Kruthi's POV
My eyes fluttered open slowly, feeling the faint light over my eyes. The last thing I remembered was the dingy basement room, the toxic smell, surrounded by dirt and grit.
I blinked my eyes several times to adjust to the light.
The room was a stark contrast to where I was pushed roughly. A gentle tug on my hand. I moved my eyelids slowly, unable to move my neck. Blood drip machine, few wires connected to my hand....
Then I felt a light snore on my side.
I moved my eyelids there. A man. Holding my hand. Asleep.
With the bare energy left in me, I tried to take my hand back from his.
Suddenly, he stirred.
I stopped.
He blinked for a moment before fixing his eyes on me.
"After three days."
His voice was hoarse from sleeping.
My eyes squinted at his words. I gathered my energy and spoke to him.
"Thr-ee days what?"
He sat on the bed comfortably and placed the back of his palm on my forehead.
"Three days since you are unconscious."
The memory flooded in my mind like a tsunami. My eyes moistened up slightly.
My hand clutched his hand tightly.
"Shh, I am here now."
His words, however calm, did soothe my frayed nerves.
"Don't stress your mind a lot."
"V-Vivaan I-I..." I spoke with trembling lips, but he hushed me.
"Can you stop defying me for once?"
"I-I r-re-really..."
"Kruthi." He spoke in a lower tone.
He didn't want to hear it.
Didn't want to hear me.
What if someone told him a lie a-and he believes it? just like he thought I was the one behind the loss of his Gurugram property.
"Vi-Vivaan Please..." I pleaded him to listen to me once.
He eyes softened for a flicker of moment before returning to the sharp look.
"After you eat something." He declared and made a call. Said something in rapid language before my mind could process and fixed me under his gaze again.
"Are you a child?" He asked with an evident rough edge around his tone.
"N-no."
"Then how come you always manage to get in trouble."
"I-I really didn't do anything this time..." I spoke finally. A trail of tear escaped my right eye.
Slowly, but gently, he cupped my right cheek and wiped my tear.
"Not even one day Kruthi." He spoke. "Not even one day I was away and you succeeded in getting almost dead."
I opened my mouth to speak but suddenly someone entered the room.
"Bhabhiiiii." Happiness and excitement were evident in that tone which made it way easier to recognise.
"N-Naina." I spoke and managed to bring a dry but genuine smile on my face.
"How are you feeling now?" She asked and placed the tray of food aside.
"F-fine."
Naina nodded and looked elsewhere. Suddenly her eyes stopped and a slow teasing smile appeared on her lips.
"That can be seen very well..." She spoke.
I trailed my eyes to her directed path and witnessed mine and Vivaan's hand interlocked.
He was still busy on his phone through his other hand, completely unaware of the play there.
"V-Vivaan ji..." I spoke gently and tightened my grip on his hand, as if trying to bring him back into this family world away from his corporate world.
"Hmm." He tightened his grip around my hand completely engrossed in his phone and looked at me. "What happened?"
Naina chuckled and pinched his hand lightly. I could feel his fingers twitch, but he didn't let go of my hand.
"She's my wife, Naina. I am allowed to hold her hand."
He stated calmly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
I looked away, trying to escape from the awkwardness of the situation.
"It's okay bhabhi." Naina teased more but returned to normalcy.
"Waise, Bhaiya has never held anyone's hand. So.. how does it feel holding his hand?"
I paused for a moment and blinked twice at her question.
"W-well. It's warm and...nice?" I spoke the only words I could use here.
"That's it?" Naina asked a little dramatically.
I nodded and felt his hand tightening around mine more, followed by a soft caress.
"And how does her hand feel bhaiya?" She asked Vivaan with the same mischief.
He didn't look up from his device.
Didn't answer right away.
"Better than nonsense talks." He responded calmly.
Naina scrunched her nose and glared playfully at him.
"Fine Fine." She stood up. "I'll take my leave."
She rolled her eyes at Vivaan and gave me a warm wave goodbye. I managed a soft smile to her as a response.
As soon as she was out, Vivaan kept his phone away and focused back on me.
I blinked twice at his sudden change...
He gently moved one arm from behind my waist...
His other hand adjusted the pillow beside me for support.
I glanced at him softly, but extremely surprised.
His touch was... warm.
Strange but oddly comfortable.
His body was like... home to me. I felt a strange sense of comfort.
I remembered when I was a child. Whenever I cried, I was hurt, I was broken...
It was always me hugging myself.
Because everyone was too busy for that.
And of course, because I was termed as dramatic one of the family.
I was never used to such a touch, let alone a man.
Even the one time when my friend hugged me, I felt like pulling away.
But not now...
"Tell your eyelids that there are other directions too."
He spoke suddenly bringing me back out of the memories.
I nodded.
Embarrassed.
He took the tray from the side table and placed it on his lap.
All I could see was khichdi and few fruits at the side.
He took the spoon and mixed the khichdi well.
"Breathing problems." He spoke suddenly.
"How long?"
I frowned lightly at this unexpected question.
"Since second standard."
His hand stopped moving for an instance before he continued mixing again.
"Such a young age?"
I paused for a moment wondering how much should I tell him.
"M-My father used to smoke."
He nodded.
"At the age when your immune system must have developed, your respiratory system gave its way. Right?"
I felt a flush rising my cheeks.
Can't he say things without a taunt?
I nodded and looked away.
"Look at me when I feed you."
I turned to him suddenly with horrified eyes.
"Y-you will what?"
"Feed you." He stated raising his eyes tiredly at me.
"Your one hand is still on IV." He continued.
"S-so what?" I said back. "I can still eat."
He raised an eyebrow at my statement and placed the tray on my lap.
"Eat." He signalled to me as if another taunt.
Great!
Not only words. This man taunts by his actions too.
I took the spoon from my free hand and tried to scoop a portion of khichdi in that.
Victory.
A smile appeared on my face.
But as soon as I tried to bring it to my mouth the bowl moved a little.
Hell.
I tried again to stuff my mouth with the khichdi but the more I moved my hand, the more my dress moved, and the more the tray moved.
But I refused to back down.
Suddenly he sighed and took the tray in his lap.
"Done being the martyr? now let me do it."
He took the spoon from my hand and placed it in front of my mouth.
"Eat."
I muttered a curse under my breath and ate the portion.
"You curse?" He asked, forwarding another spoon to me.
"Only one."
"Why one?"
"B-because cursing is bad. But later I learned that atleast one curse word should be learned to use. I met people during my college time. Seeing them made me feel that some people deserve such words."
He looked at me surprised.
"So what did you learn?"
"umm...well...a multipurpose curse."
"Good. But what exactly did you curse me?"
My eyes widened in surprise. How can he assume I cursed him. I spoke suddenly to clear up the misunderstanding
"N-not you. I just said...Fu*k"
The sentence slipped my mouth as soon as the spoon slipped his fingers.
"I- I am sorry really." I looked down biting my lower lip.
"H-How is this word multipurpose?" He asked me dumbfounded, gaining his composure.
"Well, it can be used both in bed and..." I slapped my hand over my mouth suddenly.
Why.AM.I.SO. UNFILTERED!!!!!
Gaining my composure the very next moment I asked him.
"Why are you asking me?"
I noticed his lips twitching lightly before getting back to cold era.
"Nothing."
He fed another spoon of khichdi to me.
"I wonder sometimes..." He spoke after a moment. "How can you get worse than worse thoughts?"
"You wonder?" I rolled my eyes at him.
"Well, unfortunately when you have a meeting in an hour and your wife suddenly goes missing... you have to wonder."
I paused for a moment and looked at him in surprise. There was not taunt this time, no sarcasm to hurt.
"It was an important meeting na?"
I asked him.
He nodded.
"Vivaan... skyline crest is already gone. This was the first time you went for work after marriage and..."
I felt my eyes getting moistened.
I again ruined his plan.
"I-I ruined it all..."
"You didn't" He said calmly and continued feeding me.
"The one who hurt you- he did."
I looked at him, almost on the verge of crying.
"But you left your meeting for me..."
"So?"
"Vivaan, you don't understand I..."
A sob escaped my lips.
He made me drink water from the glass and spoke.
"I understand." He spoke.
"I understand enough that a meeting can be shifted, delayed. Breaths couldn't."
He paused for a moment and stood up with the utensils.
"Don't blame yourself for that."
He walked towards the door.
For a moment he glanced back at me.
"Sleep. We'll talk about this when you are in condition to discuss that."