing a few short but sweet kisses, he gets out of bed, wearing nothing except a pair of boxer shorts. I shamelessly stare at him, checking him out. He's so damn hot. My husband is sexy. I giggle, and he turns to me.

Just then, I remember that my shirt is still unbuttoned, so I pull the sheet over me. Zaid smirks, his eyes darkening. 'If you weren't feeling so sore, Zara, believe me, I'd go for round two right now.' Then, he casually strolls to the bathroom.

I sit up in bed, hiding my face in my hands. He has no shame whatsoever, and I like it. I love Zaid's boldness, and I know that it's only for me. I unbutton Zaid's shirt that I'm wearing, and I slowly get out of bed. Ouch. I'm definitely sore, all over.

I yawn, stretching, and I turn to make the bed. However, the sight I see makes my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

That's when Zaid decides to come out of the bathroom. His wide grin turns into an expression of shock, when he sees the state of the bedsheets. My cheeks redden, and I quickly rip the bedsheets off the bed, rushing to the bathroom. Zaid follows me.

'Zara, I hurt you this much. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost control,' Zaid mutters, as I discard the sheets.

I turn to him, and hold his face in my hands. His eyes are full of guilt and sadness. His expression breaks my heart. "Zaid, don't be silly. I'm glad you lost control. I mean it."

His fingers trace my collarbone, and his expression darkens further. 'Look what I've done to you, Zara. I-I hurt you. I'm so sorry, Zara. I promise, this won't happen again-'

What?!

I grab his shoulders, and force him to look at me. "You didn't do this, Zaid."

'I did.' His voice shakes with emotion.

"Zaid, I'm glad you did this. These marks, I'm glad I have them. They show me how much you love me," I say, blushing slightly.

He unbuttons my shirt, and I try to cover myself, but he moves my arms away. He positions me so I'm standing in front of the full-length bathroom mirror. The marks, hickeys, are covering my entire body. My eyes widen slightly, and I blush. I cover myself, and shake my head.

Then, I point to the identical marks on Zaid's body. They're all over his chest, neck and his stomach. Last night had definitely been intense.

I trace a hickey on Zaid's shoulder, and I smirk. Then I kiss it gently. 'Zaid, shut up. You didn't hurt me, okay? I promise you didn't. If you did, then I hurt you too.' I chuckle, my cheeks beet red.

"Zara, I promise you. I'll never hurt you again. If you don't want me to, I won't touch you-"

I grab his face and kiss him, hard. I kiss him with everything I have, and I smile when he starts to kiss me back, wrapping his arms around my waist. The kiss is hard but short. I rest my forehead against his after breaking the kiss, a smile playing on my lips.

'You won't touch me, did you say?' I whisper, staring into his dark eyes.

He nods, swallowing.

I gently kiss his bare shoulder, and then follow a trail of kisses up along his jaw, to the corner of his mouth. His grip on my hips strengthens, and I stare into his eyes again.

'Really?' I whisper.

He stares into my eyes, and nods again, before staring at my swollen lips.

I smirk, standing closer to him so that our bodies are entirely touching. I press a gentle, hot kiss on his collarbone, and then give him another hickey, right next to the previous one.

The shirt I'm wearing is torn off me, and he picks me up in his arms, bridal style, before placing me into the large, hot bath. Straight away, I feel my muscles relax. The warm water stings, badly, at first, but it quickly starts to help with the pain I have in my whole body.

Zaid smiles at me, and is about to leave the bathroom, when I grab his arm. He turns to look at me, an eyebrow raised with confusion.

'Join me.'

He doesn't need to be told a second time.

********

After an hour in the hot bath, I feel a lot better. I still feel very sore, especially when I'm walking around, but I don't care. I change into a light pink loose, flowy top and light blue skinny jeans. I'm keeping my outfit casual and comfortable today. I'm brushing my hair in front of the mirror, when Zaid walks over to me and hugs me from behind, resting his hands on my stomach. My heart thumps loudly in my ribcage, and my cheeks tint pink.

"Zaid? Are you ready?" I whisper, glancing at our reflection in the full-length mirror.

He smiles, nodding. 'Yes. And you look absolutely beautiful, Zara. You're my queen. Thank you so much for last night.'

I bite my lip, blushing harder. "You look good too, Zaid, and why are you thanking me?"

'You're still sore, baby. You should rest for some time. We'll go in a couple of hours. I'm so sorry, Zara, for hurting you,' he says, his voice laced with worry.

I turn around in his arms to face him, and I cup his face with my hands, making him look at me and meet my eyes. "Zaid, you made me complete last night. The happiness I feel right now, I've never felt it before. And the closeness I feel with you... Don't apologise again, Zaid. I'm perfectly fine." I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek gently, smiling.

'Zara, but you were-' he starts, but I place a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Shh. I'm fine. I'm the one who should be thanking you for yesterday, for last night. You made the entire day so perfect for me," I whisper, staring into his emotion-filled eyes.

'It was perfect, was it?' He whispers back, a small smile appearing on his lips.

I grin, unable to control my blush. "Yes. Now, smile."

He smiles, kissing me on the forehead. Then he turns back, to the sofas.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

'I bought a little something for you. Before our wedding. It's a gift, so don't give me that look. It's for you, for our first time,' he says, grabbing a small wrapped parcel from behind the sofa.

My cheeks are now as hot as fire. I raise an eyebrow, shaking my head. "Zaid, what's with all the gifts? You pamper me way too much!"

He hands me the parcel, motioning to me to open it. I again shake my head.

'Zara, please. Open it,' he says, giving me a hopeful look.

I sigh, opening the intricately wrapped gift. I tear open the shiny silver gift wrap, and my eyes widen when I see a jewellery box. Tiffany's.

"Zaid, I have enough jewellery as it is. And I can't accept it. You use too much money on me!" I scold him.

He chuckles, shaking his head. 'Zara, who else do I earn the money for? What will I do with it? I love you more than the entire world, and I want to make you happy. And yes, I know that material goods don't make you happy, but still. I want to pamper you. You're my queen, and I want nothing more than to see you happy. I hope you like the gift, I really liked it when I was searching for something for you.'

I open the medium-sized jewellery box, and I gasp when I see what's inside.

Zaid has bought me a diamond-studded watch, and it's absolutely beautiful. It's stunning. The colour of the watch is silver, and it has lots and lots of tiny diamonds around the front. I touch it gently with my fingertips, and then I look up at my husband.

He has a small smile on his lips. 'What do you think, darling?' He asks, softly.

"Zaid, it's beautiful. It's so stunning, but I don't even want to imagine how much it cost," I say quietly.

He shakes his head, smiling. 'It didn't cost enough, I know. There is no item in this entire world which will ever measure up to you, Zara. You like it, right?'

I nod. "Of course I like it, you crazy guy. I love it. Happy?"

'Always, as long as you're with me,' he replies, grinning.

God, he's so crazy. But I love when he talks like this. His words take my breath away.

I hug him, and feel him kiss the top of my head, holding me close.

I want to buy him a gift, too. Not because he's bought me so many, but because I really want to give him something. But what?

********

We have an amazing time at Disneyland that day. It's so much fun, we stay there the whole day, taking hundreds of pictures and going on dozens of rides. I came to Disneyland with Maryam and my parents years ago, when me and Maryam were both young. We had a lot of fun then, too, but not as much fun as we have today.

By the end of the day, me and Zaid are both exhausted, but we both have huge matching grins on our faces.

'That was amazing, Zaid. Thank you so much,' I say, glancing over at him in the drivers' seat.

He turns to smile at me. "It was, I had a lot of fun too. Anything for you, Zara. How's our honeymoon so far?"

The memories of last night flow back into my mind, making me blush. 'Perfect,' I whisper, remembering Zaid's kisses, his touch, his embrace. Damn. I'm crazy for him. I feel drunk. Drunk in love.

He grins. "I love you, beautiful."

'I love you too, Zay. So much,' I say quietly, staring at my sexy husband.

His eyes light up and he leans towards me to kiss me gently on my cheek. I glance out of the front window and lose myself in my thoughts. Zaid makes me the happiest girl in the world. He's such an amazing, caring and loving guy, I don't know what I ever did to deserve him. I must have done something right, though.

********

We both fall asleep straight away that night, in each other's arms, because the day really tired us out. And we didn't sleep too much the night before, either.

The next morning, I'm still really sore. I wasn't able to walk properly the day before, but I didn't say anything to Zaid, because we were having so much fun in Disneyland.

After breakfast, I take a quick shower and change into a light grey flowy maxi dress, which has three-quarter sleeves and a simple, silver belt around the waist. My legs are aching badly today, and so is my back. My thighs are paining so badly, I don't know what to do. I take an ibuprofen to help with the pain. I didn't notice it much yesterday, as we were so busy and having fun. But today, the pain is overpowering everything else.

I'm lying in bed, over the duvet, when Zaid walks into the room. He clearly sees the expression on my face, as he rushes to me.

"Zara? Baby, what's wrong?" He asks, worriedly. He takes a seat next to me on the bed.

I shake my head, giving him a small smile. 'Nothing at all! I was just feeling...a bit tired,' I lie. I'm not tired at all, as I actually slept properly last night. My legs and thighs are hurting badly right now, though. Is this pain normal?

"You can't lie to me, Zara. Please, tell me, what's wrong?" He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

My cheeks heat up, and I shake my head again. 'Nothing! I'm fine, Zay, honest. Where are we going today?'

"Nowhere, because you're not feeling well. Do you need a doctor, Zara?" He asks, his brows creasing with worry.

I lean up and caress his cheek gently, shaking my head. Then I sit up, wincing at the soreness I feel between my legs.

Zaid notices, and his expression turns hard. 'Zara, why didn't you tell me that you're still sore? Of course you must be, and I made you walk around so much yesterday. Why didn't you tell me?'

"Zaid, it's normal to be a little sore. It's okay, it's no big deal," I say quietly, smiling at him.

He shakes his head. 'I can tell by looking at you, Zara, that you're not only a little sore. I'm sorry, I won't touch you again. Not yet.'

"What?!" Is he being serious?

'I can't, I won't hurt you again. I was an idiot to... But it won't happen again, I promise you. We'll go everywhere you want, we'll do everything you want,  but... it can't happen again,' he says, his voice clear but quiet.

I feel myself getting angry. "You're being serious," I mutter.

He nods. 'Yes, I'm being serious. When we go back home, then we'll see. But I don't want you to spend our honeymoon in pain, Zara. I can't see you in pain. I'm sorry.'

I lean closer to him and kiss him gently on the cheek. I frown when he shows no response.

Then I lean in and kiss him softly on the lips. And again. No response.

"You're really going to be like this, for the rest of our honeymoon? You're not even going to return the kiss?" I ask him, my voice calm.

'I can't, baby. Please, try to understand. I don't want to lose control again. I won't.'

When I don't respond, he speaks again. 'Where do you want to go today, love?'

"Nowhere, I'm pretty tired Zaid. I'm going to take a short nap," I mutter, laying back down, this time under the duvet.

I turn to face away from Zaid and close my eyes, pulling the duvet up to cover my body.

I'm such an idiot. I feel tears forming under my eyelids, threatening to spill. I don't open my eyes.

Will Zaid really be like this for the remainder of our honeymoon? He won't even touch me?

I don't know how I manage to keep back my tears. I'm not at all tired, but I want to sleep. Because I don't want to cry, or scream, in front of Zaid. I feel so angry right now. Why did he have to see that I'm in pain?

And the damn pain.. it's nothing more than a dull ache right now.

'Zara?' Zaid whispers, a couple of minutes later.

I don't respond to him.

'I'm so sorry, baby. I'm doing this for your better. I can't see you in pain, and I won't touch you again before you're feeling fully better. I saw how much I hurt you, it won't happen again.'

I swallow back my tears, not saying anything in response.

'Zara?' He whispers again, lying next to me under the duvet.

He touches my shoulder, but I don't move. I tense up, not turning around to face him.

Yesterday had been so perfect. And that night.. It had been painful, but I'd felt so much love, so much closeness to Zaid, so much happiness, it's indescribable. And now, he won't even kiss me back.

Why is he lying next to me then? Why does he have his hand on my shoulder?

I can't make myself turn to him and jump into his arms. I can't get myself to reply to him, because I know Zaid. I know him well enough to know that when he says he won't touch me like that, he won't.

I fall asleep ten minutes later.

********

A couple of days later, we travel to Istanbul for the second half of our honeymoon. I miss Paris like crazy. I miss it so badly, but I know that we will be able to return, whenever we want. Zaid promised me, that he will bring me back to Paris, to our cottage, whenever I want. I leave Paris with a heavy heart, but with many, many beautiful memories.

The flight from Paris to Istanbul is three and a half hours long, but it feels like the hours fly by. In the last few days, me and Zaid visited many more places in Paris, and it was fun. It was lots of fun, but as promised, he didn't touch me again. Not in that way, anyway.

Last night, I went close to him, I kissed him, but he didn't kiss me back. He continued to kiss me on my forehead, on my cheeks, but it wasn't the same. I know that Zaid is doing this for me, but I'm so mad at him about it. And I'm mad at myself, too. I don't feel pain anymore. Not really. From time to time, I feel a dull ache, but nothing more.

It's difficult, being so close to him, but not being able to...do anything.

We stay at a luxurious hotel in Istanbul, right in the middle of the beautiful, bustling city. It's 7pm when we reach the hotel. We stay in our hotel room, a honeymoon suite for a short while, relaxing and showering, before making our way to the restaurant on the ground floor for dinner.

'Do you want to go out tonight, Zara?' Zaid asks me, giving me a small smile. It's now 8:15pm, and we just finished with dinner.

I shake my head. "No, not tonight. We'll go tomorrow, for the whole day. You can go somewhere if you want, though. I don't mind. I'm just gonna relax in our suite."

We take a lift up to the seventh floor, where our suite is.

'I'm not leaving you and going anywhere, darling. I don't want to go out either tonight. I'm tired, it's been a long day. You should get some sleep too,' he says, gently.

We enter our suite, and I nod. "Yeah, okay."

I open my suitcase and go through my clothes, until I find the least attractive pieces of clothing in there. A pair of sweatpants, and a white t-shirt. I grab the clothes and head to the en-suite bathroom, to change. 

********

Zaid's POV

Zara's still mad at me. I know she is. We've been talking to each other properly over the last few days, but I can see that she's not herself. Because of me.

I haven't touched her over the last few days. Well, not like that, anyway. I can't. I hurt her so badly, I can still remember the way she cried in my arms, the way she would try to control her tears but it wouldn't work. I could see the pain she felt, on her beautiful face.

God. Am I an idiot?

She had given me the best night of my life, I can remember it vividly, like it happened just now. I can remember the way she held me close through her pain, I can remember her sweet, gentle kisses, her more intense kisses, and her touch. Oh, damn. The way she traced each ridge on my stomach, on my back... I can remember the way I felt my skin turn hot at her touch. And that look in her eyes...

She walks out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants which hug her figure, and a loose-fitting white t-shirt. It's one of her own. She's not wearing my t-shirt today. And I know why.

She's been dressing like this the last couple of nights, but seeing her wearing these clothes turns me on even more. I very well remember seeing what's underneath those clothes, that t-shirt... I'm going to need a cold shower very soon, just recalling the memories of the night we made love.

Zara unties her hair, letting it fall in loose, natural waves over her shoulders. She grabs her phone off the bedside table and gets into bed.

'Are you okay, Zaid?' She asks, frowning. I realise that I'm still staring at her, lost in my thoughts. 'Weren't you tired? I thought you'd be asleep by now,' she adds.

"Yeah, I'm fine. And I'm about to sleep, I was waiting for you," I mutter, picking up my own phone to distract myself.

She nods, giving me a small smile. 'Okay. Go to sleep, we're going out tomorrow.'

I nod, smiling back at her. She looks so beautiful, without a trace of makeup. She looks better with no makeup.

I lay down next to her, a small space in between us. Suddenly, she bursts out laughing, staring at something on her phone.

I turn to face her, raising an eyebrow. "What made you laugh, love?" I ask, smiling at her beautiful, melodious laughter.

She puts her phone in front of my face. 'Hafsa,' she says, laughing.

I glance at her phone, smiling when I see that Hafsa has posted a picture of me and Zara on Instagram. It's a picture from our walima function, one in which Zara was glaring at me and holding my tie and pulling me towards herself. I smile at the memory.

Then I read Hafsa's comment on the picture. "I miss these two crazy idiots like mad! Bhai, Zara babe, get back quickly with all my gifts okay?!" I chuckle, shaking my head. Hafsa's crazy.

'I miss Hafsa,' Zara says, smiling at me.

I return the smile. "Don't worry, we're going back home after five days. Then you'll miss Paris and Istanbul, and me."

'Why would I miss you?!' She responds, laughing and raising her eyebrow.

She looks so damn hot right now. I chuckle, staring at her lips for a split second, but then looking back up to meet her eyes. "I'm probably going back to work a week or so after returning home."

She glances at me, her face falling for a couple of seconds. Then she smiles at me. 'Oh, I had forgotten about that. I guess I'll miss you, a little bit, when you go to work,' she whispers, staring into my eyes.

I feel something clench from within me, and I give her a small smile. "I'll miss you too, badly. I love you, Zara," I whisper, gazing into her beautiful chocolate brown orbs.

'Okay, sleep! We need to go to lots of places tomorrow! Sleep!' She turns away from me and closes her eyes.

I swallow, staring at her back. I sigh, placing my phone onto the bedside table and turning off the small lamp. The room falls into complete darkness. I close my eyes and pull the covers over me.

Half an hour later, I'm still wide awake. I can't sleep. Not with Zara so close to me. Her breathing is steady, she must be asleep. Why would she be awake?

The last few days have been torture. Complete torture. I know I'm the one who said that I won't touch her in that way until I know she's completely fine, but I want her so badly that it hurts.

I slowly turn towards her, being able to see the faint shadow of her body facing away from me. I can't sleep without Zara in my arms. But if I hold her, I'll want her even more badly. I won't be able to control myself.

I lean towards her and kiss her gently on her cheek. Then I lay back down, sighing. I can't stop remembering that night. I can't stop remembering the way Zara responded to my touch, to my kisses, I can't stop remembering the way she felt...

I need a cold shower.

********

Zara's POV

I can't sleep. I can't stop recalling the memories of the night Zaid made love to me. It had been perfect. Even with all the pain, it had been perfect. I can't make the memories go away. In the last three days, Zaid hasn't kissed me. He hasn't held me while I slept.

He's kissed my forehead, my cheeks, sure, but he hasn't kissed me. He won't touch me. No matter what.

He's such an idiot. He thinks that I'm still sore, he won't touch me until we go back, until I'm fully better. He doesn't have any idea about how much I need him, right now.

It hurts.

Everywhere.

I'm not tossing and turning, because I didn't want to wake Zaid up. But he's awake.

He thought I was asleep, that's why he kissed me on my cheek. The gentleness of the kiss is making me slightly emotional. I have no idea why.

I think I'm going crazy.

I need Zaid so badly, it hurts. It's difficult, very difficult, having him so close but so far at the same time.

********

I can still feel the way he kissed me that night. The way he touched me. The way he held me in his arms, so close, that our hearts were beating as one. I feel a dull ache at the pit of my stomach. It's not painful, though. I can still feel the way he buried his face in the crook of my shoulder, the way his hands gently caressed my body...

I stifle a groan, clutching onto the bedsheets tightly, remembering the way Zaid kissed that sensitive spot on my neck.

I don't realise when a sob escapes my throat, and the tears finally escape. I cry silently, holding onto the duvet, tears flowing down my cheeks. I'm going crazy, I really am. It must be nearly midnight by now, and I've just randomly started crying, recalling the most beautiful memories.

********

Zaid's POV

I'm almost asleep, when I hear Zara fidgeting anxiously. Is she having a bad dream?

I slowly go nearer to her, when I realise that she's crying. She thinks that I'm asleep, and she's crying silently, so that I don't wake up. I pause for a few seconds, listening. She's crying, hiding her face in the duvet. The sight and sound breaks my heart.

'Zara?' I whisper, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

She doesn't respond, but she stops crying for a second or two.

'Baby? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?' I ask, positioning myself closer to her. I touch her arm, and she tenses.

Then, she shakes her arm away from me, and moves her entire body further away from me.

I turn on the small lamp on my bedside table and turn to Zara. 'Zara, look at me beautiful. What's wrong?' I ask, pulling her shoulder gently to make her face me. But she doesn't.

"Don't touch me," she whispers, her voice breaking. She again shakes her hand off me and buries her face deeper into the duvet.

She doesn't want me to touch her. Hearing her say that, it stabs through my heart.

I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her around to face me. She stares at me for a split second, before trying to free herself from my arms. "Go away, leave me alone," she whispers, her voice filled with hurt.

'Never,' I whisper, holding her close, trying to control my racing heart. I hold her close, kissing the top of her head. But again, she tries to move away from me.

"Why are you touching me now?" She whispers, more tears flowing out of her red eyes.

She's this upset because of me. Because I've been such an idiot these last few days. I've done it for her, though. Because I didn't want to hurt her.

And what have I done now? I've hurt her again, badly.

I don't deserve her. She deserves much better than me. Much, much better.

'I'm sorry, darling. I'm so sorry. Please stop crying,' I say gently, wiping away her tears.

She fists my t-shirt, glaring at me through her tears. "Now you care? You care that I'm crying? Why don't you just let me be? You don't care, you don't need to pretend."

Her words break my heart. 'Zara, I don't care? Do you have any idea how much I love you? I care more than anything about you, love. I'd leave the entire world for you.'

She shakes her head, clutching my t-shirt harder. I can feel her nails digging into the skin of my stomach. "You don't love me, and you don't care for me."

I kiss her gently on her forehead, staring into her eyes. 'Are you crazy, darling? I love you more than the entire world. I love you more than anything.'

She cries harder, her nails digging deeper into my skin. It hurts slightly, but I don't care at all. Zara's in more pain right now, because of me.

She shakes her head, before resting her head on my chest. Then she cries harder. I wrap my arms around her, ignoring her tries to escape my arms, until she succumbs and hugs me, tight. She cries into my t-shirt and I hold her, kissing her forehead and feeling my heart break further.

'Please, jaan, stop crying,' I whisper, breaking the hug and wiping away her tears.

She holds my arms and gazes up at me, into my eyes. She's so beautiful, even when she's crying.

"Y-you can't leave me. You can't ever leave me," she whispers, staring into my eyes.

My heart aches hearing her words. I kiss her forehead again, holding her closer. 'Never, darling. Never. I won't ever leave you. Only when I die-'

She places a finger on my lips to silence me. "Shut up. Don't ever say that again. I hope that I die before you, Zaid."

I hug her, feeling her wet cheeks on my chest.

'Sleep, love. And never cry again, okay?' I say, gazing into her beautiful eyes.

She stares into my eyes for several seconds, before nodding.

'Why were you crying, Zara?' I whisper.

She shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. It's nothing."

'It's not nothing, if it made you cry so much. Seeing you cry breaks my heart, Zara. Tell me, please. Why were you crying?'

She looks at me for a few seconds, before hugging me, resting her face in the crook of my neck. I hold her gently, caressing the strip of bare skin of her waist.

She lifts her right leg and places it over mine, shifting closer to me. And she pulls me even closer.

I hold her, kissing the top of her head.

When I feel her hand travel up my bare back under my t-shirt, I feel myself tense. 'Zaid,' Zara whispers, her voice hoarse and emotional.

She pulls my t-shirt, reminding me of the morning after our wedding night, when she ripped my shirt off me. She wants to do the same to this shirt.

"Zara?" I whisper, but my voice catches in my throat when I feel her lips on the hollow of my neck.

She pulls at my t-shirt again, hard. I groan, closing my eyes in pain. "Zara, what are you doing?" My own voice sounds foreign to me. I want her so badly, that it hurts me so much. But I can't, I remind myself.

'Zaid?' She whispers, her voice husky. She glances up at me, and I meet her eyes. Her eyes have darkened. She kisses my chin softly, her eyes not leaving mine.

She begins to kiss upwards from my chin, leaving a trail of soft, hot kisses to the corner of my lips. I hear an animalistic growl from the back of my throat as I try to control myself.

"Zara, I can't-" I start, but she silences me by shifting herself so she is on top of me. She lays on top of me, and I can feel her whole body against mine. Every curve of her perfect form is pressed against me, and my entire body feels as hot as fire.

'I can feel how much you want me, Zay. Why are you doing this?' She whispers, staring into my eyes.

I grab her by her waist, caressing her soft skin with my fingers. "Zara, I can't. I won't, I can't hurt you again," I mutter.

'Okay,' she replies, before bringing her lips back to the pulsating, sensitive skin of my neck. She leaves a wet kiss there, before kissing up to my jawline.

I groan, tightening my hold on her waist. She stares into my eyes for a second, before kissing my chin. Then she kisses down my neck again.

'Where will you take me tomorrow then?' She whispers, her lips punishing the corner of mine.

"W-what?" I mutter, not hearing a word of what she said.

She smirks, taking her hand to my hair. She tangles her fingers in my hair, pulling gently. She knows I love it when she does that.

I close my eyes, ignoring the things she's doing to my body.

'Where will you take me tomorrow?'

I open my eyes, meeting her heated gaze.

"Zara, we should sleep-"

'Yes! We should, I know. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow, and it's already so late. I'll sleep, but I need something first,' she whispers, sitting up on top of me.

"What do you need?" My voice is throaty, husky.

'A kiss.' She brings her face down to mine and touches her lips with mine, ever so gently. I growl, and hold her hips, taking my other hand to the back of her neck. She kisses me gently, and then grins at me.

'Thanks, Zay! And goodnight!' She moves off me and turns to her side of the bed, but I grab her, turning her to meet my dark, heated eyes.

********

*hiding my face with my hands**

How was this chapter, guys?! I hope you all enjoyed it, I had a smirk on my face while writing it and it made me blush too, only a little though.

I hope it wasn't too much? Please let me know! If it was too much, then I'll make sure the next few chapters aren't. Maybe. 😉

What was your favourite scene?

What did you think about Zaid not wanting to touch Zara, not wanting to hurt her more?

And what did you think of Zara, near the end of the chapter?

What do you think will happen next? 🙈

Do you want the next chapter to start with what happens directly after this, or from the next morning, after whatever happens?

Don't forget to leave lots and lots of comments and vote if you enjoyed reading this chapter! Come on, guys, I think I deserve some comments for this chapter..don't you? 😉 and it was pretty long, too! Over 6500 words!

Love you guys loads and loads! Thank you so much for reading! ❤️ x