16: Feels like home

...

"Give that to me!" I snarled at him and tried to steal the ice bag from his hand. I failed for the third time.

He pinned it harder against my toes that made me cringed more in pain while he locked my leg within his arm like a hostage. I couldn't move a bit.

"I hate you!" I kicked him with my free leg but he caught it using his other arm. Within two seconds, my legs were both trapped by his arm. His forearm was over my knees stopping me from making any unnecessary movement. I squealed in frustration as I almost fell in the floor if I didn't have a good grip on the counter top's edge.

Marcus didn't budge and continued massaging my toes and foot with the ice bag he quickly got from one of the overhead cabinets and swiftly filled it with ice a few minutes earlier. His fingers were busy caressing every swollen area of my already injured right foot.

First, it was my forehead. Then, my knee and right ankle. And now, my right foot and toes.

Darn!

"I really hate you!"

"You've been saying that the entire night."

Marcus didn't care raising his gaze to see my flustered face and was too engrossed dealing with my injury.

"Oh, you did notice, huh?"

He didn't answer back.

"This was your fault. Again!"

He remained quiet.

I pouted. "If you didn't just sneak out like a ghost here in the kitchen, I wouldn't end up like this."

"Well, I wasn't the one sneaking around the kitchen in the middle of the night, acting like a burglar, trying to steal some leftovers." He unexpectedly retorted yet still avoided looking at my face.

"Grrr!!! I was hungry because you spoilt my dinner!"

"You were hungry because you didn't eat right. You preferred wine than real food, lady."

My eyes widened as I remembered my precious wine.

"You stopped them from serving me wine!"

"Because you get drunk too easily."

"I know how to handle my alcohol, Mister."

"Still. You should have eaten a decent meal first before you've taken your dose of alcohol, Missus."

"I couldn't eat right because you kept on glaring at me!"

He turned to me.

"I wasn't glaring. I was just looking."

"You we're staring!"

"Appreciating." He insisted.

What?!

"Appreciating?"

Then he turned away again. He took the ice bag and placed it on the sink.

"What were you appreciating then?" I asked.

My curiosity kicked in.

He turned on the faucet, discarded the melted ice and washed the reusable ice bag.

"Some munter sitting beside me." He gave me a sideway glance.

"What did you say?!" I raised my voice and jumped on my feet. Totally forgetting about my injury.

"Watch out!"

The next thing I knew, I was lying on top of Marcus while he was on his back against the cold floor. My cheeks were against his chest, his arm supporting my back and my hands pressed down on his sides.

It was a relief that Marcus was fast enough to break my fall.

"Is this a new habit of yours?" He was referring to the series of injuries I sustained for the past 12 hours since I arrived. "Cause if you do, I might as well restrain you in bed starting tonight to prevent any future injuries."

I raised my face and glared at him.

"You perv! Get off me!" I struggled but his arm on my back drew me even closer to his.

"Let me go!" I pounced his chest several times. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Hate me all you want but don't get hurt in my watch."

I paused. My hands were suspended half way through on hitting his chest once more.

I stared at his serious face.

The dim light coming from the kitchen lamp only highlighted Marcus' impressive facial features even more especially now that we were in this kind of awkward situation. Somehow, having him near like this, staring at his face this close made me want to pull myself even closer to him. For some unknown reasons, I found my own eyes surveying across his serious handsome face as I watched his dark bluish eyes wandered across my face too. In a second, a flicker of different emotions playing all together at the same time flashed through it.

I put my arms down.

Those emotions. What are they all about?

I couldn't keep it steady and suddenly felt shy so I looked away and rested my cheek against his chest. The loud beating of his heart radiated through my skin. It was like a melody my heart ached to hear for a very long time. His breathing was calm, though. Yet I felt that our breathing was in sync as if we were breathing as one.

For a brief moment, I thought we were just one person.

I couldn't hear my own heartbeat and feel my own breathing.

How could that be possible?

I closed my eyes and let myself drift away by his calm breathing, steady but loud heartbeat and warm embrace.

We didn't say a word and let our breathing and heartbeats speak on its own.

The silence embraced our every inhale and exhale. It carried us to a world only our hearts could tell.

It was a weird feeling but somehow, I felt safe. Somehow, it feels like home.

"The next time you get hungry in the middle of the night, call me."

I opened my eyes and moved away.

What was I even doing?

I constantly blinked my eyes trying to comprehend our situation and looked nervously at him.

"Never! Why would I do that? No! I won't call you!"

He sighed and adjusted his arms around my waist.

"Fine. Call the servants, instead. Just don't go sneaking around like this acting cool because it wasn't. If you do something like this again, I'm serious. I will tie you in bed, both arms and legs."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. Just putting necessary measure to stop my wife getting further injuries on her lovely body." He gently squeezed my waist and slyly grinned at me. I shuddered at the weird sensation it brought upon me. I felt some unfamiliar shivers running down my spine.

"What the--???"

I protested but it was no use. He just pressed my body harder and closer to his as if he was afraid of letting me go.

He dipped his head and kissed my temple.

"What are you doing?"