Naomi stirred slowly, her lashes fluttering as she slowly woke up, the gentle motion of the ship beneath her lulling her into a dazed state. Her eyes snapped open in surprise as she realized she had been asleep. The shock made her pulse quicken, and she felt the unfamiliar weight of her body being moved, as though soone was carrying her.
Turning her head, her eyes widened in shock when she saw Zylan. He was carrying her. His arms were securely wrapped around her, his large form steady and firm as he walked, his strides long and unhurried. Why was he... carrying her?
"Oh...my goodness!" Naomi’s cheeks flushed with heat. Her voice barely escaped her lips as she blurted out, "Z..Zylan!"
She lifted her head slightly to try to get a better view of her surroundings and saw several of the ship’s crew mbers nearby.
The ladies were all stealing glances at the scene unfolding before them, their eyes wide and filled with curiosity. As they caught sight of Naomi and Zylan, their faces flushed a deep red. Naomi could hardly believe it. Zylan had carried her, and what shocked her even more was that he had done so without waking her up.
Now, she felt utterly embarrassed.
Naomi couldn’t bring herself to et anyone’s gaze. Her hands flew up to cover her face as she face-pald herself in disbelief. How could he have done this? She felt mortified, utterly exposed in front of strangers. Zylan had carried her through the ship like so kind of princess, and now everyone knew.
"You’re awake," Zylan’s voice broke the silence, his tone light, almost teasing.
She simply muttered, "Please put down."
Zylan looked at her, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Who knows? Maybe you’ll fall asleep again."
The crew mbers nearby stood frozen for a mont, their expressions torn between admiration and curiosity. Naomi’s face flushed even deeper, her skin burning as she realized just how much attention they were drawing.
But soon, so of the ladies couldn’t help themselves; they squealed in excitent, their faces bright with glee. The others quickly shushed them, rembering that upsetting Zylan could have consequences.
Naomi wished the floor would swallow her whole. She was so embarrassed she could barely look at anyone. All she could think about was how she wanted to escape the situation entirely. She wished she could vanish into thin air.
She couldn’t believe it. She had fallen asleep in his arms. How had she let that happen? Zylan could have easily woken her up, but no, he had carried her like she was so delicate treasure.
Zylan’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts once again. "Just rest a little longer."
Rest? How could she rest when she was in this mortifying situation? Naomi didn’t understand how he could be so casual about it. He wasn’t even fazed by her embarrassnt. Didn’t he realize how humiliated she felt? It was like he didn’t even see what the big deal was. His calm, unflappable deanor only made Naomi feel more exposed, more vulnerable.
She face-pald herself again, her head spinning as the heat spread from her cheeks to her neck. Was Zylan really this shaless? It was as though he had no idea what it ant to be embarrassed. But then again, maybe he didn’t care. Maybe, to him, all of this was normal.
That thought made Naomi feel even worse. She was married to soone who acted as though he didn’t have a care in the world, even if it ant making her feel utterly mortified. What kind of husband was he? Was she just supposed to accept this?
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, Zylan spoke again. His voice was nonchalant, like he didn’t even realize how embarrassing his words were. "You don’t need to be shy. We’re married. Things like this are normal."
Naomi’s inner thoughts raced. Normal in hidden places, not in public. She groaned inwardly, her mind spinning in frustration. What was wrong with this man? She could hardly believe that he thought this was completely normal, to just casually ntion sothing like this in front of everyone. It was beyond her comprehension.
She murmured to herself, her voice barely audible, as she muttered to his ear, "Oh goodness, you are so shaless."
A smile tugged at the corners of Zylan’s lips, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Yes, I am. I am very shaless, a very shaless husband," he teased, his voice light, almost playful. Naomi couldn’t bring herself to say anything in return. All she wanted was for them to reach the car and get out of there, to escape the spotlight and the weight of her embarrassnt.
She was grateful she didn’t know any of these people. If she did, she would never be able to look them in the eye again. Her face was burning, and it felt like she might explode from the sheer humiliation. It was as though she was disappearing into thin air. She just wanted to fade out of existence.
Finally, Zylan stood up, and with one fluid motion, opened the car door. Naomi watched as he carefully placed her inside, his movents gentle yet firm. She sank into the seat with a deep sigh of relief, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease just a little.
"Oh,finally," she muttered, closing her eyes for a mont as she settled back against the soft fabric of the seat. Zylan closed the door softly behind her, and for a brief mont, the world seed to quiet down. She could feel herself beginning to return to so semblance of normal.
Zylan walked to the other side of the car, sliding into the seat beside her. The door clicked shut, and monts later, the car sped off, taking them away from the ship. A heavy silence settled between them as the car rumbled along.
Naomi turned to Zylan, her voice soft and barely above a whisper. "You should have just woken up," she said, her tone laced with mild frustration. It wasn’t an accusation, more of a quiet complaint. She just couldn’t understand why he hadn’t.
Zylan chuckled, his voice rich and calm, as though the entire situation were nothing to worry about. "I couldn’t possibly wake up my Eaglet. You were snoring so hard."
Naomi’s eyes widened in disbelief, and her hands shot up to cover her mouth. She doesn’t snore, she thought. No, she didn’t. That was a lie, wasn’t it? Her face flushed even deeper with embarrassnt as she turned to Zylan, her eyes wide. "That’s a lie. I don’t snore," she insisted, her voice a hushed murmur.
Zylan turned toward her, his playful grin widening. "Yes, you do. Like a tigress," he teased, his gaze locking with hers. Naomi’s face turned a deep shade of red, her embarrassnt growing as she quickly protested.
"Please stop, and I’m not a tigress!" she retorted, her voice a mix of embarrassnt and irritation. This conversation was getting worse by the second. She could feel the warmth radiating from her cheeks, and it seed like the heat wouldn’t stop rising.
Zylan smirked, clearly enjoying her discomfort, but he said nothing more. Naomi thought the conversation might finally end, but then Zylan spoke again, his voice low and teasing.
"Yes, you’re right," he said, his tone shifting slightly. Naomi thought the teasing was over, but just as she began to relax, Zylan added with a mischievous grin, "You’re my drooling tigress."
Naomi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Had she drooled on him? Was it that much? She turned to him, now regretting ever falling asleep in the first place.
"Oh, please, could you stop saying that? I did not drool!" Naomi exclaid, her voice filled with exasperation. She could feel her mortification reaching new heights.
Zylan smirked again, his eyes twinkling with amusent. "Yes, you did. I have to say, you’re one talented artist."
Naomi’s eyes widened in shock. Had she really drooled on him? Her mind raced as embarrassnt washed over her. How much had she drooled? And why on earth was he calling her an artist? That was certainly not sothing to be proud of!
Naomi shot him a pleading look, her eyes wide with embarrassnt. "Please stop, I beg you," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Zylan, sensing her desperation, finally relented. He fell silent, though the teasing glint in his eyes never fully disappeared. He didn’t want to kill her with embarrassnt, after all.
The car continued to roll on, the silence between them now less awkward, though Naomi could still feel the weight of her embarrassnt pressing on her chest. She just wanted to disappear and forget this whole ordeal. But for now, all she could do was sit there, hoping the conversation would die down and the world would stop spinning so wildly around her.
Zylan finally tucked his hands into his pocket, shifting his attention back to Naomi. Without a word, he pulled her phone from his other pocket and handed it to her.
Naomi blinked in surprise, montarily forgetting his earlier teasing. Had he taken her phone earlier? She hadn’t even noticed, perhaps because she had fallen asleep.
"Thank you," she said softly, her voice laced with a hint of uncertainty.
Zylan gave her a curt nod, his face impassive as always, and leaned back, his focus elsewhere.
Naomi turned on her phone, and the screen lit up, imdiately followed by a flurry of notifications. Ping after ping, the sound filled the air, causing her brow to furrow.
Her eyes widened as she scanned the screen. The sheer number of ssages was overwhelming, the majority of them from Rose, her ever-diligent best friend. How worried must Rose have been? Naomi thought, a pang of guilt settling in her chest.
But amidst the flood of notifications, one stood out.
Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze landed on a na she hadn’t seen in a long ti: Ares.
There it was—a missed call and a text.
Her heart skipped a beat, the rhythm faltering as a wave of emotions crashed over her. Ares? Rose’s brother? She hadn’t spoken to him in what felt like ages.
The text notification seed to glare at her, the bold font almost mocking her hesitation. It tempted her to open it, to read the ssage, but the re sight of his na was enough to unearth mories and feelings she thought she had long buried.
She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face them.
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