50

"Hey Ria, hope you are doing well." Ayan's voice broke my gaze from the phone, bringing my eyes back to him.

I nodded my head, giving him a warm smile. "Thanks, I'm fine. Is that my phone?"

"Yes, it's repaired now." He said, and I extended my hand to take it, but Advik stretched his muscular arms and grabbed it before my fingers could even touch.

My eyes widened.

No, he shouldn't see those messages.

Don't panic. You will make it obvious.

"Thanks, Ayan. Come, we need to discuss something." Advik said, getting down from the bed with a swift motion, and making his way out of the bedroom with my phone still clutched in his hands.

Just as he reached the door, I heard a very familiar notification ping from my phone, making my heart race. I shifted uncomfortably on the bed, my injured leg throbbing with each movement.

I hope it's not that random stranger sending me threats again. As he was out of my sight, I waited impatiently, my fingers tapping nervously on the bedsheet. If only my one leg hadn't been injured, I would have pressed my ear to the white door to eavesdrop on whatever they were discussing. But unfortunately, I couldn't even stand properly without feeling like an elephant had run on my leg.

Fifteen minutes passed.

I bit my lip, glancing at the clock every few seconds.

I just hope Advik doesn't open my phone and see the message. I do have a password on the lock screen, but I doubt he doesn't know that. He knows everything—

Just then, the door of my room burst open, and he stormed in, fuming with anger.

"What are you trying to do?" he said, his voice dangerously low, his eyes blazing with fury.

I blinked, feigning innocence. "What do you mean—"

"You have been getting threats before we came here, yet you didn't think to let me know about it." He strode towards me, his fists clenching and unclenching.

I stared at the floor, trying to find the right words. My hands trembled slightly as I gripped the edge of the bed.

"I didn't want to worry you," I said hesitantly.

"Worry? Do you even know how dangerous the person sending these messages can be?" He stopped a few feet away and crossed his arms, his expression a mix of anger and concern.

"Look, you're exaggerating." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it wavered.

A sarcastic smile spread on his lips. "Really? I saw the last message. You asked me the question about the accident because you don't even trust me. And I wondered why you were behaving so coldly."

I shook my head. "Wait. It's not like that."

"It is, Ria. You don't even trust me." He took a step closer, his eyes searching mine for answers.

"Advik, hear me out—"

"There's nothing to hear,"

Before I could say anything, he turned on his heel and left the room, closing the door with a thud. The sound echoed in the silence, leaving me feeling more alone than ever.

===================

He didn't talk to me the whole day; he didn't even come to see me-to check my health. Every time the door opened, I waited for his presence, but to my disappointment, it was just the maid asking me if I needed anything. She brought me my dinner, and when I asked about him, she told me that he had been in the study room since morning.

I started feeling lonely. I know I shouldn't have doubted him, but what could I do? I was just confirming, not doubting. I don't know if I'll ever be able to make him understand that.

As the clock struck 12, I found myself drowning in overthinking.

What if he changes his mind after it and leaves me?

What if he thinks that I'm the trouble and root cause of every problem in his life?

His life was going perfect until he met me. I'm the problem.

The maid told me he was in the study room. Maybe he's planning and making strategies to throw me out of his life.

Oh my god, what am I going to do without him if he does that?

Then, my eyes fell on my injured leg, and I swallowed hard.

What if the doctor says I will never be able to walk again?

I shook my head to fade away all the dramatic questions coming into my mind.

What the hell am I even thinking?

Maybe, it's due to medicines.

With all these thoughts, I slept-or at least tried to.

It was midnight, I was sleeping-or more like pretending to be asleep when the door of my room opened quietly. I kept my eyes closed, and relief spread over me as his familiar fragrance hit my nose when he sat in front of me.

A few seconds passed, and I could still sense him staring at me with his intense ocean-blue eyes all the while. With each passing second, I struggled to keep my act, but his stare was almost making it hard for me to do.

A shiver ran down my spine as his fingers brushed my face, sweeping aside the fallen strand of hair. I felt tingles in my stomach, and I couldn't hold it any longer.

"I know you're awake." He muttered, calmly.

My eyes fluttered open.

Am I that bad at acting?

And here I thought I could be the next best actor in the country or maybe the world.

Pushing the thought aside, I held his wrist.

"I'm sorry." I let the words roll out of my tongue.

He sighed, averted his gaze, and started adjusting the quilt over me, avoiding my eye. Standing up, he murmured, "Sleep," And then left, leaving me all alone.

The next morning came.

It was not like other mornings.

For me, it wasn't a morning at all.

I didn't sleep the whole night.

I was awake like an owl.

And it was all because of him.

If only he had accepted my sorry the previous night, I would have slept peacefully. But he has to show like he's some hurt and broken hero whose girlfriend had just broken up with him. I rolled my eyes at his behavior. The maid entered again making disappointment spread over me. Is he really going to keep doing what he did yesterday?

She passed me a smile and helped me get up. The pain was slowly fading away, but the doctor instructed me to rest as much as I could.

The hours passed.

I was sitting in my bed, staring at the book Atomic Habits lying on the table beside me. Maybe it's time to improve my life. I grabbed the book and flipped to the first page, only to snap it shut at the sound of the door creaking open.

The door opened, opened, and opened.

But no person appeared.

My eyes widened when I saw that the whole door was open, without anyone on the other side, and then it started closing on its own. My heart started racing. I clutched the book tightly, my knuckles turning white, and my breath quickened.

They have a graveyard 5 km away from the mansion; maybe one of the ghosts had escaped from there and came here.

Oh my god.

I was on the verge of screaming for help when my gaze dropped to the bottom of the door. There was the adorable little dog I had encountered a few days earlier. He pushed the door with his body and closed it.

Then, turning around, he started approaching me, wagging his tail happily. I froze and passed him a nervous smile. The more steps he took towards me, the more my fear grew. I knew I had patted him once, but that didn't mean my fear had flown out of the window; it had just subsided. A little.

I looked at him, wide-eyed. He wore a huge smile on his lips, his eyes sparkling. I forced a smile, but his steps didn't halt. Thus, I set the book aside and forced myself to breathe evenly.

"Stop," I ordered, my voice barely audible. To my surprise, Mojo obeyed, sitting back on his haunches, eyes fixed on mine. His tail continued its rhythmic beat against the floor.

Pushing myself off the headboard, I straightened my spine. "Look, Mojo," I said, my voice steadier this time, "you're cute and all, but can you just stay away from me?"

His smile widened, tongue lolling out. It was as if he understood every word. But instead of retreating, he began to inch closer.

Translation error.

My heart sank.

The dog wagged his tail even more vigorously, his eyes sparkling with joy. He jumped onto the bed, his paws landing softly beside me. I flinched but tried to stay calm, and called out- almost yelled for Advik, my voice trembling slightly.

Not a good decision.

He came rushing in, shirtless.

His eyes were wide with concern.

"Ria, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice urgent as he scanned the room for any signs of danger.

My eyes widened slightly as I took in the sight of his toned muscles and smooth skin. I had seen him like this before, once, but I didn't see him properly at that time.

I raked my eyes over his body. His broad shoulders led down to muscular arms, which led to his defined chest and sculpted abs. I wasn't expecting to see him like this, and I found myself unable to tear my gaze away. My heart began to race, and I felt a fluttery sensation in my stomach. Butterflies, and maybe dragons too.

He was undeniably attractive, and the sight of him like that stirred something deep within me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

My brain screamed at me to look away, yet my eyes didn't follow the order. It seemed stuck.

"Ria?" He called out, again. I shook myself out of my daze and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. I could feel my cheeks heat up, knowing that I had been caught ogling his body.

Gathering my courage, I pointed at the dog, who was now happily sniffing around my bed. "It's just... the door opened on its own, and then he came in," I stammered, my heart still racing.

He approached slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I suddenly started feeling more flustered, so as not to look awkward, I picked up my book, and opened it, putting it in front of my eyes, almost hiding him from my vision. Or more like hiding myself.

But still, the book in front of me was blurred, and the world around it looked as clear as crystal.

He chuckled, as he came and stood next to me with his arms folded.

I passed him a confused look, making sure to fix my eyes on his face only. His amused voice came, "I didn't know you have the ability to read words upside down."

I pursed my lips and looked at the book in my hands which was upside down. Meeting his gaze again, I cleared my throat, "I was trying to check if I could do that."

"Sure," he smirked, and I cursed my traitorous cheeks for turning crimson.

His attention shifted to the dog, who had decided to explore the room. Then, he returned his gaze to me, stepping closer. His hand brushed against my forehead, checking for fever. "Did you take your medicines?"

"Yes," I said, my mind racing.

"You don't have a fever," he observed, his eyes roaming on my face. "Then why are your cheeks red?"

Caught off guard, I stammered, "Me? Maybe it's due to...um... temperature."

He didn't seem convinced, but his touch lingered, and I wondered if he could feel the heat radiating from my skin. "Okay," he murmured, his voice low.

I let out a deep breath, and he asked, "Can you pass me my mobile?"

I looked beside me at his mobile lying on the other side of the bed, two feet away from me. I remember the maid brought it for me as his sister wanted to talk to me. He still hadn't given me my phone back; I don't know what he was doing with it.

I turned my head away from him, and looked ahead, "Take it yourself."

My breath hitched as he came closer and putting his one hand on the headboard just beside my head, he stretched his other arm and grabbed the mobile. I gulped, and clutched the book tighter, focusing on my lap, and trying to avoid seeing how his muscles moved. I kept holding my breath, trying to show him that his closeness didn't affect me even though my heart was racing like it had seen a dinosaur.

I glanced up at his face, which was close to mine. Too close. I could even hear his breathing.

Seconds passed.

And I felt like I would faint while holding my breath for so long.

Why the hell is he doing things in slow motion?

Then, he turned his face towards me, and his ocean-blue eyes met mine. Pulling back a little, he leaned to my height, moistened his lips, and his eyes dropped to my lips before meeting mine again.

"We have to go to the hospital for your checkup. Be Ready." His eyes held mine for a moment longer. Then, he pulled back, and turned away, leaving me breathless.