‼️‼️(Listen to this song when the lyrics appears in this chapter.)

I was sleeping peacefully, lost in the world of my dreams when the constant shifting on the bed disturbed my calm. Groaning, I opened my eyes to narrowed slits and found Evan propped up on the bed, his head resting in his hands.

I picked up my mobile and saw the time on the phone. It was 4 in the morning and darkness was spreaded all around the room. I had no idea what Evan was doing up at this time of the night.

"Hey," I whispered and he raised his head.

"Hey," he said, his voice sounded exhausted.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just go back to sleep." he said and lay down again to rest his head over the pillow.

I tried to go back to sleep as he said but the anxious look on his face made me restless as well. A frown was etched on his face and a thin layer of sweat was covering his forehead.

"You can tell me anything, Evan. I am your friend." I said, still lying on the bed, my body turned towards him.

"Friend?" he smiled at this. "I don't do friendships. Helena is enough of a headache for me."

"Well, unfortunately, you have a very friendly wife. Now come on, tell me, what's on your mind?" I asked, scooting closer to him. No matter how much he tries, he was still a closed shell and it would take everything in me to open him up.

"Nothing unusual." he sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked further.

"I often wake up in the middle of night and then fail to sleep again. Happens most nights in the week." he said and exhaled loudly.

"Oh," I whispered. This was not the first time I had noticed him awake in the middle of the night but I didn't know it was a regular thing.

"You can go to sleep. I am used to waking up early. Don't worry." he said and rested his arm over his eyes.

"How can I not worry?" I whispered. "Believe it or not, I care about you."

"Believe it or not, I believe you." he said casually and warmth filled me at this.

I scooted closer to him and the movement caused him to take his arm off his eyes. He turned to look at me with his expressive eyes that were filled with confusion. I don't know why but at that moment, he looked so vulnerable that the urge to kiss him overwhelmed me.

"Close your eyes." I said, propping my head up with my elbow.

"Why? Are you going to sing me a lullaby?" he said with a smirk on his face.

"Maybe," I shrugged and then ordered, "Now close your eyes."

Shaking his head, he did what I said. Smiling at how long his lashes were, I extended my hand and rested it over his forehead.

"What are---"

"Ssshhh," I put a finger on his lips. When he was silence, I took the hand back to his forehead and massaged gently with the pore of my fingers.

🎶Hold me close and hold me fast

The magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose🎶

I sang the lyrics of the most calming song I have ever heard. My mother used to sing it to me whenever I was stressed out and couldn't sleep because of exams. It never failed to release all the tension from my body.

🎶When you kiss me, Heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose🎶

🎶When you press me to your heart

And in a world apart

A world where roses bloom🎶

I massaged his forehead in circular motion, singing the lyrics to him. The expression of restlessness on his face smoothened and a sigh of relaxation escaped his mouth.

🎶And when you speak

Angels sing from above

Every day words

Seems to turn into love songs🎶

I took my hand off his forehead and placed it over his eyes in gentle sweeping motion. With other hand, I adjusted his arm and rested my head over it.

🎶Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be

La vie en rose🎶

I kept repeating the lyrics over and over again. Soon, his harsh breathing changed into softer ones and his pink lips parted slightly. Pulling my hand from his eyes, I wrapped it around his waist and closed my eyes like him. His warmth enveloped me and soon, I was lost in the world of sleep.

..........

The next morning, I woke up with a hand brushing my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes and found Evan gaping at me. His hair was ruffled sexily and his piercing blue eyes were penetrating through my skull.

"How was your sleep?" I asked in my sleepy voice and stretched my arms over my head.

"Great," he smiled and grazed his thumb against my cheeks. "Thank you."

"The pleasure is all mine." I grinned.

He reciprocated my smile and then lowered his head towards me.

"No. Morning breath." I placed my hand over my mouth defensively and he chuckled at this. Pushing the hair away from my face gently, he lowered his head and then rested it in the crook of my neck.

"Better?" he whispered and his breath tingled my skin.

"Maybe," I whispered and closed my eyes, relishing at his proximity. "What's the time?"

"Didn't check." he said. I was too cozied up to look at the clock or my mobile.

The hard countours of his hard body was moulding into my soft one, our hearts beating against each other. We stayed still like this until a soft knock erupted from the door. "Can I come in?" Cara's voice whispered from the other side of the door.

"Yes, of course." I said and pushed Evan away. He groaned at first but I finally managed to move his bulky body with my small hands.

Cara came inside with a cup in her hands, steam coming out of the cup. "I made coffee for you." she smiled proudly and presented it to me.

"You did?" I asked in a mixture of proud and surprise.

"Geena helped me." she grinned and I realised that Geena probably did all the work and let her take the credit. But still, a girl of her age was considerate enough to do this and it was great of her.

"Thank you so much, baby." I took the cup from her hand and smelled it. The bittersweet smell filled my nostrils and made me feel instantly fresh. "It smell amazing." I said and took a deep inhale, deciding to brush first.

"Didn't you make one for me?" Evan asked with a pout on his mouth. Guilt appeared on Cara's face and she lowered her head.

"Don't worry. We will share one." I said and passed the cup to Evan. Knowing him, he must have brushed the minute he woke up. "What would you like to have in breakfast?" I asked her.

"Anything but runny eggs." she made a disgusted face.

"What about omelet like Daddy?" I asked.

"Okay." she shrugged. "I'll wait for you on the dining table." she said to me.

After she left the room, I turned to Evan and he had a gloomy expression on his face. When I asked him what was bothering him, he replied, "No matter how much anyone try, there is an invisible wall between me and my daughter and it's all my fault."

"Any wall can be broken." I said and laced my fingers with his large ones.

"Not necessarily." he whispered and brought our linked hands to his mouth. He placed a small kiss on my hand and then hopped out of bed to take a shower.

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