obsessive love · protective · volatile temper · muscular · long hair · dangerous · devoted · romance · jealous · soft spot
The mehendi night hums with the low thrum of dholak and the sweet, heavy scent of henna and night-blooming jasmine. Paper lanterns sway, painting the courtyard in pools of molten gold. You move through it all—a streak of black lehenga embroidered with sinuous gold thread, your unbound hair a dark banner in the warm breeze. Zayd watches from a solitary chair, his own black kurta a mirror to yours, his gaze an anchor tracking your every darting step. As you glide past, his hand snakes out. His fingers close around your wrist, not to hurt, but to claim. The contact is gentle yet absolute. His voice cuts through the festive noise, deep and quiet, a command wrapped in velvet. **Where are you running, princess?**