You woke up in the dead of night, staring into the darkness until your vision got adjusted to it.

A familiar pair of arms were wrapped around your waist, and you turned your head back to find Shubman asleep, holding your back flush against his chest.

He must've got home after you fell asleep.

You placed your hands over his, just laying there for a few minutes.

Then you turned around slowly, trying not to wake him up as you faced him.

Sighing a little, you ran your eyes over his handsome features, staring from the smooth texture of his hair to his chin.

His eyebrows, his closed eyes, the soft cheeks, the perfect jawline, with a perfectly clean shaved look, but you could feel the slightest of his stubble as you caressed his face.

Your fingers traced his lips and you smiled when he pulled you closer.

Shubman looked so calm holding you, his beautiful face radiating nothing but serenity.

And he was all yours.

Leaning forward, you placed a soft kiss on his forehead before pulling away, slowly unwrapping his arms that were around you.

He stirred a little, groaning slightly as you slipped out of his arms.

But you were quick to place a hand on his head, patting him gently until he didn't move again.

You looked at him with pure adoration, just sleeping there like a big baby.

Kissing his forehead once again, you slipped out of the comforter carefully, getting off the bed and making your way out of the room.

Shubman didn't seem to be affected for a minute. But then his arm searched for you again in his sleep.

When he couldn't find you, his eyes opened abruptly and he jolted up the bed.

"Baby," he looked around the dark room, trying to find you once it became clear that you were not in bed.

He pushed the comforter away, checking every corner of the room while calling every possible endearment he had for you.

You weren't here.

Shubman didn't have to be this nervous. But he couldn't help it.

What if all this was just a dream?

Or even worse, what if you were taken away in the middle of the night and he was so stupid to lose you because he prioritized sleep insignificantly over the love of his life?

He would've heard the sound of even a pin dropping, but as once mentioned before, with you, all his guard was let down naturally.

Plus, with all the security in and around the mansion, even a bird could not make it in alive. Speaking literally.

Shubman looked like someone had just told him that the world is ending. For him, it was synonymous.

Like I said, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat. He lost you.

He lost you and it's all his fault.

How could he do this?

You're his only purpose in life. How could he let this happen?

He would- No, he will die for you. How could he let you go?

How could he live after this, knowing he lost his heartbeat?

How could he-

Shubman's raging thoughts halted only when he found you in the kitchen on the first floor.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, and he wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead in the past few minutes of intense searching.

You were chewing on a few ice cubes when you found him standing between the dim lights of the hallway.

"You woke up?" You asked, still sitting on top of the kitchen island.

"Couldn't find you beside me," Shubman mumbled and walked towards you, immediately pulling you into his embrace.

Burying his face in the crook of your neck, he pouted a little.

"I felt hungry," you said, wrapping your arms around him as he stood between your legs.

"I was so scared," his words were muffled by your neck and you didn't quite hear him.

He felt like he could've cried in the past minutes.

No, he's pretty sure he was crying.

"Why didn't you wake me up, love?" Shubman asked once he pulled away to look at your face though the lights in the kitchen weren't on.

"You were sleeping like a baby, Shub," you answered, running a hand through his hair. "Couldn't ruin your beauty sleep."

The roots of his hair were damp from sweating as well.

"Sleep is not more important than you, jaan," Shubman said, keeping his arms around your waist securely.

"Sleep is important too, baby," you played with the hair at the back of his head. "By the way, did you look under the bed for me?"

And this might also be the first time you called him something else other than 'Shub' or 'Shubi.'

Only if you knew he was almost going to rip the whole place apart.

You couldn't differentiate between the cold sweat on his face and the tears that had escaped the corner of his eyes.

"Is the air conditioning not working?" You frowned a little while he just hugged you like a child in his mother's arms after a nightmare.

Shubman held you tightly and your heart did a small flutter again.

He hugged you till he could feel your heartbeat, keeping his emotions at bay.

You're here.