Chak started pacing up and down the living room. His steps were fast, almost restless. It was the first time I had seen him so... tense.
"What documents did you have in the office?" he suddenly asked Kit.
Kit looked at him and shook his head. "No important documents – luckily."
I could hear the relief in his voice.
"Good thing," Chak said, glancing briefly at me. "We made sure to put all the important documents somewhere safe weeks ago."
At his words, I raised an eyebrow. "Where did you hide them?"
I couldn't help myself. Curiosity was eating me up, especially since I had the feeling that something more was going on than just a conversation about documents.
"Somewhere only we know," Chak replied briefly. His tone was serious, almost stern.
A slight anxiety grew inside me. What are they hiding? Why so many secrets?
"Niran," he turned to me, "please, go back to bed."
I wanted to obey. I really did. But something in his voice stopped me.
"I'm not going until you do," I said firmly. My heart began to race.
Chak smiled slightly. At that moment, he looked... tired. But also gentle.
"Go. I need to talk to Kit alone. I'll be back in five minutes."
"Okay, just make sure you come back in five minutes," I insisted.
"I promise," he said.
"Goodnight," I said to Kit.
"See you in the morning, Little one," he said in a gentle voice.
I stepped upstairs. I could feel Chak's gaze on me. It was like he was protecting me with his eyes.
In the room, I took off his sweater and held it in my hands. I sniffed it. It smelled of him. His perfume, his warm body, his... safety.
I pressed the sweater to me and wrapped myself in the blanket. One minute. Two. Five. Ten. Where are you, Chak? Did you forget about me?
Finally, I decided to close my eyes. Just as the door suddenly opened.
Chak entered.
"Sorry, I got delayed. Let's go to bed," he said quietly.
I didn't say anything. I just got up and went with him.
When I lay on the other side of the bed, I whispered, "Goodnight."
I felt his warmth as he cuddled up to me. His breath on my skin.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
A few hours later...
I woke up. Something was wrong. His arms were no longer holding me.
I turned – empty.
"Chak?" I whispered. Silence.
I got up and looked towards the door. It was slightly ajar.
Quietly, I sneaked out of the room and whispered again, "Chak?"
I crept down the stairs. My heart was pounding.
He wasn't in the living room. Not in the kitchen either. The office? Nothing.
"Chak!" I said a bit louder, but still cautiously. No answer.
I stood in the middle of the hallway. My thoughts were wild. What if something happened to him? What if he went somewhere without me? Why didn't he tell me anything?
I decided to go to Kit. I took three steps when I heard a movement.
The door... the secret door.
It opened, and Chak stepped out of the hidden room.
We both froze. He looked at me, as if he hadn't expected to see me.
"Why are you here? Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked. His voice was quieter, but a bit tense.
"You weren't with me. I was worried. You can't just disappear in the middle of the night. If you hadn't shown up, I would have woken Kit," I said.
My heart was racing. Maybe it sounded more emotional than I wanted it to.
He came to me and hugged me.
"Sorry for making you worry. I promise I won't leave while you're sleeping again," he whispered.
His arms calmed me. But I couldn't forget.
"Do you promise?" I asked him.
"I promise," he said quietly.
I looked towards the door he had come from.
"What were you doing in there in the middle of the night?" I asked, even though I already suspected the answer.
"Nothing... I just went to check something," he said. His tone was a bit defensive.
"Let's go to bed," he said and gently took my hand.
When we lay down in bed, I leaned on him and quietly asked,
"In there... you have all the important documents for Love Food hidden, right?"
He looked at me. For a long time. Then he nodded.
"You're right. I can't fool you. But... you can't tell anyone. Promise."
"I promise," I said as my eyes were slowly closing.
I fell asleep. In his embrace. At peace. But full of questions.
In the morning, there was soft light breaking through the curtained windows. Slowly, I opened my eyes and noticed that I was still lying on Chak's chest. I watched him for a few minutes, unable to help myself; when he was asleep, he looked like someone else. Without all his walls, without the seriousness in his eyes. He seemed calm. It made me wonder how many layers he hides behind when he's awake, how much of himself he keeps to himself. I touched his face, gently stroking it, when Chak grabbed my hand and softly kissed it.
His touch sent a strange warmth through me, like I was right where I was supposed to be, and it felt like everything else didn't matter. He held my palm against his face, then gently pulled me closer. Without a word, he lifted his head and kissed me on the forehead. "Good morning," he whispered softly near my forehead. "Good morning," I replied back to him, feeling something stir in my chest that I didn't quite understand yet.
"What time is it?" Chak asked. I frowned slightly, realizing I had no idea. "I don't know," I answered. "But you can sleep a little longer because I want this moment to last forever." I meant it. I didn't want to leave his arms, not yet. We stayed lying for a while longer, and I found myself drifting, not wanting to think about anything but the way he felt under me.
After a few minutes, I reluctantly got up and said to Chak, "Come in 15 minutes for breakfast," not wanting to disturb the peace we had, but knowing we had to face the day. I left the room heading to the kitchen, my thoughts still lingering on the quiet comfort of being close to him.