chapter 12: Confessions and Cries

Archie's POV

"Archie." Kian calls me and when I look up at him, he attacks my lips while cupping my face in his hands.

I'm in sheer shock and stay stoic without reacting to him while he gently kiss my lips. What suddenly happened that is making him kiss me?

As if he heard my inner thought, he slowly pulls away from me before staring into my eyes with, what I could dare to say as, loving gaze while his hands still hold my face.

"I love you, Archie." That literally stops my world.

Did he just say he loves me? I really can't believe. It's all so sudden that I'm unable to comprehend anything that's happening now.

"I know it's all sudden but believe me when I say I love you because I really mean it. I didn't like you before, I hated how distant you were with your family, with everyone. Just everything about you but everything changed after our marriage. My feelings slowly changed towards you. I don't like when others look at you or when they touch you. I send general Tommy to defence department just because he touched you. I know he was helping you but that doesn't help me in anyway. I don't want you to be away from me. It was painful to see you hurting. And I hate when you cry. I always want you to be happy and smiling. The thought of you leaving me doesn't sit well with me. I want you all by myself. All these feelings were messing me up for the last few days. But only now, after Dean saying how one falls in love, made me realise all my feelings towards you are nothing but love." He confesses.

My eyes are already pooled with tears at the expense of his words. I never once thought Kian would come to like me, love being far from my thoughts. But him revealing everything not only making me happy but also proves my thoughts of him never liking are wrong.

"You don't have to like me in return, Archie. I won't force you. One should feel love from within not by someone's force. I'm telling you this because I want you to know my feelings for you. But not for you to love me back. I'll wait for you. If you come to a point of loving me, till then I'll wait for you. But if you feel otherwise and want to leave me, I'll let you go. What makes you happy, makes me happy. I just want you to live happily, with or without me." He ends his speech as tears flow down his cheeks at his otherwise thoughts.

I'm not any different from him though. My own tears are outpouring from my eyes and trailing down my temple. The book that's still in my hands, I let go of it, dropping it to fall onto the bed and bring my hands up as I pull him to me in a tight hug. Closing my eyes, I let out loud cry that gets muffled in between Kian's neck and shoulder.

"Archie, what's wrong? Did I say anything wrong?" He asks panicking while trying to separate us but I only hug him more tightly.

"Stop crying, Archie. I didn't tell you about my feelings to make you feel bad. I just didn't want to regret if things turn out different afterwards. If I knew this would effect you this bad, I wouldn't say." He states while rubbing my sides.

"I love you, Kian. I loved you for so long." I mumble into his shoulder.

Hearing my words, he instantly tear both of us apart creating some distance between us so that we face eachother.

"What did you say?" He inquires, his eyes filled with astonishing gaze.

"I said I love you. I loved you for five long years." I wail unable to control by cries.

Maybe he thought it's not time for him to pry and ask me more about what I said, seeing my breakdown. So rather than questioning me further and asking for details he simply embraces me again. With my body leaning upwards, I hug him back. I don't think I'm going to stop crying anytime soon. It's all so sudden and unexpected that it's making me feel overwhelmed. I hope and pray to God it's not just my dream and that when I get up, we're back to normal.

"We'll talk tomorrow, Archie. For tonight, it's just sleep." He says after few minutes while rubbing my back as I still cry.

He lays down while pulling me to him as he places my head on his chest and half of my body lying on him. I grip his woollen shirt tightly in my fist as his hands drape around my waist. My tears falls onto his dress and gets observed by the cloth leaving a stain on his dress. But he doesn't say anything about it. After a very long time, my cries recedes and I slowly drift off into sleep because of mediation and crying.

The next morning, I wake up with a slight headache and wonder why my head is hurting. Slowly opening my eyes, I feel different from my usual sleeping position and the pillows also feels different. I tilt my head slightly up and come face to face with Kian. He's gazing at me with a gentle stare and my eyes widen at our intimate sleeping position. Thinking that I might have moved towards him during the night, I try to rip away from him immediately but he stops me as he pulls me unbelievably closer to him.

"Why are you moving away?" He asks with his husky morning voice while he snuggles closer to me.

I stay silent not knowing what to say. Closing my eyes, I think of how did I end up in his arms only to open them instantly when yesterday's talk rushes back to my mind. I look at him perplexed.

"You remember now?" He comments with a knowing smile.

"It wasn't a dream?" I say it out loud.

"No. I confessed to you yesterday." He says while slowly getting up and making me sit along with him.

"Now, Archie." He starts as he makes us sit facing eachother and holding my hands. And I know he's going to talk regarding what I told about loving him for many years, "you said you loved me from five years, is that right? Does that mean you liked me from the time I visited your kingdom years back?"

"Yes." I reply.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He questions.

I hold back myself thinking if I should tell him or not. But as he waits for me to respond, I decide to open up and sigh out before telling him, "I was going to but then I realised you were there to marry my sister. I didn't want to be someone who ruin their sister's life, so I backed away. I always avoided you because I was scared I couldn't control my feelings for you or that it would increase every time I see you. When we married, I thought maybe that was a chance for me, for us but on the wedding night you said you can't be with me and that I should leave after sometime. So I thought I won't let you know."

"I'm sorry, Archie. I didn't know I hurt all this while." He apologises while wiping my tears that started leaking at some point of time.

"No, it's not your fault." I say because he didn't know about my feelings. Even if he knew, he isn't obliged to love me back.

"Now you don't have to keep it with you without telling me because I love you as well. That we love eachother. We don't have to leave one other, I'll never let you go, I promise." He assures with a smile and I nod at him, agreeing to him.

Now there's no need to think about the sad past anymore. We're together now, happy and content.

"Come on, let's clean up and eat breakfast. We need to fill your tummy and also you have to take medicine." He states while touching my tummy and rubbing it.

His eyes enlarge and he looks at shocked.

"What's wrong?" I question surprised, my heartbeat increases rapidly thinking about what he's going to say.

"Your tummy, it's so soft and squishy." He responds with disbelievement as he literally squeezes it.

"Kian!!" I exclaim loudly while pushing his hands off of me.

"Fine, fine, I won't tease you anymore. Let's go now." He stops his playing around with me but he still looks surprised at his new discovery. He smiles while climbing down the bed, "but your tummy is indeed so smooth."

He comments with a smirk as he walks around the bed and comes to my side. I gasp at his remark before keeping my head down as heat creeps under my cheeks. He lifts me up and carries me to the bathroom. We both get bathed, separately, and sit at the table to eat breakfast.

"Am I not heavy? Let me sit on the chair." I tell him because he made me sit on his lap.

"You're not. I like it this way." He replies while bringing the spoon towards my lips and feeding me.

"You know, I can eat myself. I hurt my leg not my hand." I state with a chuckle.

"I know, I just want you feed you." He says and continues to feed me while in between he takes few bites.

"I still can't believe you love me." I whisper while staring at his face.

"Why? Is it because it's too sudden?" He queries as he cleans the traces of the food on my mouth which we just finished eating.

"That is one reason." I agree.

"Then what are the other reasons?" He asks while looking at me and wrapping his arms around my back.

"Your love for my sister. When you told we should separate that made me realise how much you love her and that it won't be easy for you to forget her." I admit my biggest concern.

"But I never loved your sister." He says shocking me.

"What?" I ask with utter disbelief, "but you were so sad when you found out about my sister. I thought because you love her so much that you can't accept me."

"I was disappointed not sad but that wasn't because I loved her, I never did. As my father already fixed the marriage five years ago, I had no other choice but to agree. I was just trying to let the idea of us together sink into me and I thought your sister isn't bad. All the visits I paid to your kingdom, I never felt a thing for her. I thought maybe I would come to like her in the future. But in these five years, not even once I felt anything towards her like I feel towards you just in this few days. I wasn't even angry when I found out about your sister, all I felt was disappointment." He explains.

I might sound rude and selfish but the relief I'm feeling knowing he never loved my sister is beyond words.

"So, you never loved her?" I ask just to confirm.

"I never even liked her." He answers genuinely.

"But how come you like me? Five years didn't make you feel anything but few days of us together made you like me?" I wonder now feeling scared. What if he later thinks it's all just moment of feeling and that he doesn't like me.

"Just a second is enough to fall in love, Archie." He repeats what Dean said yesterday, "with the right person."

That breaks out a huge smile on my lips and I throw my hands around his neck, hugging him happily, "I love you, Kian." His chuckle echoes in the room. So, he loves me for real. No more further doubts because I'm his right person, just like he is to me.