12. things you said when you thought I was asleep ((ARIDAE))
Aruya shut the bedroom door as quietly as she could, and tried to slip into bed without disturbing her husband’s reverie. She pulled the blankets up to her neck to push away the night air’s chill still clinging to her and rolled onto her side to study Daeghun for a moment. He looked peaceful. Even happy. It was good to see him at peace. Hells, it was good to feel at peace. They’d both been through so much, more than their share, and to have finally found peace... Some days it hardly felt real.
Her hand found his under the covers, resting lightly atop it. Sleep was already pulling heavily at Aruya, but she was reluctant to give into it just yet. She was too filled with anticipation and anxiety. Though she’d not had a chance to discuss it with Daeghun yet, a healer in the village had finally confirmed something Aruya had begun to suspect weeks ago. It frightened her, but filled her with more joy than she could properly describe. Her business in town had kept her out late into the evening, and she’d decided to save the news for the next day. Even so it seemed to buzz about inside her, wanting desperately to be shared.
Finally, she decided there could be no harm in whispering it to him while he slept. She would tell him again tomorrow, when he could hear her. For now she simply wanted, needed to give voice to the words, as if doing so would ensure their veracity.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered softly, lips curving into a small smile as the quiet words floated into the air and renewed the flutter of joy in her breast. Satisfied that the words had been said, she closed her eyes and squeezed Daeghun’s hands gently.
