A Long Night

I am awakened by the sudden movement of his arms as they pull me closer into a tight embrace. I open my eyes and I look around as I listen to the wind blowing through the trees outside, breaking the silence of the night. My room is dark with a slight tint of moonlight shining through the curtains. I can make out the shadows of the objects spread across the room.
I turn towards him and I curl up into his arms, letting the tips of my fingers move across the bare skin of his chest as the soft sound of his breath leaves a trail of serenity in the air, making it warmer. I move closer and I bury my face in his chest as my hands stretch across his body and encircle his waist. I can feel his warmth against my skin as I close my eyes trying to figure out the faint sound of his heartbeat. The sound becomes clearer and makes my heart beat faster than usual. I start to recall the way he made love to me. The way his skin brushed against mine. The way his touch electrified every cell in my body. The way his love seeped through my skin and fixed all the broken pieces that were buried deep inside. The way he whispered my name every time he kissed every inch of my skin. The way his breath continued to mix with mine as he slipped his fingers through my hair. The way he bit my lips, making me crave his presence harder than ever. The way he came to me in pieces and existed in me, whole.

I start to wonder how my fear of the dark faded into oblivion as the days spent with this man turned into months. I wonder how this man dreamed all my dreams and starved all my fears away. I wonder what he saw in my eyes the day he fell in love with me. And as my thoughts continue to escape my mind, I can still hear his heart beat against mine. The beats of his heart float through my ribs and touch my heart, like a wave crashes against the sea shores marking it’s territory. It’s like the song of our union is being sung by the universe, but we are the only ones who can hear it.

He moves away suddenly, and now he is facing me. He pulls me towards himself. I see his eyes glistening in the dark. He smiles at me as he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. I continue to look into his eyes gleaming with mystery, and he whispers to me, “I’ll love you forever”. The smile on my face widens as I say, “And I’ll love you even when forever starts to end”. I carefully place my hand on his cheek and move forward to caress his lips, and in that very moment, I realise what I hold so dear in this man. It’s his heart, that has polished my mirror. It’s the way his soul touches mine, as it dances through my ventricles and flows through my affections. It’s the way his existence overshadows the absence of every little thing. And it’s the way he resides in the depth of my mind, smothering my thoughts, and indulging in my dreams.

He pins me down and moves above me as he kisses the corner of my eye. He moves down and places another soft peck on my cheek and on my neck as a whiff of his breath escapes his mouth and bounces onto my skin. And then he kisses my mouth as my arms hold him tight, my nails digging into his skin. He crushes his body tighter against mine, but at the same time, he holds me like I am something fragile. I let my fingers comb through his hair; his breath fills me. And when his body starts to move against mine, I surrender. I pull his body over mine like an eclipse of the sun; my last conscious thought begins to escape my mind. And just when I think his mouth cannot be more enticing, he says my name.

- Tanzeela.