Chapter 18: Chapter 18

*Mridula Pov*

I think it is fine to open my eyes and no need to lay on the bed with eyes closed for another half an hour. After a few minutes, I finally opened my eyes and turned towards him to only see him still sleeping at the end of the bed.

When did he move there? I thought, frowning and slowly sat up. I don’t remember when I even drift off into sleep and don’t know when he moved away.

I glanced at the clock to see that there is still a little time for him to get up and immediately moved away hoping he will not wake up before I freshen up.

When I successfully moved inside the washroom and closed the door, I sighed in relief before staring at the mirror. I frowned, looking at the color on my neck and then remembered him biting there while saying something.

I shook my head when everything is just keeping on repeating and started having my shower. The moment I stepped outside the washroom, I felt a tug near my wrist and turned to see him standing there with his clothes, and he has a towel around his waist.

“I am getting late. Why did it take you so much time to finish your bath?” his question removed the blush and shyness within a second from my face.

I moved away in a rush and forgot about the soreness, but just bit my lip before turning away. When I moved to take another step, I felt another tug at my wrist, making me turn to see him already gazing at me.

“What?” I asked him frowning.

“I totally forgot, Mridula. I just glanced at the time and thought about the work only.” he replied before moving me towards the bed.

“I will have the food in the canteen. Why don’t you take the rest? And I don’t have that much time to wait until the lunch finished.” he said and walked inside the washroom before I could say a word.

Why does he confuse me so much? He was so sweet yesterday and now behaving like everyday. However, he still cared for me and understood the problem.

“What are you thinking?” I heard the question making me come out of my thoughts and saw him brushing his hair and also wearing the watch.

“Nothing!” I replied, hugging myself and just glanced at the floor.

“Ok! I have to check the project before the early meeting.” He mumbled to himself checking the watch and walked outside the room.

“Are you ok?” Aunty asked the moment, I climbed down the stairs.

“Yes!” I replied in a normal tone.

“I heard him shouting at you for the first time. How is his headache now?” She asked making me frown and confused.

“Headache? Oh! He is fine now.” I replied, smiling a little and walked away before she could ask something else.

“How is the trail for the ticket, Aahil?” uncle asked him when we all sat to have the lunch.

“It is going fine.” he replied before talking about some other important matter regarding which he needs uncle’s advice.

“So, how is he now? Is there any change?” aunty asked, shaking her head at uncle.

“I think so!” I replied, frowning because of her asking about him, I remembered how confused I got today morning.

“Don’t know when he can get to live his life like all of us.” she mumbled to herself and finished her food.

“You are early!” I heard Aunty’s voice when I was busy with trying to set the table and glanced up to see Tajwar walking near to the staircase.

“Meeting finished early.” he replied in a low tone before climbing the stairs, and I glanced at Aunty’s face to see her smiling a little.

“You are right! There is some change within him.” She said looking at me happily, and I slowly nodded smiling back.

“What are you still doing here? Go and ask him if he needs anything or even better, take the food for him now itself.” She said rushing me because of which I stepped inside my room within five minutes.

I can feel him near to the bed, so I placed the tray on the coffee table and moved back. I glanced at him mumbling “Have your food.”

“Did something happened?” he asked, looking away from the file he is searching while holding nearly five of them.

“I… nothing.” I replied, shaking my head and saw him taking a step forward, but missed the files in his hand making them fall down on the floor.

I shook my head before moving near to him and knelt down along with him. We both started picking out the papers that fell outside the files and placed them on the bed.

When I was about to get up after finishing picking up all the papers, I saw a paper flying under the bed, and I immediately lunged for it, but looks like he too saw that as in the end we both crashed into each other before falling on the floor with him over me.

We both stared at each other before I started laughing while he just smiled, shaking his head and kissed me making me stop my laugh becoming still.

“Today an important project finished and had a long meeting, but it was good that I studied again before entering the meeting.” He said when he moved a little to lie on the floor while I just got confused.

“Ok!” I mumbled, still feeling confused and moved to get up, but got pulled immediately making me fall on him.

“Did my Mom said anything to you because of which you look a little lost?” he asked frowning.

“No! I am just confused with your behavior.” I replied honestly, and he frowned more hearing my words.

“What did I do to make you feel confused?” he asked, releasing me and sat up while I followed his suit.

“Today morning you acted like… like last night didn’t happen.” I replied fidgeting with my hands, and he stared at me for a second with a blank expression before giving me another small smile for the day.

“I completely thought about the meeting, and then you were feeling sore to have a repeat show.” He stated bluntly making me gape at him.

“That’s… that’s not what I asked this for.” I said stuttering before moving away to get up, but he held my hand making it impossible for me to get up.

“No need to feel shy.” He said before releasing me, and I immediately stood up.

“I have some work. You have your food.” I said, leaving the room in a hurry and climbed down the stairs only to crash into Aunty.

“Where were you? I was about to come to your room to call you. The maid said you have made some sweet dish, but I couldn’t find it.” She said, and I sighed in relief thinking what would have happened if she had entered the room when we were lying on the floor when I didn’t even lock the door.

“I will bring it in a minute.” I said, smiling at her before rushing inside the kitchen to let the blush come over my face which I stopped to do before him before controlling it.

“Do you really have this much work everyday?” I got startled hearing the voice when I entered the room and saw him placing the file aside before opening the dish coverings.

“You still didn’t have your dinner?” I asked, before sitting before him.

“I am not feeling hungry.” He replied, shrugging and I nodded before serving to both of us.

“Actually, I don’t want to have the food alone anymore.” His words made me cough strongly with the food getting stuck in my throat, but I managed to gulp it down before staring at him in shock.

“Really?” I asked him and smiled when he nodded.

“Why don’t you come downstairs and have the food with your family? They all are still waiting to have your presence.” I said and immediately regretted when I saw the hard expression over his face.

“I don’t feel like I will be comfortable with them.” He mumbled when I returned after taking away the dishes after staying in silence until now.

“Ok! You can do it when you feel like.” I said, smiling before locking the door and moved towards the bed while he is already lying on it.

“How are you feeling?” he suddenly asked when I switched off the light.

“Fine!” I replied, staring at his face from the light coming from his side light.

“Good!” He mumbled before pulling me towards him and kissed me passionately making me lose myself in it.

“You are learning fast.” He said releasing me before kissing me again, and I let all the confusion leave me getting myself drowned at the passion he is showing and forgetting everything else.

“No!” I heard a small whimper in the middle of the night and immediately held his hand which is little away from me with his lying at the end of the bed.

He immediately came out of his nightmare before drifting off into sleep, and I followed his suit. I am glad that they are reducing and are not coming everyday like before, but wish he doesn’t get them again.

“Thanks for being there when I got that nightmare again.” He mumbled the next day while getting ready, and I smiled at him.

“You are not getting them at higher levels.” I said handing over the carriage.

“You are stopping it the moment they start. So, it is because of that.” He said before pecking my lips and left the room making me sigh with happiness.

I got scared yesterday morning, but today he was great with kissing me when we woke up and not goodbye kiss. Sometimes I really think a lot I guess.

“Mridula! Where is my dinner?” His shout made everyone pause from taking in the bite of their food and me from taking a step forward.

I glanced at Aunty, Uncle and Aahil, who have completely shock and tensed looks while I wish someone would say something to give me confidence to go and see what made him shout like that.

“Go!” Aunty whispered and I nodded serving the food on a tray, before rushing to our room.

“Tajwar?” I called him entering the room and carefully placed the food on the table before turning around to see where is he but got crashed into the man himself.

“I… brought food.” I mumbled, trying to take a step back, but felt the table hitting my legs.

“Really? That is great.” he said before pulling me towards him and crashed his lips making my already confused brain into some other mode.

“Wait!” I said, moving my face away to which he frowned.

“What happened?” he asked, and I wish the shocks to come to a halt right this minute.

“What happened?! You shouted to call me and now, you are kissing. I should ask you what happened.” I replied, shaking my head.

“Oh, that! I thought you got it, but seems like your age is stopping you from thinking that much. I shouted at you because if I don’t do that, then Mom would not send you here in such a hurry right? I already did this a few days back regarding headache. Did you forget?” he explained with his hand playing over my waist while I took in everything he said.

“I didn’t think about that.” I slowly mumbled before gasping when his caressing increased.

“I know it will take some more time for you to get all this. Now, where were we?” he asked, moving me closer to him.

“But…” I started saying to which he shook his head, mumbling “No buts!” before placing it on my neck and started pestering the kisses.

“Do you know I really got scared when you said you need to take care of something before starting this relation? But it turned out buying the protection. I do not even think about them.” I said after we talked about general things very little and didn’t have anything else to talk in my head, laying my head on his shoulder when he surprisingly stayed beside me.

“Why would I forget about them? It is not like I am dying to become a father. I don’t think it is the right time, and I don’t think the right time will ever come.” He said shaking his head.

“What do you mean?” I asked him feeling confused lifting my head to glance at him.

“Nothing much! I thought, you know, having the kids at one time in my life, but I don’t have any thoughts regarding them.” He replied, shrugging and slowly moved away while I held his hand to stop him.

“Why are you moving away?” I asked him frowning.

“I am not comfortable.” He replied, and I released his hand letting him move.

“What about dinner?” I asked, glancing at the food.

“I am not hungry. You go and have it.” He replied, and I did without missing it.

I don’t care what happens in my life, but I would never skip the food depending on my mood. I know how it feels to think twice before having something and see the people that love you skip it for you and as per the oath I took at that age, I will never skip it.

I thought he would be in the same mood when we wake up, but he wasn’t. He acted completely normal and actually left for work an hour late to sleep for an extra time and even didn’t miss the peck.

“What is it, I am hearing? Is Tajwar Bhai shouting at you?” I screamed a little when I heard the voice and immediately covered my mouth before turning around from the stove to see Dileep standing with his folded arms.

“You scared me.” I mumbled tapping my back before smiling to finally see him after two long weeks.

“Answer my question.” He said frowning.

“He is just calling for me, and that’s all. Now, tell me why is your mood worse?” I asked frowning back.

“Some stupid thing happened. Leave it!” he replied before dragging me towards the dining area, but I said I cannot have food with them which he immediately accepted and sat down.

“Why are you silent, Dileep? After so many days, you are here, but you are not saying anything.” Aunty asked, and I glanced at Dileep to see that he is really not in a good mood.

“Just tell Dad not to recommend any staff for any company.” He replied, grinding his teeth making me feel the shock and turned to glance at Aunty but stopped in the midway seeing Tajwar near the first floor steps staring at me.

“What happened?” I heard Uncle’s voice, but didn’t concentrate on their conversation when Tajwar signaled me to come upstairs to which I shook my head in negative.

He signaled again to which I shook my head, and he suddenly shouted “Mridula! I need my food.”

I glanced at him with wide eyes and glanced at everyone else seeing that they all stopped whatever they are doing hearing his loud voice.

“I will go!” I said before taking the tray which I already prepared and climbed the stairs while I heard Aunty asking Dileep about home-made food.

I laughed when he pulled me into his arms after I placed the tray away and mumbled “You are scaring everyone with your shouting everyday.”

“It is achieving something what I wish to achieve. So, I really don’t care.” He said, smirking and pulled me more to him making me laugh and shriek at the same time.

At that moment, I thought it was a good thing that the room has a sound proof and when I said this to him, he just shook his head before starting his torture making me wish everything just stays the same forever.