Heartfelt - An Arranged Marriage with a Billionaire

Chapter 14 - Closer

Naomi pov:

Oh goodness....there was only one bed.

I swallowed thickly and eyed the thick fluffy bed that sat in the middle of the cruise ship's luxury suite. I was sitting on the loveseat that was placed a little away from the bed, waiting while Kazuo san washed up. My face was still warm and my heart was still pounding faster than normal because of the rather passionate kiss we had shared on the deck just moments earlier and if I had to sleep right next to Kazuo san now, I don't know if my heart could take it. I was super flustered.

I stood up reflexively when Kazuo san exited the bathroom. He had showered and he was rubbing the water out of his hair with a towel. He wore casual clothes – a loose t-shirt and baggy jogging pants. He looked different from how he did in his formal attire but just as handsome and it flustered me. I averted my eyes and fiddled with the hem of my dress awkwardly.

"You can wash up, Naomi." Kazuo san said and I nodded without looking at him and scuttled into the bathroom with a towel and a change of clothes in hand.

I leaned against the door for a few minutes with my eyes closed, taking deep breaths to try and calm down. I couldn't calm down much though so I proceeded to take a quick shower whilst in a daze. I put on my night clothes – a t-shirt and capris pants – and exited the bathroom shyly. I spotted Kazuo san sitting on the bed, leaning back against pillows propped up against the headboard and his legs stretched in front, and he was looking through something on his phone. He looked up at me as I shut the bathroom door and I blushed again while averting my eyes.

I hung to towel to dry and sat on the edge of the bed while keeping a good distance from Kazuo san. I swallowed thickly and once again twiddled my fingers while staring at the floor, unsure of what to say or do. Kazuo san sighed and I heard shuffling as he got off the bed, walked around it and came to stand barely a foot away from me. I tensed and stood up instantly, though keeping my eyes averted, but my eyes went wide when he cupped my face gently with one hand and lifted my head so I would look at him when he spoke.

"If you're uncomfortable, I can sleep on the couch."

"Ah, n-no, it's alright if we share." I mumbled and he nodded with a small smile making its way onto his lips.

He let go of my face and coaxed me to get under the thick blanket. He followed suit on the other side and we lay down on our backs. I pulled the blanket up to my neck and held it with both hands before taking a hesitant glance at Kazuo san as he settled to sleep with one arm under his head. There was a good one foot distance between us but I was thoroughly aware of his proximity and I couldn't close my eyes to sleep. I glanced at the lights, wondering why he hadn't turned it off yet.

"Um, Kazuo san? Aren't you going to turn off the lights?" I asked in a soft voice.

"I can't sleep with the lights off. I....I feel uncomfortable when it's dark." He said with noticeable hesitance in his voice.

"Oh....it's fine then." I mumbled and pulled the blanket up some more to cover the lower half of my face.

I remained restless for a while but relaxed a little when Kazuo san turned away from me. Less than ten minutes later, I could hear his breathing get deep and even, indicating that he had fallen asleep. Sighing softly and relaxing more, I turned to sleep on my side as well, facing away from him, and closed my eyes.

I didn't fall asleep for some time because it was a little strange sleeping next to someone on the same bed, let alone Kazuo san, and also because I wasn't used to sleeping with lights on. But I was pulled away into sleep with incoherent dreams soon, as my body worked according to its biological clock.