The Art Of Love ✓

7.2|Rich Hearts: Awake|

Her eyes felt heavier than a mountain as she struggled to open them. She was neither awake nor asleep, somewhere in the middle. Her mind was numb, incapable to think. Something was forcing her to keep her eyes closed, but there was something encouraging her to open her eyelids. Her eyes were tired of this long sleep, they longed to witness the world.

And she opened her eyes.

She first noticed the golden chandelier on the ceiling, lavish and lustrous. Then she felt the soft sheets beneath her body and the warm layers covering her.

Is she a princess?

Like a real-life princess.

A soft touch on her palm caught her attention and she moved a little to look on her left.

A guy - a handsome guy - was sleeping on her left side while gently holding her palm. His gorgeousness was fascinating, as if for her he was the most good-looking man alive. Emotions like love, adoration filled her heart as she admired his sleepy face.

Her hand moved out of his hold and itself began tracing his soft cheeks. His beard was sending a ticklish sensation to her fingers, making her smile. Her touch disturbed his slumber. He hardly slept for two hours, sleep seemed stranger to him since she had closed her eyes. He could not sleep anywhere but her arms.

He slowly opened his eyes to look at the source of disturbance. And the sight in front of his eyes was something he longed to witness for the last fifteen months. His sleepiness vanished as he found her awake.

"Zuri..." He called her name. Trying to ask if she really woke up or he is again hallucinating.

He got up and moved closer to her. His one hand caressing her head and the other holding her palm.

"Zuri, you woke up?" He was declaring more than asking. He was on cloud nine to see her deep black eyes opened.

But something felt strange. Her eyes did not held the familiarity. Like she could not recognise him.

"Zuri, say something." He cupped her cheeks and asked.

"Who are you?"

Those three words were enough to shatter his clouds of happiness into drops of despair.

"Zuri, I am Advay. Your husband. You don't remember me?"

"I don't." Her reply was confused, she really did not recognise him.

She could see how his hazel green eyes turned red in a fraction of seconds listening to her reply. She could feel his heart breaking and she could feel his pain. She knew she had a connection with him, a bond she doesn't remember. But it's existence could not be denied.

Her fingers reached to wipe the tears that were about to fall from his eyes.

"My name is Zuri?" She asked, her palm resting on his cheeks.

He nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips as he felt her touch after so many months.

"What does it mean?"

"Beautiful." He said while kissing her palm, making her blush.

Finally she woke up after a fifteen months long sleep, with a lost memory but he knew she was still attracted to him. Her actions told this. And that was enough for him to give his life a new beginning.

He kissed her forehead and stood up from the bed, he needed to inform the doctor that Zuri woke up.

•••

Yaduvansh - or what others called him - Vansh. He entered in his room after a tiring day at the office. It's been fifteen months since he is in charge of the company. He always wanted to have this power. But now it felt more like a burden. His elder brother was devastated and it was breaking him. The same brother he thought of as his biggest enemy. He wish he could hug Advay for once and say that "Bhai, I am here for you." But he just didn't had the heart to face him. His red sleepless eyes would make him feel even more vulnerable as a younger brother.