Not A Simple Engineer Boy!

Thirty Nine: Stress Concentration (Part 1)

Trigger Warning, nothing graphical.

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"Xavier?"

Satya opened the door to Xavier's bedroom and saw his sleeping form on the bed.

It had concerned her when last night he had left the party without saying anything to her. Was he angry? And for what? Because he lost the game? He wasn't that stupid. It was confusing to understand what had triggered him.

"Hmm..."

She got a hoarse reply.

She sat next to him and tucked a lock of hair over his messy head. He was lying on his stomach, his head facing to the right and a little of his bare back peeked above the edges of his comforter.

The skin there had rewards from his father, long dark welts from the leather belt, and something deeper than that. It pained her whenever she saw them. It wasn't new for her to see scars; she had her fair share from her accident.

But the ones which he had were inflicted upon him for no reason, and that too when he was nothing but a boy. He had never shared much of the details about it. Once, she had seen them accidentally and when asked he had sarcastically commented, "Not every father is like Mr. Devinathan. Some like to shower love by torturing their only child."

Tears escaped from her eyes as her fingers hovered over one of the ugly marks. As if burnt by the contact he woke up, his body startled and he immediately turned around.

"I have told you to not fucking touch them.", his voice was cold and it pained her more.

She saw him collect his t-shirt and pull it over him in a haste.

"What happened?", she wiped her tears, "Why did you leave early?"

There was a dark red patch on his bedsheet and her eyes widened when she saw his left hand wrapped in a white bandage, "What the fuck happened, Xavier!?"

There was blood, a lot of blood, and it was his fucking blood.

"Accident.", he replied nonchalantly as he stepped out of his bed, "Nothing to worry about, I cleaned the cut and have wrapped this white shit which you had put in the first-aid box."

"Xav, look at me."

He avoided her and slipped past her, starting to walk out of his bedroom.

"Xavier Lucifer Joseph, look at me."

Her eyes met the coldest gaze of Xavier which she hadn't seen in recent times. They were back to the start of the last year when he was crying in her arms.

It was unfair. For the last few months, he was coming out of his hell-hole, becoming a different person, the one whom Alisha had described as her best friend.

But this was someone else. And it was so unfair to him.

"What do you want?", he asked, his face holding no emotion.

No!

She pushed herself up and moved towards him, "Xav, what happened?", she muttered as her hands held his injured hand, "What happened?"

He jerked his hand away from her hold, "I want to be alone."

"No."

"Satya..."

"No, Xav!", she hissed, "I won't leave you alone until you tell me.", she continued, "I am not going to let you suffer to the brink and then come running to me."

"I won't come to you, don't worry."

"The fuck?", she screamed, "That's all you took from my long-ass statement?"

"I won't come to you.", his voice thundered.

She flinched back as well as him, probably his anger surprised him as much as her. She saw him struggling, his hands frantically treading through his hair.

"Leave me alone", he pleaded, "Please."

How could she leave him alone in that state? What had happened to break him again?

She stared at him for a few minutes and rushed out of his room. Her feet sprinted to the kitchen and it was a mess. Glass pieces shattered across the dining area and the kitchen showed her the visuals of what had happened.

His towering presence shadowed her, "Satya, I told you to leave."

She didn't reply. She wouldn't reply. It had to end soon. Kneeling she started to clean the floor.

"Satya..."

She carried on her work as if his existence didn't matter.

"What are you doing, Satya?"

"In the future, if I ever have a son.", her voice broke before she continued, "I'll make sure to not raise him as a coward.", she replied, not engaging his question.

She felt his eyes on her but she'd had enough of him and his bullshit.

"I.."

His whisper made her stop for a second but she knew better than to react. Probably that's how mothers acted; passive aggression was a weapon to use wisely. And she knew how to yield it.

Standing straight she questioned, "Are you hungry?", without turning to face him.

She heard him shuffling and his hands encircled her waist from the back. He laid his head on her shoulders.

"Sorry.", his murmur tickled her nape.

She lightly smiled, "I need answers."

"I don't have any."

Turning her face to the side she looked at him over her shoulder as he straightened, "Your lies are so frustrating."

He pursed his lips.

"Okay, I don't want to force you to answer but don't fucking dare to close yourself again behind the walls.", she chided, "Give me your hand, I have to check the damage."

He raised his left hand. She unwrapped it and saw a deep cut running across his palm. He winced in pain as she cleaned it, "We need to call the doctor."

"But-"

"Now.", she ended the conversation and tugged his hand and he silently followed her. A man of his build could easily resist her force but he obeyed her like a toddler. She made him sit on the sofa and dialed her family doctor, requesting him to come to Xavier's home.

After sewing the cut and prescribing general antibiotics, the doctor left. She continuously glared at him making him squirm in his spot and asked Ponnamma, his chef- who had arrived amidst the doctor's visit- to prepare Aloo Parathas.

Almost after half an hour, both were served a warm meal. It had been a long time since they both shared a meal. A drink was usual, but having a meal together was rare. She liked eating with him, the way he enjoyed each morsel would make anyone love food.

But that day she saw him struggle to eat. Being a lefty and recklessly injuring the same hand didn't help him to hold any of the cutleries. She swatted his trembling hand and fed him by her hand and he quietly accepted it.

Xavier L. Joseph could be a thirty-three-year-old gorgeous hulk of a man for the world but in front of her, he truly was nothing but a yearning kid.

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A/N

The song attached to this chapter is a reprise version of the original version. But, guys, I love Nivetha's voice more than Sid Sriram's. Unpopular opinion, blast me!

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