I was so apprehensive about this chapter but now that it's done with, I can't tell you how relieved I am. I don't know if it was worth it but here it goes. Hope you all like it because I sure loved writing it!

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His eyes flickered as sunlight shimmered in through the thin curtains of the window. Groaning slightly, he tried to turn the other way, but his motion was halted by the weight on his shoulder and chest. Opening one eye to adjust to the light, Nakuul looked down to meet the tangles of black hair, hiding the face of the woman he adored. Involuntarily, his face broke into a smile. Surbhi's hair brushed against his neck as she slightly shifted her head to the pillow, arms still thrown over his bare stomach. As her face came into view, Nakuul's heart skipped a beat. With the morning sun casting an orange glow on her face and enhancing her soft features, she looked breathtaking.

Turning to face her, Nakuul leaned on one elbow and raised his hand to caress her cheek. His knuckles stroked her cheekbones like the touch of a feather, so as not to disturb her. He trailed down and lightly rubbed the corner of her somewhat swollen lips. She moved a bit, murmured something incoherent, before freezing again. Nakuul grinned and carried on with his task. He ran his fingers along her jawline and then the length of her neck, stopping strategically at those places where he had left his mark. There were plenty, he realized. Ovals of dark maroon that made him feel stupidly proud of his handiwork. Their white comforter was pulled up till her chest, leaving her bare shoulders exposed for Nakuul to explore some more. He traced her shoulder blades with his thumb, before stopping finally at the very crook of her neck. Her skin was extremely soft and sensitive there, and as he rubbed circles on the spot, she moaned in her sleep. At the same time, her bare legs brushed against his and Nakuul closed his eyes. This woman could really turn him on without even being conscious, literally.

Realizing that he was only torturing himself this way, Nakuul lay back on the bed and pulled her closer to him. He stared at the ceiling for a while, recalling some moments from the previous night. That brought a smile on his face and a blush on his bearded cheeks. Sighing, he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. They still had a few more hours till they had to wake up.

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When Nakuul opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see Surbhi looking up at him, her eyes wide and full of innocence. Caught, she averted her gaze and bit her lower lip, pulling the duvet closer to her chest. Amused, Nakuul turned to face her.

"Good morning," He wished her, voiced laced with sleep. Leaning down, he placed a soft peck on her lips.

"Morning," She replied. She couldn't meet his gaze and her cheeks were burning.

"Hey, why are you feeling shy?" Nakuul asked, cupping her face with one hand. Surbhi hid her face in the crook of his neck.

"Because, um, last night...."

"Do you regret it, baby?" Nakuul asked, voice panicky.

"No!" Surbhi replied hastily, looking up again. "Not at all, Nakuul. In fact, last night was..."

Nakuul raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue.

"...magical," She smiled, eyes lighting up. "Absolutely magical."

"It really was," He replied, rubbing his nose with hers. Last night had been unimaginable. He never knew he could be capable of handling so much passion, so much pleasure, so much love. It hadn't just been the union of two bodies but of two souls who were deeply in love. Nakuul knew that there was no way he would ever be able to let go of this woman in his arms. She meant the world to him and he had tried showing that to her last night, gently, by making love to her. He had tried to be as slow as possible to not hurt her, but their raw need for each other had been overwhelming and the night had seen them go crazy in the shimmering desire. It had indeed been a magical first time, for both of them. Without any prior planning, they had gone ahead, with only love and no regrets.

"Should I get you some coffee?" Nakuul asked as they lay there on the bed, not willing to get up. Their bare bodies were entwined and Surbhi was feeling a slight ache on her back and lower abdomen that Nakuul was trying to soothe way with his soft massages.

"That'd be great," Surbhi mumbled. Coffee seemed like the only thing that would get her out of bed at this point. It was well past 10 in the morning, but they hadn't really gotten much sleep last night, and although Surbhi would love to spend the day in bed, they had sight-seeing planned for after lunch.

As Nakuul sat up on the bed, he stretched his arms wide before throwing away the duvet from his legs. Looking around, he spotted his boxers right near the bed and grabbed it. Surbhi checked out the fine male specimen that he was as he wore his boxers, still unbelieving of the fact that he was all hers and that they had taken 'the step' last night. Before he could move out of the room, Surbhi called him.

"Yeah?" He asked, standing near her. She smiled up at him.

"I love you."

Nakuul grinned at her words and leaned down to place a sound kiss on her mouth.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

After he left the room to get the coffee, Surbhi lay on her back with a serene smile on her face. Every time she thought about how things had escalated last night, from their romantic dance in the beach to landing up in bed.... her face heated up and heartbeat accelerated. Nakuul had been so slow and gentle and perfect last night...it had been everything. He kept constantly asking her if she was ready; if he was rushing it; and kept murmuring into her ears how much he loved and cared for her. She had to assure her multiple times that she was ready and that he was in fact not rushing it. The timing and the spontaneity were perfect. The entire night had been perfect.

Surbhi had indeed hesitated though, but only for a second—when she had been worried about doing it without any protection. In the heat of the moment, Nakuul had barely been able to pull away for a second, to protrude a box of condoms from the bedside drawer. Seeing Surbhi's curious look, he had awkwardly admitted how Virat had sneakily put it into his suitcase when he had been packing.

Sighing, Surbhi snuggled into the sheets more. She smelled like him, the sheets smelled like him, the pillows smelled like him. He was all around her. She buried her nose deeper into the pillow and inhaled deeply. This man was driving him crazy and now that she had experienced the feeling of ecstasy with him... Surbhi just couldn't get enough of him. He was everything. She loved him so much.

Fully awake now, Surbhi sat up on the bed and stretched her arms. The duvet slipped off from her torso and embarrassed, she pulled it up, before giggling. Nakuul had seen her in her entire bare existence last night and here she was, feeling shy in an empty room. Shaking her head, she leaned over to grab her phone from the end table. In the process, she noticed a stain on the bed that made her face go red.

"Hey love, here's your coffee."

Walking into the room, Nakuul placed the tray holding two cups beside Surbhi on the bed. He saw her looking down all embarrassed, and following her gaze, noticed the few dried drops of blood, a  stark reddish-brown against the white sheets of the hotel.

"Hey, it's alright," He whispered, holding her chin and kissing her forehead. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'll clean the stain later and give the sheets for laundry."

Grateful, Surbhi nodded with a smile and kissed the corner of his lips.

"Could you pass me your shirt? I need to pee."

Grinning, Nakuul picked up his white shirt from last night off the floor—where Surbhi had thrown it—and passed it to her. She quickly wore it under the comforter before standing up.

"You look gorgeous," Nakuul breathed out. She looked so good in his shirt, he knew it was something they would have to make a habit of.

Later, after Surbhi was done in the washroom, she sat in between Nakuul's legs on the bed, taking small sips of her perfectly brewed cappuccino. Her back was pressed against his bare chest and one of his arms lay around her waist. They stared out of the large glass window, taking in the splendid view of the island their room provided. As Nakuul sub-consciously placed light kisses on the side of her face, Surbhi relaxed more into his arms. The two stayed this way for a long time, just basking in the lovely glow of the morning after.

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I apologize to those who expected some smut for their first time, but I really didn't want to write it. I'll give mature scenes in the future sometime but I'm personally happy with this version of their first night and I hope you all liked it, too. Now that I'm technically done with the first night, the story can gain pace and I'm pretty sure I'll have more fun writing since I don't have the pressure of 'first time' looming over my head!

(Chances are pretty slim, but I may sometime come back and write the 'missing chapter', if you know what I mean. But VERY little chance because I don't want to ruin it. Also PLEASE don't keep asking me to write it because that will just make me not want to?🙄🙈)