Dusk to Dawn (The Legacy Duet - 1)

𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖘

7 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖘 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗

"𝕬re you done?" Asfand inquired as he came into the room with a bowl of popcorn and a couple of cold drinks.

"I think so, but..." I frowned as I turned around in the mirror, trying to check all my angles.

"What is it?"

He placed the items on the table before coming behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders as he offered me the comfort of his touch.

"Have you noticed that I've been gaining weight recently?" I murmured as I turned to study my profile. I was dressed down to my underwear, stuff that perfectly molded to my body, emphasising every curve.

Asfand was suddenly silent as he studied me, his lips pursed.

"I'm not going to comment," he mumbled under his breath.

"Hey! This is a genuine question. I never used to gain weight before, something's changed."

All my life, my weight had always been the same. No matter how much or how little I would eat, it would regulate itself. Now...

"I have a belly, Asfand. I didn't have one before," I whined softly. His hands came to rest on my stomach, moving them up and down as he tried to gauge the changes. "You see me naked every day. You must have noticed."

"Precisely because I see you naked every day I didn't notice," he said pensively. "But you're right. Something has changed."

"Do you think I'm eating too much?" I suddenly turned to ask. "I mean, I have been binging on junk food. All those burgers and the drinks... Maybe I've been overindulging."

"Zee," Asfand's lips tipped up in a smile as he regarded me.

"I've also been eating a lot of sugar. I didn't have that much sugar before. The Gala planning and Taimoor's restructuring of the company are both driving me insane, maybe that's why."

"Zee, love," he repeated my name, but I was not to be stopped.

"That must be it. And I haven't exercised in weeks, I just haven't felt up to it. Ugh, my age is catching up to me. Being a woman in her thirties is no joke."

"Yes, you're three steps away from the grave," Asfand said gravely, his voice dry. "Positively ancient."

"Maybe I'm overdoing it on the chocolate. You know I'm right, but you can't bring yourself to tell me to stop because I like it too much," my lips ended the sentence with pout. "It's not funny! I'm getting fat because I can't stop myself from eating and none of that food has given me enough energy to exercise. I've been so tired," he coughed, trying to maintain his composure, eyes bright with amusement. "And I can't even bring myself to feel sorry because..." I trailed off on a weary sigh.

"Because?"

"Because I like indulging in food," I confessed, hanging my head in shame. "It's taken me years to reprogram myself and know that it's okay to eat. Oh God, mother will kill me! She specially designed my dress for the Gala... what if I can't fit into that dress?"

"Okay, you need to calm down love, I think there might be a secondary cause to this."

"What else could it be other than the fact that I have a food baby!" I burst out in indignation - not at him, just at myself.

Lacing both hands behind his head, he observed me. Content. Satisfied. Peaceful.

"What if you're just having a...baby?"

"What are you talking about?" I blinked in confusion.

"Darling, come on, come here," he swooped me in his arms before placing me on the bed. "Everything's going to be okay."