Wafa was shivering.

She curled up on the sofa in a very uncomfortable position and hugged herself tightly, yet the cold felt so unbearable. She couldn't sleep with so much coldness.

She looked up at the AC and clicked her tongue in displeasure. She wasn't used to so much cold and Shahzaib can't sleep without an AC. Of course, he was typically rich like that. She didn't mind it until yesterday. She didn't mind it as long as she had her warm and comfortable blanket with her.

But then a mug full of coffee fell off her hands just before she was going to sleep and now her blanket was reeking of its smell. She can't possibly use that. And Wafa was too adamant to ask Shahzaib for a spare one. He already has one that he was using and she had no idea where are the rest. Or if he even had any spares. She could go to the servant quarters and pick one from there but the gates of the west wing will be closed after eleven.

It's way past that and Wafa was left with no option but to shiver.

Shahzaib was sleeping too. It didn't feel right to wake him up, not after what happened in the evening. It's been a week to that long drive and Wafa could say things have gotten so much better. They were cordial with each other and could make normal conversations without fighting over every little thing. It almost felt unreal.

That is until this evening. Almost as if the universe was unhappy that they were not fighting.

They got into a massive fight regarding her internship. Wafa was still mad at Shahzaib and so was he at her. They both had their own justifiable reasons to be angry. Wafa sighed as she thought about it.

Her teeth were clattering at this point, unable to take any more of the cold. Feeling hopeless, she got up from the sofa, wrapped in her thin shawl that did nothing to help her.

She was going to walk out of the room, but her foot trembled in the darkness which ended her with twisted ankles. A painful yelp escaped her lips waking Shahzaib from his sleep instantly.

"What happened?" His voice was filled with the huskiness of sleep and she bit her lips before turning to face him, "um, nothing. Get back to sleep. I-"

Wafa blinked as Shahzaib was already in front of her, her breath hitched feeling his scent near her. She looked up at him nervously. He was an inch taller than her and his eyes were gazing at her sharply. Almost as if he was worried about her. The sudden brightness of the light made her close her eyes for a second before she faced him properly again.

"Why did you wake up? I said it was nothing." She finally managed to get out some words from her mouth, "I'm just wondering. Why are you so stubborn?" He asked in return. His tone was clipped and unfriendly.

Wafa feared if their fight earlier has ruined whatever friendship they'd created so far. It felt too good to be real anyways. She has gotten attached to him more than she'd like to admit and that was so scary to even think about it. This was not going to end well. She knew it from her heart. 

There was no trace of sleep on Shahzaib's face now. There was only anger. Probably because of their fight.

"What did I do now?"

She frowned at his question as he walked toward his bedside table and picked up the AC remote.

Her heart rate began to spike as he switched it off with a shake of his head and walked towards her once again. Did he just do that? For her sake? She stared at him in disbelief.

Wafa's legs trembled again, as he approached her. She was still a shivering mess, but now her heart was feeling heavy too. Something about the way he cared for comfort, made it so difficult for her to breathe.

"Why are you so stubborn, Wafa? If you wanted a blanket you could have just asked for one." Shahzaib muttered frustratedly as she clutched onto her shawl as if her dear life depended on it. Even though he switched off the AC, the coolness in the air was still making her uneasy.

"You were sleeping," Came her lame response.

"But you spilt the coffee when I was awake. You could have asked me then." He retorted with an eye roll.

"You could have given it too." She replied through cluttering teeth, still feeling cold. The fact was, both were equally stubborn.

His face turned from anger to concern in a flip second and he was touching her forehead now. She jumped at his touch, taken off guard.

"I'm sorry." She felt blood rushing to her cheeks, feeling embarrassed by her own reaction. It's just his touch. It was unexpected and there was this stupid wave of current she feels on her skin when he touched her. It's unexplainable.

"You're burning with fever," Shahzaib muttered in worry as he touched her forehead again, she didn't jump this time but her stupid heart skipped several beats as she felt his touch on her. She didn't pay attention to what he said because of the sudden closeness but realisation dawned upon her abruptly and her eyes widened a little.

"Oh. That explains the coldness. It's so unbearable." She whispered feeling very weak all of a sudden.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" He glared at her, and she glared back at him, not liking the way he was talking with her.

"Because we fought this evening , remember?" She hugged herself tightly, feeling frustrated. It was all his fault. If he knew she would feel cold he should have given her a damn blanket.

"Oh yes. And whose fault is that?" Shahzaib grimaced before shaking his head in disbelief, "come here." He was dragging her to the bed but she winced in pain which made him stop.

"What happened?" He questioned worriedly, Wafa could have never guessed Shahzaib Hussain was such a caring person deep within. Because he always has this scary bad guy persona around whenever they crossed paths in the past. He didn't particularly say anything to her but something about his aura was always unapproachable.

And to see him care like this for her was messing with her head big time. He's been messing with her for a while now.

"I twisted my ankle a few minutes ago," She whisper in slight pain. He clicked his tongue, gazed at her with a scowl and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.

Wafa blinked as she felt herself being lifted in the air, "what in the world?" Her hands go to wrap around his neck on reflex. She could feel those frantic heartbeats which thumped against her ribcage as he walked swiftly like she didn't weigh anything.

His muscles flexed as he carried her. Heat raised onto her cheeks as she observed his features from so up close like this.

Her shawl was messed up as he placed her on the bed carefully. Their eyes remained locked as he tucked her in his blanket ever so gently. It was the first-ever time that she was laying on this bed. It was so soft and so comfortable. And that blanket, gosh! It smelled just like him.

He touched her forehead again, snapping her out of the daze. Wafa got up like she was on fire and glared at Shahzaib.

"What is this supposed to mean? I'm not sleeping on this."

"Wafa. Stop being so stubborn." He held her hands firmly and made her sit back on the bed.

"Shahzaib." She muttered weakly, "look at yourself. You're still shivering and I am not letting you sleep on that damn sofa. I've seen how uncomfortable it is." He held her shoulders, not letting her move. She didn't protest again, she didn't have the energy left in her to argue with him but the thought of having to sleep on his bed made her all sorts of jittery and nervous.

It shouldn't be a big deal. After all. It was just a bed.

But it was a big deal.

"I feel so cold," Wafa mumbled weakly as he made her lay down again. She cooperated without any tantrums this time, "I'll just be back. Don't fall asleep, okay?" He asked gently and she nodded, feeling slightly dizzy.

Shahzaib came back in a jiffy with a sweater in his hands and there was also a small box. She looked up at him quizzically as he gave her the sweater, "wear it."

She struggled to unzip it and heard his grunt, "I'm trying to open it." She muttered frustratedly. He took it back from her and unzipped it for her. Her eyes were on him the whole time. His jaw ticked as he glanced back at her, she expected him to hand it over to her now that it was unzipped.

But Shazaib took by her surprise as he removed the shawl from her neck and made her wear the sweater by himself. Wafa felt too numb to respond.

He then opened the box that he got along, pulled out a thermometer and checked her temperature as she finally lay down dizzily.

It was too much for Wafa. His care was so genuine and it was scaring her heart.

She watched him silently as he frowned at the thermometer and eyed her sideways. Their gazes locked. Chocolate brown against hazel.

"102°. You're burning." He crouched down to her level and tucked a few hair strands behind her ears. Goosebumps raised all over her hands as he did that.

"I wasn't feeling well since this evening" She felt the need to confess, but couldn't meet his gaze.

He gave her a tablet that she gulped quickly and lay back again.

"And you didn't think it was necessary to tell anyone right?" Shahzaib narrowed his eyes as he stood up and walked towards her left, joining her on the bed. Her heartbeats rose frantically as she felt his presence so close like that.

They have never shared a bed. This new development could change things forever, maybe for good or even bad.

"We fought this evening, Shahzaib. I didn't think you'd be interested to know such things after that," She replied to his previous question and her cheeks turned the deepest shade of red as he joined her inside the blanket. Sharing the bed is one thing, but this felt intimate on another level.

Wafa's poor heart couldn't handle so much closeness and care. But he did leave ample space between the two.

"And whose fault is that?" Shahzaib clicked his tongue, "you were the stubborn one, who wanted to work for our rivals,"

"They weren't my rivals," she corrected him weakly, "They are your rivals. I don't know why it should affect my life when I'm not even related to you. Not permanently at least,"

His jaw clenched as she finished the line.

He faced her sideways, frowning at her.

"You're still my wife, Wafa."

Her heart might as well exploded at that moment. It wasn't every day that he acknowledges their marriage.

"Even if temporarily, you're still my wife," Shahzaib muttered that loud and clear.

"I'm not going to let my wife work for the rivals when I know how unsafe it is for the both of us. They could use you to collect confidential information. Why can't you stop being stubborn for once and work in our company instead?"

Wafa sighed, not knowing what to say. He was pretty selfish with that demand. But working in the Hussain firms sounded nice too.  It could be a great career boost for her. Her resume will have more value basically.

"Anyways, I'm not in the mood to discuss this. You should sleep. I'll call the doctor tomorrow morning, or should I call him now? You can manage right?" Shahzaib looked at her sceptically, clearly worried, "I'm better now. Thanks for the sweater. I'll manage for the night." Wafa added gratefully.

"It's nothing. Stop saying thanks for little things."

"Wake me up if you need anything, okay?" Shahzaib added gently. Her heart fluttered at his care and she nodded despite herself.

He switched off the lights and there was this darkness and silence that engulfed them suddenly. Wafa closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but knowing that Shahzaib was lying this close to her was making her all hyper and tensed.

Seeping like this was an entirely new feeling. A territory they never cared to touch.

Her toes curled inside the blanket, still feeling cold. Their thighs brushed as she did that. Heat rushed onto her cheeks and her eyes went wide in the darkness as she moved to the further end of the bed, but a strong pair of arms pulled her close to him again, this time there wasn't much gap left between, "you'd fall." He whispered making her shiver more.

"Why are you still shivering?" Shahzaib questioned, she had her back facing him. His arms still held onto her waist making her cheeks flush despite feeling sick.

"I don't know," Wafa sighed helplessly, "should I call the doctor?" She turned a little to face him as he removed his arms, she could see the worry in his eyes even in the darkness. It wasn't that dark anymore.

"I'll manage, for now, I just don't know why I can't stop shivering," She muttered weakly, turning her back again as she closed her eyes tiredly.

"You should have woken me up, Wafa. What if I didn't wake up," Shahzaib complained, spooning her into his arms. Taking her completely off guard. Her eyes flew open in shock.

"What are-" He silenced her completely as he placed his chin against her neck, holding her as close to him as possible, "you'll feel better like this. I promise," He whispered. She could feel his hot breath fanning her skin as he spoke.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Wafa couldn't hear anything other than her frantic heartbeat after that. He didn't say anything nor did she push him away. She couldn't get herself to do that. It felt like she was in a dreamland. But only it wasn't. She froze in his warmth.

"Sleep, Wafa." He whispered against her skin. Her heart might just have jumped out.

What in the world was happening to her? She closed her eyes but sleep was far away from her eyes.

They both were aware that the other person wasn't asleep but they continued to remain like that, in the same position. Wafa felt better with each passing second. She no longer shivered, but he didn't remove his hold from her either. It was weirdly so comfortable, cuddling each other that is. She would never acknowledge that feeling though.

Wafa didn't remember falling asleep but when she opened her eyes it was already the next morning. She sat up with a jerk as she felt herself in unfamiliar surroundings. It was the bed! She thought with a shake of her head and Shahzaib was nowhere to be found near her. Where was he? Her eyes searched for him. But he was nowhere as far as her eyes could reach.

Events of last night played in front of her eyes. A smile appeared on her face unknowingly. Last night almost felt like a dream. But it was real. As real as it could get.

Shahzaib cared for her.

Why was this making her all giddy? She didn't want to dwell much on it. For all she knows, he could just do all this out of humanity. And also because they were friends. There can never be any future for them. Her face fell as she reminded herself of reality. It was bitter but she can't let her guard down.

Wafa arched her neck to look at the wall clock and her eyes went wide as she realised that she was late for her first day at the internship.

"Where are you going?" Shahzaib's familiar voice stopped her just before she was going to enter the bathroom. He was still in the last night's dress looking dashing as ever, he carried some tray in his hands which he placed on the coffee table. She gazed at him for a while but snapped out of it quickly.

"I'm getting late," Wafa replied anxiously but he clicked his tongue, "you're not going anywhere today. Definitely not to that stupid Reza firm." His words were firm and clear like there were no words left for discussion. But she wanted to protest and argue. How can he just decide things for her?

This was the main reason why they fought yesterday. She announced happily about her internship which would start from today and he had instantly denied her ever considering it. She couldn't believe his audacity for being just a temporary husband. It made her even more bitter while thinking about it.

"Are you feeling better now?" He walked close to her and checked her temperature, her skin felt like it was on fire as he touched, "still a little warm. You should take a rest today, Wafa. Don't even bother arguing with me on this."

"Why do you even care?" Wafa finally asked that one question which was bothering her since last night.

Why the hell did he care? She gazed at him with anticipation, waiting for his response.

Shahzaib gazed at her softly, "you're my friend, Wafa. Friends care for each other."

Wafa wanted to laugh at his bullshit. Friends don't cuddle the way they did yesterday. Friends don't have what they have. She can't exactly put what they have in words. It's too complicated for that.

But he claims they're friends. Just friends. Why did that thought bother her so much? A week ago, it wouldn't have mattered like this, but now it does.

"I made you breakfast. Brush your teeth and come, okay?" Shahzaib talked like it wasn't a big deal. Like last night was just another normal night while Wafa couldn't stop herself from freaking out within. Did it not mean anything to him? She felt hurt at that thought.

But her heart melted altogether as she eyed the tray that he brought. He cooked her breakfast! Her favourite ones at that. How the hell did he know her favourites? She gazed at him and then at the tray.

"It tastes as good as it looks. Brush quickly," He passed her one of his charming smiles while Wafa could have just passed out due to the overwhelming emotions that were surging through her.

At this rate, she was already going to fall in love with him. And just the thought of it wanted her to bolt somewhere and never come back.

Wafa can't fall in love with him. Not even in the dreams. But Shahzaib was making it such a hard job for her.