Chapter 68: chapter 68

Adhiraj passed a warm smile at Imara, his eyes twinkling with love. Imara, overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze, looked down, feeling a flutter in her chest. She took another spoonful of aromatic biryani before she asked again, “What did you want to talk about?”While enjoying another mouthful of biryani, he mentioned, “I will be away for three days.”Her hand froze mid-air, her heart sinking. The urge to ask where he was going tugged at her, but she suppressed it, puzzled by her own reaction. Why was the news of his potential absence dampening her spirits?“Have some important work I can’t ignore,” he explained, sensing the sudden stiffness in her body.“Why are you telling this to me?” She retorted, forcing down another spoonful of biryani that somehow now tasted bland and dry, like sand.“Because you are my wife,” he replied, his voice warm.She looked up, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading through her being. The word ‘wife’ was a kicker for her when she was with Dheeraj and now, hearing it from Adhiraj, did something to her insides. And she hated to admit, but the feeling was a pleasant one.His voice cut through her trance, demanding her full attention. “I want you to listen to me carefully now,” he said, making her brows furrow.“You need to drop Babli and start commuting in Balbir…”“Who is Balbir?” she asked, her eyes wide in confusion.“Our car,” he clarified. “Since you named your car Babli, I thought why not name our car Balbir?” He winked and Imara squinted her eyes.She ate another spoonful of biryani while saying, “You dare mock my Babli and I will give a nice scratch to your Balbir.”He chuckled, “It’s our Balbir, Imara.”“I only have Babli.”“Imara!”“I am not dropping my Babli for your Balbir!”A burst of laughter bubbled from his chest, and Imara grunted, polishing off her lunch.“Alright! Until you accept me, it’s just Balbir. Neither mine nor yours, just Balbir. So you are commuting through Balbir.”“And what makes you think I will listen to you?” she retorted as she rose from the chair. Absentmindedly, she put away the used dishes of both hers and Adhiraj’s before passing him a glass of water. A gesture, he didn’t miss.“That car is safer, bullet proof!”“I don’t need a…”“Imara…” he said, rather sternly, causing her to stop mid-sentence. “I don’t want any arguments about this.”“Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” she narrowed her eyes at him before walking towards the door. She wanted out of there, to get away from the emotions and jitters she felt when he was around.Adhiraj stood up too, following her and saying, “Then listen to me, will you? This is important.”“Get lost…”Before she could finish, he grabbed her hand, spun her around, and pulled her close, leaving her speechless.Her eyes widened in surprise as he leisurely placed his thumb on her lips, his voice softening as he said, “Listen to me, Little Tyke. While I am away, take Balbir to wherever you go, alright. Once I am back, the arrangement resumes. The driver will take the wheel and the security will be right behind you.”Imara felt a shiver run through her at his touch, yet he only tightened his grip, his tone firm yet soft. “Just do as I say, alright?”Imara narrowed her eyes at him, but he leaned in closer. With a tender gesture, he lightly pressed his lips against her forehead, causing her to inhale sharply and instinctively shut her eyes.“I can’t bear any harm coming your way, Little Tyke,” he whispered and brought his lips down from her forehead. He placed soft kisses on her closed eyes, one by one. Imara’s breath caught in her throat as a strange sensation travelled through her core, prompting her to grip his suit jacket tightly. Adhiraj was no different. The thought of staying away from her for three days, without seeing her, without being able to touch her, pushed him to do what he was doing right now. And Imara’s reaction only added to his burning desire to make her completely, entirely his, in every manner possible.Lowering his lips to her nose, he planted a sweet kiss and whispered against her lips, “You are very precious to me, Imara.”Her eyes flew open. The surroundings faded into insignificance as their eyes locked. He ran a gentle thumb on her cheek. His touch was both warm and gentle, creating a tingling sensation down her spine. The faint scent of his cologne mingled with the air as his lips hovered over hers, whispering words that melted into her ears.“I have got your factory covered. Secured all loopholes in terms of security. You have an entire team at your beck and call.” The weight of his words hung in the air, reassuring and protective. “Yet, if there is anything, I am just a call away. Remember Little Tyke, you can call me anytime of the day or night. I will always answer.”Her breath hitched. She tried to pull away, but his firm grip held her close. The sound of their mingled breaths filled the space. “Stay safe!” he urged. “I will be back as soon as I can.”With one final kiss on her forehead, he withdrew and gracefully moved around her, leaving her office. Imara kept standing there, her breath coming out in rasps. Her lips still carried the ghostly imprint of his breath as she blinked and tried to collect her thoughts. Heck! She felt him all over her, around her.Meanwhile, as Adhiraj walked out of her office, he was greeted by Sanchit’s beaming face.“Everything has been taken care of,” he informed and Adhiraj, acknowledging with a nod, walked out of the factory.“Who is heading her security team?” he asked.“Nasir!”“Where is he?”Sanchit waved his hand, and Nasir instantly appeared next to Adhiraj’s car.Prior to getting in, Adhiraj glanced at Nasir and gave him a stern warning, “If anything happens to her, consider yourself dead!”Nasir nodded, keeping his gaze down. He had been working for Adhiraj for a solid two years, understanding Adhiraj’s fierce protectiveness when it came to his family. And now, the person in question was his wife. Adhiraj then turned his head and took one last lingering look at her office window before he left.—————Imara sat at the dining table, absentmindedly twirling her spoon. Ever since Adhiraj left, she couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling. The empty chair next to her just didn’t sit right. Dinner just didn’t feel the same without him. He never said where he was going, and she never bothered to ask. What really got her thinking was why he insisted on taking his car instead of hers, and why Nasir was shadowing her like she was the president of the US.“Imara,” Vandana nudged her, bringing her out of her trance.“Is everything alright?” she inquired.Imara nodded, focusing on her food. She didn’t want to give off the impression and let everyone know that she wasn’t feeling okay without Adhiraj. As she looked down at her plate, the others at the table exchanged amused glances, but she was completely oblivious, convincing herself that she shouldn’t feel this way. Later, when she got ready to settle in for the night, her phone pinged with a message.“Medicines?”She closed her eyes, feeling a shudder run through her body as if he were right beside her. In that moment, she wanted to ask him if he had dinner and where he had gone. But she shook her head, put away her phone, took her medicine, and snuggled under the blankets.To her dismay, sleep eluded her tonight. She tossed and turned, even trying to count, but nothing helped. Frustrated, she reached for her phone and headphones to listen to some music. But as she unlocked her phone, she noticed a voice message from Adhiraj. Biting her lip, she opened it and listened.“Good night, Little Tyke. Sleep well. And I am missing you.”Her heart skipped a beat, and she put away her headphones, no longer interested in music. However, Adhiraj’s voice continued to echo in her ears, and eventually, sleep took over.