Luke stared at her in disbelief as Naila crawled further into his bed wearing a black lace-trimmed navyblue satin shorts and sleeveless strappy top, exposing her neckline, arms, upper chest, pulling the blanket over herself as though she had every right to be there.
"Naila?" he called softly.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she shifted onto her side, buried her face into his pillow, and let out a tiny, contented sigh.
Luke blinked.
"Hey." He leaned forward slightly. "This isn't your room." His heart pounded fast.
Naila slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were half-closed, her expression adorably confused.
"Mm. I know." She looked at him.
"Then why are you in my bed?"
She looked at him for a long moment, as though the question required considerable thought.
"Because you're here, alone. And it is crowded there,"
Luke fell silent.
He hadn't expected that. He bit his lower lip wondering what to do.
A faint smile tugged at his lips then, but he quickly suppressed it. "You're clearly making a drunken mistake."
"No, I'm just sleepy." She replied.
"You're both." He tucked her hair behind her ears. He stared a second longer at tiny black mole below her lips on the right side of her chin.
She frowned at him. "You're talking too much."
Luke let out a quiet laugh, pulling himself back to reality, lowering the towel onto his lap. "That's a first. Usually, I'm the one who doesn't talk enough."
Naila shifted again, making room beside her. Then she patted the empty space.
"Come here." She pulled his left hand. "Sleep."
He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" His heart skipped a beat.
"You're sitting so far away." She said in a sleepy way. He enjoyed watching drunk Naila but her actions killed him inside, stirring those forgotten feelings, bringing them back alive, this time a lot more stronger than before.
"I'm sitting on this very own bed." He laughed.
"Exactly."
Luke shook his head, a smile lingering on his face. He was beginning to understand that reasoning with a drunk Naila was going to be a rather difficult task along with being adorable.
"Listen," he said gently. "You should go back to your room. Jean and the others are there. They shouldn't find you here,"
Naila's expression changed.
She reached for the edge of his sleeve and held it between her fingers, pulling himself closer.
"Don't go." Suddenly she sounded serious. Her eyes had tears.
Luke's smile slowly faded as their eyes locked.
Her voice had been so quiet. And for a brief moment, beneath the drunkenness, he caught a glimpse of something fragile in her.
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her. He touched her cheek with the back of his finger.
She looked up at him. A tear drop trickled down her eyes.
"Promise?" She asked hopefully.
Luke hesitated before nodding. He didn't know what to do, what she meant. He slowly wiped off her tears.
"Promise." He then replied.
"Next time when there is something in your heart, would you share it with me first?" She asked a serious question out of the blue. "I want to know. I should be the one to know first. Not others."
Luke was surprised once again. He nodded. "Yes." But he did not understand what she meant.
Satisfied, Naila loosened her grip on his sleeve but didn't let go completely. Her eyes began to close again.
Luke watched her for a moment, his heart unexpectedly softening.
He gently pulled the blanket higher over her shoulders, covering her, to hide hus view, to not wake the monster in him.
"Naila," he whispered. "You really are something."
She hummed in response. "Hmm hmm.."
Just as he was about to get up and fetch some water, her fingers tightened around his sleeve once more.
Luke looked down.
"Now what?"
Without opening her eyes, she murmured, "Stay until I fall asleep. I feel terrible," she opened up.
He stood completely still.
Then, with a quiet sigh and a smile he couldn't quite hide, Luke sat down beside her.
"Just until you fall asleep," he whispered.
Naila smiled faintly.
And Luke, who had spent the entire evening stealing glances at her, found himself sitting beside her in the quiet of his room, wondering how someone could make his heart feel so full without even being aware of it. He tucked her hair behind her ears again.
"Only if I had known," she mumbled in her sleep.
"Know what?" He asked her softly. But she left him hanging.
Naila slowly drifted into sleep. Luke remained beside her, watching her for a little longer. Her fingers were still loosely wrapped around his hand, but as sleep deepened, her grip gradually weakened. When her hand finally slipped from his, he gently caught it before it could fall.
He carefully tucked her hand beneath the blanket, making sure she was comfortable. For a moment, he simply gazed at her peaceful face, his heart swelling with emotions he could no longer keep to himself.
He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
Naila slept peacefully, oblivious to the quiet affection he had just revealed.
She had no idea where she was.
It was only when the noise outside the room gradually pulled her from her sleep that she began to stir. Something felt different. The bed was unfamiliar, the surroundings strange.
Then reality hit her.
"This is not my room!"
The words escaped louder than she had intended, startling Luke awake beside her.
Naila froze.
Slowly, she turned to her left, only to find Luke lying barely an inch away from her. Their faces were so close that the slightest movement would bring them into contact.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, asking the most ridiculous question she could think of.
Luke, still half-asleep, looked directly into her eyes.
"I should be the one asking you that, Miss," he replied, his voice low and slightly husky with sleep.
Naila felt heat rush to her cheeks.
*What am I doing here?*
She hurriedly sat up, clutching the blanket to her neck. Her gaze darted beneath it as she discreetly checked whether her clothes were still in place.
Luke noticed.
He pressed his lips together, struggling to suppress a smile.
"How did I get here?" she demanded, turning back to him. "And why did you let me stay? Did something happen between us…?"
Her voice faltered.
"No…" she whispered.
She released the blanket and covered her face with both hands, feeling embarrassed.
Luke's smile widened.
The satin nightwear was thin enough for him to see the outline of her body, and he could tell exactly how pretty things looked. Worse, Naila realised he had noticed her.
She immediately pulled the blanket up again.
"What are you looking at?" she demanded, striking his arm a couple of times.
"Ouch! Ow!" Luke winced dramatically, rubbing his arm. "I didn't intentionally look at you. I was just..."
"Just what?" Naila glared at him, unconvinced.
Luke caught both her hands before she could land another blow. He gently lifted them, holding them still between his own.
"Will you let me finish?" he asked, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
Naila opened her mouth to retort, but *Knock. Knock.* someone knocked the door.
Both of them turned towards the door.
Luke's expression changed instantly.
"Hide," he ordered.