Se connecterIf she would have left anything even from the leftovers then it would go straight down the drain. No one would even touch the plate after that if they would get to know about it but here he is transferring all of her leftover food into his so casually like it doesn't matter if it was a leftover. Then he tore a bite of roti and ate it after dipping it in the daal. Then he again tore a bite and dipped it in daal and put a ring of onion on it. She thought this time also he would eat it but this time he forwarded it towards her. She looked at him shocked, he didn't push the bite forward nor took it back. His hand just stood there raised in the air waiting for her to have it. He didn't say anything and neither did he insist that her to had it. She looked at the bite forward a while and even if she was full her head leaned forward as if it had a mind of its own. "Ji hamein nahi chahiye ab." She said but still he didn't say anything nor forward the bite towards her. (Translation: I
Then he picked her up in his arms and walked out of the doctor's cabin while she kept looking at his face as if she wanted to ask something but restraining herself. He knew it so first he straightly walked to their car and settled her inside on the passenger door. Then he patted her head gently and then stood straight. "Aap yahi'n rukiye main abhi aata hoon." He said and she immediately tried to come out of the car. (Translation: You stay here, I'll come right away.) "N-Nahi aap kahan jaa rahe hain?" She questioned desperately holding his hand. (Translation: N-No where are you going?) "Kahin nahi bacche. Main bas aap ko dawai lene jaa raha hoon. Bahar bohot dhoop hai isliye aap yahi par baith jaiye." He said showing her the paper which the doctor gave him. (Translation: Nowhere, kiddo. I'm just going to get your medicine. It's very sunny outside, so please sit right here.) "N-Nahi hum bhi chalenge." She said stubbornly and he sighed. (Translation: N-No I'll come too.)
She was really feeling scared and didn't want to stay there anymore. Ryker heard her and immediately kissed the crown of her forehead rubbing his hand up and down gently on her back. "Kuchh nahi bacche. Bas wo thode se tests karenge jisse ye pata kar sakein ki aap andar se theek hain ya nahi." He said gently almost cooing at her. (Translation: Nothing, kiddo. They'll just run a few tests to find out whether you're okay on the inside or not.) "Nahi hum theek h-hain ji. Aap chaliye yahan se." She said while rocking her back and forth. (Translation: No I'm f-fine. Let's go from here.) Soon the doctor referred her to the testing room. Soon they were walking towards a different room. Inaayat was still in his arms looking at his face silently as if she trusted him more than herself. The hallway outside the testing room felt colder than the rest of the hospital. Or maybe it was just her. Inaayat sat on the edge of the chair. Back straight. Hands tightly clasped together in her lap.
The glass doors slid open. A rush of cool, artificial air hit them the moment Ryker stepped inside with Inaayat in his arms. Bright white lights. Sharp smell of antiseptic. Voices- layered, overlapping. Footsteps echoing across polished floors. Everything was… too much. Too unfamiliar. Too different. Inaayat scrunched her nose for half a second right at the entrance. Her fingers instinctively tightened around his neck. Then without saying anything she clutched his tightly. Getting closer than before if possible. Almost blending into him, even the air couldn't pass between them. Not by accident. By need. Her eyes moved everywhere at once- people sitting on chairs. A man on a stretcher was being rushed past. Nurses in uniforms. Machines. Sounds. Beeping. Calling. Movement. Everything was so new for her. She swallowed. Her hand slipped from his neck and instead, she kept it on his chest. Firmly. As if grounding herself. Ryker noticed. Of course he did. His gaze flickered down briefly
But the moment he extended his hand towards her, she immediately put her small palm into his big one and scooted closer sitting in his lap. Ryker was shocked for a while because she has started doing things which look like the most natural things in the world. Like she belongs there. Belongs to him. He exhaled sharply at the sudden contact because her natural fragrance started to mess with his head already. "Dekhiye main aap ke saath rahunga wahan aur main kisi ko kuchh galat nahi karne doonga aap ke saath. Aap bharosa karti hain mujh par?" He questioned so calmly but inside he was trying to focus. She looked up at him with her doe eyes innocently. (Translation: Look, I will stay with you, and I won't let anyone do anything wrong to you. Do you trust me?) "Ji ham karte hain." She said with a nod. (Translation: Yes I do.) "Haan to phir aap ko chinta karne ki koi bhi zaroorat nahi hai. Main hoon aap ke saath. Jaaiye taiyar ho jaaiye." He said gently putting her down on the
She opened her eyes and looked at his face while he was already looking at her. Another breath. Slower this time. Her fingers clutched his shirt tightly. Almost desperately. Like she was holding onto something real. Something that wouldn't disappear. He felt it. The way her grip tightened. The way her body leaned into him instead of away. "Bohot acche…Bas aise hi." he murmured quietly. Her breathing started to turn normally. Not perfectly. But enough. The panic loosened its grip- Just a little. Her voice came out weak. Broken. (Translation: Very good...Keep going.) "Woh jo hamara rasta r-rok rahe the niche wo hamein unke paas le gaye t-the." She said in her small voice mentioning that men downstairs and Abhinendra. A lone tear trickled down her cheek. His jaw hardened instantly. But his voice stayed calm. (Translation: The one who was blocking my path down below, he took me to *him*.) "Wo bas ek bura sapna tha, bacche. Yahan koi nahi hai." He said wiping that tear gently.
He saw she had fallen asleep, maybe due to being so tired, as well as mentally exhausted. Some strands of her soft, messy hair fell on her rosy cheeks while her lips formed a pout due to her cheek being pressed on his arm. She looked so fragile, so gentle, so innocent that he wanted to hide her in
He saw her whole attention was on his hand and not on him which he didn't like. He wanted her to look into his eyes and not on his hands. He intentionally took his hand back from her hold, which made her narrowed eyes to trail toward him. As soon as she looked into his eyes she realised what she di
She placed her hand in his not having enough options. She retreated not because she trusted his command but because the sound of it had named a new, darker geography to her life- one where safety and terror sat on the same throne. She shivered at the look of his bloodied knuckles clasped around h
Abhinendra turned around after hearing that icy voice with his usual arrogance reeking from him. Abhinendra's smile died before his lips did. Ryker didn't walk. He moved like something that had been trapped too long and finally snapped its chains. The light from the chandelier caught his face- no







