Shall Under Your Charm

Chapter 54

At first, their voices sounded melancholic, but after hearing them for longer, their voices sounded as beautiful as the birds' tweets. "Ryan stroked a child's hair on Farah's forehead. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Farah let Ryan propped her up with an arm, and gratefully received the water the man offered, Ryan never hugged her again since that night on a foreign island. It felt so comfortable that Farah did not want Ryan to let go and as Ryan moved to lay her down. Farah grabbed the man's shirt.

"Are you not going to sleep?" ask Ryan.

"No" whispered Farah. So, without speaking, Ryan pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around Farah's body, before carrying her to the chair in front of the window, where Ryan sat and hugged Farah tightly.

The large open window revealed a sky filled with twinkling stars and a dancing moon. Ryan covered Farah's feet very carefully, because even though this night was warm, but a little cold could bring harmful consequences for Farah's weakened condition. "If you're hungry" Ryan said.

"No." Cut Farah. The soft scent of Ryan's skin radiated from the back of an undissolved shirt to Farah's sense of smell, and he drew the shirt material that separated his cheeks with Ryan's bare chest.

When Ryan saw what Ryan was about to do, he helped the girl and gently patted her lips on Farah's forehead, as soon as the girl had coiled comfortably on her chest.

"I wonder what the popes are talking about" Farah said.

Ryan's arms hugged Farah even tighter and more comfortably. "Hmm? The popes? Unfortunately my whale's language isn't as fluent as it should be." Tonight the whale sounds they heard were sensual and warm.

And Ryan could almost feel the softness of their love game, the graceful ballet dance on the water, as two bodies wriggled in the damp air. It was a sentimental thought for a man who rarely once thought of gentle things like love and romance. Suddenly Ryan realized he was tired. The contact with Farah's body must have made her feel relaxed, and it made her wonder what it was like to sleep next to Farah, to float around in dreamland with Farah's breath on her shoulder. And it was a completely new thought for her, because even though she often laughed together and touched for a long time with all her lovers, the idea of sleeping next to them always felt unattractive. Ryan has a number of theories about it, and none of them are fun.

Farah looked at Ryan. "The whales," Ryan added. "From where they're down there, at the bottom of the sea, they hear that you're sick." There was a long groan. "You hear that? They were sad, so they sent a message to the Arctic rulers, where the North wind settled in the ice cave, to have them send you a cold gust of wind so you can feel more comfortable during your recovery. And, once you've fully recovered, they'll invite you to ride them across the ocean."

Farah smiled slightly, and gave a skeptical look, like a child who began to feel doubtful about a fantasy story. Ryan could feel the pull on his shirt as Farah played the buttons there.

"Ryan?"

"Yes?"

"This afternoon, when I woke up from my sleep, I heard you talking and-Did you have a fight with Keith about me? I know Gege thinks this room's better for me, because the air circulation's smoother, but if Keith's objecting to being driven out of his room, I think-"

"Don't worry. Can you stop worrying about us for a few days? It was precisely at Keith's behest that you were stationed here, and if there really was any other motive behind the act, none of us would have guessed it, until Keith told us himself. I don't know what you're hearing, until you take it as a fight. Does Keith sound angry?"

"Oh. That's." Farah's hands touch Ryan's cheeks, feel nervous and confused, and make Ryan wonder if it becomes a torment for Farah to feel as dependent as she is now to a man, who doesn't always treat her well. This time, honesty is better. "I'm having trouble sleeping, and Keith links insomnia to melodrama. He said I drowned like a bullet in the liquid of guilt."

Farah's head moved, Farah's hair felt like a caress in Devon's chest and abdomen, making his blood rustle all over his veins. As Farah spoke, Ryan forced himself to calm down again.

"What do you mean," asked Farah, "about me?"

"Right now, it'll be more fun if you don't remember that I was the one who scared you into pushing you to escape." Tilting his head slightly, Ryan swept Farah's fingertips to his lips. Instead of pulling his hand in shame, as Ryan had predicted, Farah's fingers pressed down on her mouth, gently exploring, as she swept her tongue against that finger.

"When I stole your papers, I didn't know they belonged to Andreas" whispered Farah.

Behind Farah's fingers, Ryan said, "When did you find out?"

"After. I started guessing it when I saw your facial expression on the boat."Then, in desperation, Farah added, "Can you trust me?" But before Ryan could answer, Farah groaned from the rain of pain. Efforts to think of sensitive issues like Andreasb made his head ache from malaria recur and his head felt like it was about to rupture.

"Where is sick? Show me, honey." Ryan's voice rang out, and Farah carried Ryan's hand to her head.letting Ryan's shrewd hand massage and soothe the agonizing pain in her head.

"Flood.... Right now, I don't care if you take all the letters I have and burn them".

Hugging Farah tightly, Ryan said softly, "I know there's no reason for you to think you can trust me, but for this time, can you trust me? I need to know who you really are. It will take a long time for you to fully heal, and you can be accompanied by someone you've known for a long time. You said you had a family or as I remember your brother? and at the club there's a guy with you.... Let me ask someone to come."

Farah was unable to think about all those problems anymore, and the temptation to be with Zac became too difficult to resist. Using the remaining strength she still had, Farah wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck, raised her aching head, and gently pressed her lips over Ryan's lips.

Farah felt Ryan's surprised breath, and the side of************ stuck comfortably in Ryan's tense chest.

For quite a long time, they hugged in the middle of that soft touch. Without letting go of the lip patch, Ryan held Farah up to the bed and pulled the blanket up to the girl's chin. When Ryan finally raised his head, he cupped Farah's blushing cheeks with both palms and stroked her gently while looking down and smiling as he watched the drowsiness drag Farah away from him.

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