Chapter 47
*****
The wedding ceremony had been a dream painted in silk and starlight, but as the last guests departed and the music finally faded, reality settled over her like the humid night air.
The elaborate celebrations were over, the rituals complete, the vows spoken before hundreds of witnesses.
Now it was just the two of them, alone in his chamber that had been prepared for their wedding night.
She was in Ashok’s room and it was beautiful with walls draped in white cotton that wavered softly in the ocean breeze, flower petals scattered across the floor, and oil lamps casting warm, golden light across the large room.
The bed was layered with silk sheets, and she was told the bed was centuries old.
Isha sat in the middle of the decorated bed, the heavy wedding outfit with the added jewelry weighing her down like chains.
Her muscles were sore from the past few days of rituals and the long night on the boat the prior night.
She looked up through the scarf that was draped over her face as the door creaked open.
A tall figure stepped into the dimly lit room and stood looking in her direction for a long moment before closing the door behind him.
His steps were soft, he had already changed from his ceremonial wedding outfit into loose cotton pants, his chest bare but he had two long layers of pearls around his neck.
It had to be the island tradition for the wedding night for him to show up bare chested.
The sight of him made her breath catch. This was now her husband as per the island traditions but he was still the forbidden one.
A shiver passed through her when she remembered the overwhelming feelings she had during the ceremony.
Her irrational need to fight for him, her urge to tell everyone present that he was hers, only hers.
She had finally sorted through those emotions as she was getting carried away by the ceremony and the settings.
Never in a million years did she think her life would flip in one moment and she would end up on a remote island, as a married woman. The one man who was not a part of her life until a few months was now her husband—her unwanted husband.
Ashoka Veera Devendraseema!
She kept her eyes lowered even as he placed his knee on the mattress, making it dip.
“Isha.” Suddenly, the weight of everything crashed over her.
The reality of where she was and how different her life was now, the uncertainty of the arrangement and the suffocating traditions she had to follow.
The frustration of not being able to follow her thoughts, not being restricted to keep her desires in check for the sake of the arrangement they needed to keep up.
She let out a sob, unable to suppress the sadness and anger of what she had to go through the past few days and how she felt in the moment. The rituals, ceremonies and the endless instructions she had to follow for what was a marriage that was not real and would end soon.
He lifted the scarf that covered her face and dropped the fabric over her back. “Hey, you okay?”
The sincerity in his tone made most of her annoyance and anger subside.
She nodded. “Kinda, but, I… I need to sleep and—”
“I’ll help you.” He knelt in front of her, his eyes level with hers and that’s when she noticed how handsome he looked in the simple clothes he had on that night, with simple pearls draped around his neck, layering on his bare chest.
She looked away fighting her inner spurts of emotions and sensations. “This needs to be taken off my head.” She pointed to the heavy decoration.
She worked on removing her bangles as he worked on taking off the headpiece that was adorned over her thick dark hair, jasmines adding a dreamy scent.
“Sorry.” He let out a growl when she flinched in pain as he managed to separate the intricate piece of jewelry from her hair.
“That’s okay, glad you got that tiara off my head,” she said, running her fingers through her hair loosening her locks, her eyes going up to his as she threw her head back.
He was looking down at her and as soon their eyes met, he looked away. “Why don’t you change? I think your bag is in the room next door.”
She nodded and moved her feet to land them on the ground. She let out a sigh when she remembered how high above the ground the platform of the bed was. “Can I just sleep like this?”
He let out a chuckle. “Isha, I can help.”
She tipped her head forward. “Can you magically make my clothes swap?”
He shook his head as he walked over to where her bag was and asked, “Let me find you your clothes.”
She was too exhausted. “I… I don’t care. I need a break before I get up to change.”
She shut her eyes, leaning against the heavy head post of the canopy bed, her head and shoulder to the heavy wood.
As fatigue settled in, she was not sure how long she had dozed off while seated.
She was awakened when she felt his fingers on her back.
The tugging motion as he opened the numerous knots that were tied by two women to secure her blouse snugly.
The sudden pull from her drowsy state combined with the awareness of his touch, her breathing became ragged.
She took in the musky scent of his cologne and associated the zap of energy that made her body come alive to be in response to what Ashok was doing and not because of how close he was to her.
Her face was so close to his bare chest, she wanted to bury her face into the warmth.
Take a deep whiff of his masculine scent and maybe even get a taste of it while she was at it.
No! You know you cannot go there.
“Do you think you can stand up?” His breath was warm against her shoulder as he worked on the knots on the upper back. “You just need to stand, no need to turn. Hold on to me.”
With those words, she slowly slid off the bed, his hands supporting her hips as she landed her feet on the ground.
“It’ll be just a minute.” His voice was so soft, it felt like a caress.
She nodded, unable to speak. She was even more worked up with how close he stood to her as he reached around her to remove the knots.
As if she had no control over her actions, she placed her forehead on his chest, feeling his warm skin against hers.
Her chest heaved and now she became hyper aware of the knots that he kept working on and every time his fingers grazed over her skin, they sent a ripple of new excitement.
He is your fake husband, not a real one.
A voice deep inside reminded her but that warning was only registered by her mind. Like her body had a mind of its own, she ran one arm around him, moving closer.
“I’m almost done.” His breath was warm on the nape of her neck.
“How many knots are there?” She was going to take whatever she could get at that moment.
He chuckled against her, making her shudder. “I lost count. Gnarly situation.”
Her normal self would have screamed, Get-A-Knife-And-Cut-Open-The-Blouse, but something about being close to him gave her a comfort she longed for. She stayed close to him, rationalizing her wandering thoughts to how tired she was after all the ceremonies the past few days.
Minutes later, her chest felt free. She let out a moan in relief and felt him stiffen against her, as if in response to her touch. “Oh my God, I can finally breathe.”
He pulled back before offering a t-shirt, one of his. “This should serve the purpose. Let me know when you are done and I will help with your skirt.”
She smiled as he stepped away and turned his back to her so she could take off the blouse and slip on his cotton t-shirt which was long enough for her to make a night shirt. She kept her eyes on his bare back fighting the need to press her bare chest into his back.
She shook that wild thought away quickly. “Such a Gentleman. I still can’t believe you are single.”
He let out a laugh. “What are you talking about? I’m a married man. Married twice now to the same woman.”
“Right. Too bad it’s with me.” She was glad it was a dark colored t-shirt and it didn’t show the outline of her taut nipples as they tented the fabric over her chest.
“Your proposal was so compelling I couldn’t say no.” He was taunting her and she didn’t mind it.
“Ok, I’m done.”
With that he turned to face her but kept his eyes averted. “Can I have you unhook the skirt ? I can get you out of that.”
Unsure what he meant by that, but too tired to ask, she did as she was told and a moment later, she felt his hands at her waist gripping her before lifting her out of the skirt and back on to the bed.
She could only let out a squeal of surprise. He was a lot taller and stronger than her but she was no tiny girl. She was tall and curvy but he picked her up like she weighed nothing.
“Now, you can sleep.” He pulled the sheets over her legs like he could not bear the sight of them.
“Thank you, if only I could get your signature foot massage as I doze off.” She knew it was farfetched since he was tired too.
He only laughed. “I didn’t think that was optional for me to do. Be right back.”
She was suddenly not tired anymore. She was comfortable in bed and was acutely aware of his shirt over her body. His scent lingered in her breath even when he was away from her.
She took a deep breath to calm down as he came back. He sat on the bed by her feet and reached for a towel. He dipped it in the bowl of what seemed to be warm water, making her eyes follow his hands as they methodically squeezed the excess water out.
When he wrapped the warm towel around her foot, she let out a moan. “I am so glad I’m married to you. You’ll make a good husband for however long this charade is on.”
He chuckled as he pressed the towel around her feet, massaging her heels. She let her back fall on the bed, making it creak loudly as a satisfied groan escaped her. “You are awesome.”
“I’m sure people listening outside the window will leave now.” He let out a laugh.