Previously...

With that, Zuber pulled the blanket over Kyrah, looking at her for the last time. Walking away, he stopped and hesitated. Rushing back to her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and returned to his room the next minute.

Zuber woke up from his sleep. What was that? A bang? He got up immediately from his bed, running out of his room.

Whack!

He hoped Kyrah was alright.

Rushing towards the source of the sound, he found Kyrah clearly frustrated. Her unwashed pink pajamas were wet and littered on the bathroom floor with a grain or two of washing powder on them.

She was trying to wash them, but to no avail. Her curly hair hung loosely on her shoulders, covering her face partially now and then. She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice Zuber standing there, watching her.

"Kyrah..."

Her head shot up. "Who is there?" she called out.

"Kyrah..."

"Enough of this hide and seek. Show yourself!" she screamed, getting fearful. She got up from her sitting position and exited the bathroom.

Upon reaching the living room, she stood in its middle, listening attentively for any sound. She heard a movement behind her. She didn't turn back. She clutched her chest, fear gripping her heart again. Her horrible nightmare started replaying in her mind.

More movements...

Then a whisper, "I am here..."

She turned around abruptly, coming face-to-face face with her nightmare.

"Boo! Got you!" Zuber said, and laughed merrily.

Kyrah's fearful face turned into a look of surprise and relief mixed in one. However, her temper quickly flared up by seeing Zuber laughing at her.

"How dare you?" she screamed, clutching the collar of his denim shirt. "What do you get by troubling me? Is this some joke to you?

Her anger subsided in a minute, and was replaced by sadness. She left his collar awkwardly, without meeting his eyes. She turned towards the bathroom once again, returning to "wash" her clothes.

Zuber stood there, speechless after her outburst. He didn't expect Kyrah to react this way. He felt that he needed to apologize to her. Grabbing a hair tie from the drawer, he reached the bathroom.

Kyrah looked up, scowling at him.
"What do you want?"

"I am sorry, princess. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Her scowl was replaced by a blank expression.

"Here, I got something for you," Zuber said, handing her the hair tie. "You won't get distracted."

"My hands are wet. I will tie my hair later," she replied with a sigh. "Keep it with you."

"Princess, I--"

"Why are you calling me princess again? Is it "Annoy Kyrah Day" today?" she asked, making invisible inverted commas with her fingers.

Zuber smiled looking at her. "I like you."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, I like annoying you," he corrected, smiling even more brightly.

Kyrah stared at him with a questioning glare.

He sat down next to her. Touching her hair, he clutched all her curls and tied them in a loose ponytail.

"I can make my own hair, thank you very much," she muttered.

"Well, you would have if you knew how to." Apparently, his voice hadn't been soft enough.

"So, you mean to say that I don't know how to make my hair?"

"Precisely."

"It's not like that, I--"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, cutting her off. "Stop arguing."

"Well, it's pretty obvious, I am washing my clothes," she scoffed.

"I can count the washing powder granules. No wonder your clothes aren't washed till now."

Kyrah pursed her lips, her face flushed.

"You need to use a lot of washing powder. This is too little."

Zuber got up. Standing by the door, he watched her amusedly. "I will prepare our breakfast till then. If you need any help, just ask."

"Show off, huh," Kyrah muttered.

"I heard that, Princess."

Kyrah groaned in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Princess!" 

Taking the washing powder box, she poured out some first. Then, she kept on adding and adding. The pink color of her clothes soon changed into a foamy white. She grinned at the result, feeling accomplished.

"What have you done!" Zuber shrieked as he came inside after a while. "You have emptied half of this box."

"You asked me to use a lot," she said with a huff.

Sighing, Zuber took the foamy pajamas from her. Opening the tap, he rinsed them vigorously, squeezing them to remove excess water.

Handing them back to her, he said, "A lot doesn't mean this much. Use according to a cloth's size and dirt meter."

"Aye, aye captain," she said, saluting him.

"Now go and have your breakfast. You must be so tired, Princess!" he said, stretching the "so".

Kyrah made a face at him. Zuber made even a funnier face in return.
She laughed loudly, shaking her head. She went outside to have breakfast.

"Looks like my breakfast has vanished," she commented, sounding irritated.

"Liar, huh."

Some eggs, an onion, and some spices were arranged on the wooden table. She picked up a note which was placed carefully under the knife.

"I am just for chopping, not for breaking eggs," it read.

"I won't repeat that again," she said with a smile.

She found one more note below a bowl. "I am hungry, please cook quickly," it read.

She got to work soon. Carefully breaking the eggs, she prepared two omelettes in no time. Feeling satisfied with herself, she laid the breakfast.

Zuber came in looking fresh as he had a shower. His hair was dripping wet. Looking at Kyrah, he flashed her a beautiful smile.

"Guess my baby is soon going to be a cook."

"My?" Kyrah asked incredulously. She fiddled her fingers nervously.

"Nothing! Pass me the omelette please, I am famished," he said,  smiling at her.

"This is delicious," he said, closing his eyes to savor the taste.

Kyrah watched him amusedly. She got up slowly from her seat and sprinkled some flour on his hair.

"Wait, what?" Zuber asked, opening his eyes quickly, his expression showing clear horror.

"If you noticed, I had just taken a shower," he whined, touching his hair.

Kyrah chuckled loudly. She sat down quickly, munching on the omelet, least bothered by his whines.

"Why you little--"

Zuber emptied a whole glass of water on Kyrah's head. Her mouth formed a big O as water dripped from her hair. She shuddered at the impact, sneezing wildly.

"That was mean," she pouted with puppy dog eyes.

"Don't try to act innocent, Princess. You started this."

"A little flour hurts no one," she scoffed. She untied her hair, drying them with her towel. Looking at herself in the mirror, she started brushing them once more.

Zuber stood behind her after some minutes, watching her make her hair.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching you," he said, giving her an eye roll.

"Why?"

"My wish."

"You can't. Go away!" she shooed him.

"I am not going anywhere."

"Fine, then I will," she said as she grabbed the comb and hair tie.

Zuber caught her wrist. "Like I said before, there isn't any exit for you. You can't leave," he whispered in her ear, closing the distance between them.

"What do you mean?" she asked, and looked into his eyes, searching for any emotion in those light-blue depths.

Silence filled the room. The only movement was the blinking of their eyes in an intense stare down. Their faces remained serious, gazes unflinching. Suddenly, Zuber's face lost all its seriousness, and broke into a cute smile.

"Your hair is unruly," he said, his eyes twinkling with delight.

Kyrah, on the other hand, remained passive. "Any intention of leaving my hand?" She lifted her hand clasped in his palm. His gaze flickered. Shaking his head, he smiled mischievously. "No."

He moved her forward, making her sit on the chair to face the mirror. Clutching her shoulders, he pointed at her reflection.

"Your hair is so beautiful... and so is your face. Then why do you let these curls cover it?"

Kyrah looked down, folding her hands in her lap, unable to answer him back as she was blushing furiously.

"Will you please hold your head high? I need to make your hair."

Kyrah hesitated. "I can do that myself, thank you," she said, removing her hair out of his clasp.

"Enough with the formality, Princess," he said, giving her a wink. "No thanks and no sorry."

"Same to you. I have a name, you know."

"I am aware, Princess."

"Well, I need to wash the plates," she said, trying to get up. 

"I have already washed them. Now sit, and don't move."

"But..."

"No buts."

Zuber started braiding Kyrah's hair. While making the plaits, his fingers brushed her cheeks twice.

Kyrah squirmed in her seat, embarrassed at having her hair made by him.

"You are spoiling my efforts here."

She wriggled more to annoy him.

"Stop it, Princess."

She chuckled and continued wriggling.

"The baby is gone wild, eh?"

Coming in front of her, he bent down, lifting her chin up. Gazing intently into her eyes, he tilted her face to the right side.

"Excuse me? What do you think you are doing?" Kyrah shrieked, backing away from him, her smile replaced by a frown.

"What did I do?" he asked innocently.
He removed a strand of thread from her hair and waved it in her face. Kyrah's eyes darted left and right, her face breaking into laughter.

"What were you thinking, Princess?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Nothing..."

"You are blushing," he said with a smirk.

She shook her head, smiling to herself. Zuber completed braiding her hair.

"Ta-Da! The ugly duckling has been transformed," he said, bowing down in courtesy.

"Hey! I am not ugly."

"Well, you certainly look better now."

"I guess so."

"No, I know so."

Zuber smiled at her affectionately.
Shifting under his gaze, Kyrah got up from the chair.

"Um, is there anything left to do?"

"Nope," he said, pressing the "p".

"I am bored."

"I have some books here, if you are interested."

"I want to draw," she said dreamily. "But if there aren't any supplies, it's okay. Pass me the books."

"How about I read you a story?"

"Geez, I am not a baby."

"You are."

"Haha! Suit yourself, kidnapper."

Hearing this word, Zuber grew sorrowful. His eyes hardened. He got up abruptly and unlocked the main door. Casting one last look at her, he left the house with Kyrah's puzzled expression floating in his mind.

Hi, people!😀 I love Zuber and Kyrah's bantering. Do you?💘 Let's call them Zurah, shall we?

Zuber leaves the house, leaving a puzzled Kyrah behind. What's wrong with him? What do you think will happen next? Comment in and let me know!😉

A big ●Thank You● to all those who have voted, commented and supported me. My message for the silent readers-- do comment and share your views with me.

Like this chapter? Please make me happy by clicking the 🌟 icon below. Thanks! Have a great day folks! Stay tuned for more...😍💝

VOTE, COMMENT, SHARE AND FOLLOW❣

                       ❤💙💖💙❤
                           ❤💙❤