Scarred Love - Chapter 15

Someone was shaking her hard but Ishani wanted to go back to the dream world that she was in. Normally her dreams would always scare her and she would eventually wake up screaming sometime or the other but right now, something was lulling her to a place where everything was peaceful.

Ignoring the shaking, she nuzzled closer to whatever her head was resting on and inhaled hard. The scent heightened her senses but also created a sense of satisfaction in her. She moved closer not willing to let go.

Rudra looked at her sleeping form in his arms and grunted hard. Although he had tried to wake her up, she wasn’t willing to open her eyes. Her shifting to a more comfortable position indicated that her sleep was deeper than he thought it to be. He was about to rip his arm off from her when her hands tightened on him.

The tip of her nose touched the corner of his throat and instantly his body tensed with sensations he could do without. His left hand fisted as he tried to control the bubbling turmoil. This physical contact was too much to bear. He took a deep breath and shook her shoulder hard one more time.

Ishani eyes jerked open and her vision slowly adjusted to her surroundings. Apparently, she had been sleeping on Rudra’s shoulder for quite some time. Shocked and a little embarrassed she moved away instantly hiding her face to the other side.

“Have we reached?” she asked in a small voice averting his eyes.

“Yes, Ms Raijdas, we have,” she heard Manna say as he opened her side of the door.

Rudra waited for Ishani to get out of the car as he avoided looking at her. He knew pretty well that her eyes were peaking now and then towards him but he tried his best not to look since she had woken up.

Come on, Rudra, don’t let this opportunity go. Do something, his inner voice riled him.

As she reached his side of the door and was about to get inside her house gate, he got down from the car.

“Ms Raijdas?” he called and instantly she turned, her eyes looking at him expectantly.

He picked up a packet from the car seat and said, “This is for you.”

Ishani looked at it and easily recognised the name of a popular food joint.

The nerve of this man!

Anger flared in her eyes and she turned away. Without a backwards glance, she slipped inside her house.

How dare he?

Can’t she cook?

As she switched on the kitchen light, she heard the sound of the doorbell resonating in the house. Every cell in her body cried out with aggravation and for a minute, she almost felt like kicking something with all her might but somehow controlled her urge. Instead, she went and peeked through the peephole and saw him standing with the packet in his hand.

Sliding the door chain in place, she opened the door and looked out.

“What do you want?”

Rudra waved the packet in front of her eyes smiling.

“I don’t need the food,” Ishani reiterated and was about to close the door when he blocked it by his foot.

“Won’t you invite me in?” she heard him ask in a pleading tone.

One part of her wanted to but the other part quashed it and urged her to be as rude as possible.

“No! And take your foot away before I hurt you.”

“Please?”

“Go away!”

“You know I won’t,” he said unrelenting.

“Don’t you have anything else to do?” Ishani asked her resolve slowly slipping.

“I would rather watch you eat than do anything else.”

His words just melted her stand like butter and she slid the chain off the hook and opened the door fully.

An hour later, Ishani got up from the table and placed her plates in the sink. She had finally finished her dinner and believe it or not she was thankful she had, for never had she been in such an awkward situation.

He had been a perfect gentleman and had kept to his words because for the past hour he had done nothing but watch her eat. In between, they had been interrupted by Manna, who had brought him his special coffee and after that, he had just sat there and stared at her.

At first, Ishani had thought of offering him some food but by the looks of the packet, she had easily deduced that it was a meal for one.

Now also, she could feel his eyes staring at her back as she washed her hands and finally her nerves gave up.

“What?” she asked in a suppressed disgruntled tone turning towards him.

He looked at her in bafflement and she irrevocably lost the battle of fair judgement.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Rudra stifled a smile and got up from the chair and immediately saw her backing away. The more he neared her, the more she backed away towards the sink and finally when he was only an arm’s length away, he could see her back sticking to its edge.

Slowly she saw his hand coming towards her and she felt her nerves going haywire in anticipation of what was coming. Her mind commanded her to move but she couldn’t; all she could do was stare at him with gaping eyes. As his hand rested on the side of the sink and his head moved towards her, she closed her eyes.

“I should be going now,” he whispered in her ear.

It was like a dash of ice cold water on her face. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Even though his eyes told her something else, still she believed his words. As the moment stretched, the sound of him spilling the leftover coffee in the sink reverberated in the kitchen.

Slowly he moved away and she watched him walking towards the door.

“Why are you always here outside my house every morning?”

Rudra turned and she saw him smile helplessly.

“That’s coz I can’t survive without seeing your face first thing every day.” 

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