Inaya's POV

I wake up, half expecting everything from last night to be a dream, only to wake up in the arms of the man I've given my heart away to.

Am I asleep? Am I awake? Or somewhere in between?

I stare at him blissfully sleeping. He looks so handsome and peaceful in this state: his even breathing makes him look calm, he has his lips slightly parted, his arms resting on my hip.

If I could freeze this moment, I would in a heartbeat.

I stroke his cheek gently with the tips of my fingers. "God really blessed you with beauty, no wonder so many want you for themselves. Plus, you're definitely out of my league but what can a girl do when you've snatched away my heart already?" I quietly laugh to myself.

All those times I tried to steal an innocent moment between us and prayed that he would soften up towards me finally payed off.

I turn to look at the clock resting on the nightstand beside me, it's only 6 AM. I slowly close my eyes, nuzzling my head in his chest.

Just for a few more moments.

• • •

My body jolts awake from the feeling of falling. I look at the clock, it's 12 PM.

I sit up and place my hand on the side of the bed Dominic was laying on only for it to be empty.

I frown and sigh to myself.

I did warn myself that this may end the second the sun rises. Still, the disappointment stings like a fresh cut.

I touch my head to smooth out my hair only for me to feel my scarf—I burst into laughter. "Oh my God, how is this still on?"

I slide off of the bed to make my way back to my room and back to my regular routine until I walk out of my room and see...

"Rose petals?" There's a trail of rose petals leading me to... my room?

Once I open the door to the room, the whole room is filled with rose bouquets. There's a basket of snacks and a teddy bear holding a note placed on the bed.

I quickly run to the teddy bear to grab the note:

You and I, tonight at 6. Dress for me and me only, amore mìo. It'll only be us tonight and no one else so wear whatever you please (or don't wear anything at all).

- Yours Truly

My whole body heats up at that comment.

I run to the washroom to shower and all I could think about in there was Dominic.

Dominic. Dominic. Dominic.

He has hijacked my mind and there's not a single thing I could do about it.

While I dry my hair, I think about how I really need to bring up the prospect of marriage to Dominic... I can't keep doing what I'm doing.

I may not be a perfect Muslim but at this rate, I might as well leave the religion. I've committed sin after sin and I've asked for forgiveness each and every time but how many times will He forgive me?

I sit on the edge of my bed. "If he doesn't want marriage, I have to break it off because without marriage, we have no future. It isn't only a waste of both of our times but it's also a sin."

It's as if my thoughts suddenly started to clarify, all the fog around it slowly dispersing.

I can think straight and I know certain things for sure: I love Dominic, I want to spend the rest of my life with him. But my love for my Creator is also just as much, if not more, and I want to start clean with my spirituality once again.

I sigh and stare at the note. "How is it that a few words on a piece of paper can send me into hyperdrive?"

• • •

The clock reads 4:30 PM. So I begin to get ready. My nerves are unsteady.

I go to the closet filled with clothes that Angela had filled out for me. I choose out a simple white top that gives off Victorian-era style with the puffy sleeves. I paired it with a pale pink long skirt. My hijab is a dusty rose coloured chiffon that I loosely throw over my shoulder after putting on a hijab cap.

By the time I finish my makeup, it's 5:30. I can't keep my hands still, they keep shaking. I can't sit in one place for too long, I keep pacing back and forth in my room.

The butterflies in my stomach intensifies to the point I felt like I was going to throw up and I hadn't even eaten since lunch a few hours ago.

Quite a bit of time passes by and there's a knock on my door. I open the door expecting it to be Dominic.

"Hey! Oh—hi, Nick!" My big grin soften to a light smile.

"Expecting someone else?" He quirks a brow.

I giggle. "Yes, actually, I'm expecting Dominic."

He looks me bottom to top. "You look beautiful. Going somewhere?"

"I'm..." Before I could say anything, he peaks his head over my shoulder to look inside the room.

"Did Dom do all of this?" He asks in utter shock.

I nod.

"No way! I don't believe this! Maybe I did this in my sleep." He says jokingly.

I laugh. "I'm just as shocked as you."

His smile doesn't reach his eyes though. "Be careful around him. I don't trust him around women. Especially, not around you. He can be a bit of a... beast."

"I think I'll be fine." I thank him for his concern.

"I just came to check up on you but it seems that you're doing fine. I'll be on my way, then." There's a hint of bitterness in his tone.

He leaves before I could say anything else.

That was... odd.

After Nick's sudden arrival and departure, I decided to wait in the living room.

I plop my elbow up on the couch armrest to relax my head on. I close my eyes to try to calm my nerves.

"How do you expect me to not take you back to my bedroom right at this very second?" Dominic's voice jolts my eyes open.

I stand to my feet in a heartbeat. "Dominic."

"You look beautiful." He says with the most charming smile on his face. "I see you chose to wear clothes instead of what I recommended." He smirks.

I'm already melted seconds into this, how will I survive the rest of the night?

"Dominic!" I blush.

His eyes twinkle with tease.

"Shall we?" He reaches out his arm for me to take.

I nod.

He leads me to his signature all-black Rolls Royce. My heart is beating so loud that I swear he could hear it.

While driving to wherever we were going, I was staring at his right hand that was resting on his lap.

I couldn't help but reach out and hold it in mine. He looks down at our hands and looks back at me with a grin on his face. He closes his fingers around mine and brings my hand up to his lips to place a kiss on the back. Then, he keeps my hand close to his chest making my heart flutter once again.

My God, I definitely won't survive the rest of the night.

• • •

He leads me inside a luxurious empty restaurant, where the host shows us to our seat.

Our seat ended up being in front of a big window, which overlooks a lake surrounded by beguiling forestry.

"This is so beautiful, Dominic." I smile while looking at the view.

The waiters already began placing down the food while I spoke. I thanked them for it as they finished placing the last bit down.

"I'm glad you like it." He says with pride.

"How could I not?" I'm astonished. "Wait... how come the place is so empty?" I ask out of curiosity.

He chuckles. "I did say it'll only be you and I tonight."

Oh... he booked the place out for us.

"And when did you plan... everything?" I ask.

"You ask too many unimportant questions." He quirks a brow. "It doesn't take long for a Belcastro to put things together."

I squint my eyes at him to pressure him to answer.

He sighs. "While you were sleeping, I decided to do something nice."

"I'm glad you decided to do something nice for me this once." I tease.

15 minutes in and both of us were laughing and smiling like never before. If I was doubting Dominic stealing my heart before, I can confirm it for sure now that it has been stolen.

Out of the blue, a piano begins playing through the speakers.

Dominic stands up and reaches out his hand towards me. "May I have the pleasure for one dance, amore mìo?"

I must be dreaming. I have to be dreaming. Things in my life don't go well, they rarely ever go well. How long before this moment gets snatched away from me too?

But, nonetheless, I take his hand because I want to cherish this time for as long as I can.

- - -

A/N: they're making my heart go 💓💓💓 and I'm the one writing it. 💀

Next Update: Wednesday, January 1, 2020. (SEE Y'ALL NEXT YEAR!)