Never would she have believed that a simple glimpse of his face could bring her such profound relief. Yet as she stared at the image on the screen that Mahi held in front of her, a half-smile playing on his lips, she felt a wave of comfort wash over her. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, and the gnawing worry that had held her captive began to loosen its grip. No amount of updates or reassurances from doctors and friends could have made her feel this secure until she saw him with her own eyes. And now that she had, the weight on her chest lifted, allowing her to breathe more freely.
With a sharp intake of breath, she narrowed her eyes, the flicker of relief quickly replaced by a familiar frustration as she grabbed the screen and let Mahi walk away, "Aiden Hawk!" she exclaid, her voice vibrating with a mix of anger and unrestrained emotion. "I ought to co over there and kick your butt, do you hear ? How could you do this to ? How could you put together a contingency plan where sothing like this could happen to you, and I would be forced to stay away?" Her voice cracked slightly, but she pushed on, determined to make him understand. "Do you really think I can just sit back and rest while knowing you’re in danger, unreachable, and out of my reach? What kind of twisted idea is that, Aiden? Do you have any idea how much that scared ?"
She paused for a mont, her chest heaving as she struggled to calm her racing heart. The sight of his amused, tired eyes on the screen made her chest ache in equal parts relief and irritation.
"You listen to ," she continued, her voice softening but no less serious. "Next ti you decide to play hero with a backup plan that leaves out, think again. I will not stand by while you put yourself at risk and expect to just be okay with it. Never again. You better be prepared for a kick the mont I see you."
As she continued her rant and threatens, Aiden’s expression didn’t falter; if anything, the silly, boyish smile on his face only grew wider. His eyes crinkled at the corners, sparkling with a mix of exhaustion and mischief. It was as if he was savoring every word she spoke, which only fueled her frustration. She paused mid-sentence, her brows knitting together in confusion as she studied his face.
"What’s wrong with you?" she demanded, a hint of worry slipping into her voice as her eyes roved over him, searching for signs of pain or distress. But Aiden didn’t answer. He just kept that sa infuriating smile plastered on his face, unblinking. Then, without a word, he looked down and picked up the notepad on the tray beside him. Finally, he lifted the paper to the screen for her to see.
"You are so pretty."
She blinked.
And then he looked down and scribbled so more, before showing it again," Prettier than pretty. My wife is the prettiest."
Her eyes darted from the words to his face, now grinning like an impish schoolboy who’d just gotten away with so naughtiness. Her expression twisted into an incredulous scowl. "What is wrong with you, Aiden?" she repeated, her voice tight with a mix of exasperation and genuine concern.
He rely shook his head, the smile never leaving his lips, eyes still locked on hers with an unwavering twinkle. It was infuriating to say the least! "Did you lose a bit of your brains in that accident?" she muttered, folding her arms tightly across her chest as she glared at the screen which was not balanced on the table. Aiden’s smile only grew wider, and to her disbelief, he gave a slight, playful nod and gestured towards his bandaged head, as if indicating they had fallen out of the hole there.
"Aiden Hawk!" she groaned, unable to keep the worry from breaking through. "If you don’t stop playing around and actually talk to , I swear, I’m coming over there myself, threat or not."
This ti, his smile softened, a hint of apology touching the edges of his expression. He shook his head again, this ti more solemnly, indicating he couldn’t speak. Just as she was about to stand up unleash a full-blown tirade, he looked down again, scribbling sothing quickly on the notepad. He raised the paper to the screen, holding her gaze as she read.
"Not allowed to talk. Doctors’ orders. Swelling in throat. But you can go on, I like the sound of your voice..."
Her eyes skimd the note, a dozen emotions passing over her face in the span of a heartbeat—relief, frustration, and an involuntary smile at his playfulness. She let out a sigh that seed to deflate her shoulders. "Do you think I’m telling you a bedti story, Hawk?" she snapped, her voice breaking as she spoke and she realised that she was about to cry! Holy shi*! She could not just cry like that. So she turned to a anger quickly. "I was so worried, Aiden. Do you know how terrified I was?" But thee sohow she shifted back to her anxiousness and blurted out," I just want to hold you, touch you, make sure for myself that you’re okay. Seeing you isn’t enough—I need to feel you are okay, Aiden!"
Aiden’s smile faded to sothing gentler, the teasing sparkle replaced by an understanding look. He pressed his palm against the screen, his fingers splayed as if trying to reach through, the silent gesture speaking volus. The space between them was filled with unspoken words, promises, and the deep bond they shared.
"Next ti," she whispered "there won’t be any ’what-ifs,’ do you hear ? You don’t get to scare like this again. No accidents."
He nodded slowly, the smile finally turning into an expression of quiet acknowledgnt as he looked at her and the slight moisture in her eyes that she was trying to blink away.
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