After a tiring day, the night finally arrived. All the lights had gone out; only the moonlight shining through the slightly open curtains could illuminate the room.
Bella tried to close her eyes, but the sound from the sofa every time Tristan moved made her unable to sleep, even though she tried.
Several minutes passed, and Bella opened her eyes. She tried to see Tristan on the couch. However, the moonlight couldn’t make her see him more clearly. Worry and guilt now began to emerge in her heart.
’Does he feel uncomfortable? Why is he moving every minute?’ Bella muttered to herself as her eyes still tried to look at him. ’Should I ask him to sleep in this bed?’
Bella took a deep breath as she looked at the remaining empty bed. She felt uncertain when she saw the bed was big enough for them to sleep together. There was still free space for her to put a pillow as a barrier between them.
’Should I call him to move back to bed?’ She asked herself while looking towards the sofa once again.
After a few seconds of thinking, Bella finally decided to call Tristan to sleep with her.
She would be fine if Tristan didn’t touch her tonight. But if Tristan touched her, there was a chance they would do something she didn’t want to happen tonight.
Bella swallowed before calling out to him.
"Tristan, are you asleep?" she asked in a low voice, worried it would wake him up if he were already asleep.
Not even a second later, Tristan’s hoarse voice echoed in the room, "Not yet. Why aren’t you asleep yet?" he asked. She could hear the worry in his voice.
"I couldn’t sleep—" Bella’s words slowly faded when the yellow light in the seating area turned on. She saw Tristan sitting on the sofa, looking at her.
"Do you feel uncomfortable? Do you need anything? Water? Should I adjust the room temperature—"
"No, I don’t need anything," Bella interrupted. "Well, I can’t sleep when I hear you moving every minute."
"Oh, sorry, Bella," Tristan faintly said; he felt bad hearing that. "I will try not to make any sounds. You can try to sleep again."
"Tristan, you can sleep on the bed. With me...and a pillow to separate us," Bella said softly.
Instantly, the room became silent. Bella waited for his reaction. Meanwhile, Tristan was shocked to hear her words.
"Tristan, did you hear me?"
Silence.
"It looks like you don’t want to sleep with—" Bella didn’t continue her sentence when she saw Tristan already on the side of the bed, carrying a pillow and blanket.
She couldn’t help but feel amused seeing the tall man who looked just like their son, Dax. When he feared thunder, he would rush to her bedroom, begging to sleep with her.
"Bella, I hope you don’t feel forced if I sleep here," Tristan asked seriously. He didn’t want her to feel forced; He wanted their current relationship to be natural, not forced like before.
"NO. Of course not. But..." Bella fell silent when she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed but not directly lying on the bed.
When she saw Tristan looking at her, she continued, "You can’t force me to do something I don’t want to. Like, touching me or... well, you know." She took a deep breath, unable to continue her words. She feels shy.
"Yes, ma’am. I’ll keep that in mind." Tristan’s smile grew wider. He turned off the lights in the sitting area and immediately lay on the soft mattress.
His smile still framed his face because he felt so happy that his beloved wife allowed him to sleep on the bed.
While Tristan was still trying to enjoy his happiness, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep, Bella lay on his side facing him.
Bella could see how tense Tristan was now. He faced the ceiling and didn’t move at all. She couldn’t hear his breathing; if she hadn’t seen his chest moving up and down, she would have thought the man beside her was a statue.
She wanted to laugh but was worried it would make him wake up and do something, like try to kiss her or more than that.
Gosh!
Just thinking about it, Bella felt her heart beat fast again. She wasn’t afraid that Tristan could break his promise but was scared of herself. How could she restrain herself if this hot man touched her now?
What happened in the past was still clear in her memory. Even though Tristan didn’t love her then, he was always gentle with her when they spent time in bed. He never forced her to make love if she didn’t want to. And every time they did, this man always gave her satisfaction first before his own.
Suddenly, Bella felt her body temperature slowly rise as she thought about their past intimacy. She struggled to put those moments behind her mind while silently taking a deep breath a few times, trying to calm her heart. She could feel how loud her heart was beating now.
"Good night, Tristan..." Bella whispered. She pulled the blanket up to her neck and slowly closed her eyes, trying to sleep.
Tristan didn’t dare move, worried it would make Bella even more uncomfortable. But his defenses gradually faded when he heard her gentle voice, like a melody in his ears.
He turned his head and looked at her. His calm heart was now beating fast again. A faint smile appeared on the corners of his lips before he whispered, "Good night, my wife. Sleep well, and I hope you include me in your dreams."
Hearing his own words, Tristan couldn’t help but laugh in his heart. He never thought he could say something like that to a woman. Only this woman, Arabella Donovan, could make him say such words.
Tristan slowly closed his eyes, trying to sleep, when he didn’t hear her respond.
However, as drowsiness slowly hit him, his eyes opened wide when he felt her hand land on his chest.
"...."