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Iti

I'd just gotten out of the shower. My hair was still a little wet, clinging to my back and curling at the ends. Normally, I'd spray a bit of hair mist and be done with it, but today I reached for something older. Something heavier. My fingers found the brass burner, and I lit the incense almost without thinking.

The smoke rose slowly, curling in lazy ribbons as I moved it through my hair. The scent, earthy, sweet, almost ancient wrapped around me like a second skin. It felt grounding, like I was getting. I let the tendrils drift through the strands, weaving themselves into the damp weight of my hair.

By the time I'd draped my saree, a deep maroon that clung to the curves of my body like memory, I stepped quietly out of the bathroom. The room was dim, still soft with early light, and my eyes instinctively found him.

He was still asleep.

That alone stopped me for a second.

I don't think I've ever really seen him sleep before.. not like this. No furrowed brow, no tension in his jaw, no half-guarded movements. Just stillness. Peace. The kind of sleep that makes you believe someone's finally safe.

A smile pulled at me before I could stop it, so did the pain of losing that sight soon. Last night he gave me a lot of things to remember.

My eyes flicked to the mirror, and I looked away just as fast. I'd need to adjust the pleats, pull the pallu a little higher and cover the parts of me where his hands had lingered, where his mouth had left unwavering marks.

Funny how something could be so rough and still feel like worship.

I hadn't known gentleness could come in such wild shapes. He has a way of turning everything upside down without breaking it.

Trying to shake off the night that still clung to my skin, I grabbed the burner again and moved through the room, letting the smoke trail in my wake. It rose slowly, filling the space with that same deep, sweet scent, like old wood, crushed petals, and something a little darker underneath. Something I couldn't name.

The room shifted with it, quiet, slow, a little sacred. It wound around him too, brushing over his bare shoulder, curling into the sheets. Even asleep, he felt like the center of everything.

The smoke had begun to settle, the room warm with its thick, heady scent. I stood still, eyes half-closed, letting the last of it wrap around me. My saree clung softly to my waist, the pallu draped over one shoulder while the other remained bare. I'd gathered my damp hair to the side, letting it fall in loose waves over my chest.

Behind me, the bedsheets shifted.

At first, it was just the sound of movement.. faint, slow. But then I felt it. That pause in the air. The moment his eyes found me.

I didn't turn. I didn't need to.

"Good Morning" I mumbled, biting back my lips for God knows what reason.