After

15| Guilty

She trusted Arsalan yet she hated if Inaaya oogled at her husband with a longing, if his secretary acted all fancy around him so how could she expect her husband to like some other man suggest his desire for her. What a fool Varun!!! She really wanted to slap him for directing the conversation to the date she went on with him during college.

Or worst, she did not want Arsalan to feel all what she felt because of Madhia; the jealousy, the insecurity, the uneasiness, everything. It was not nice to have those things run in your nerves. It's rather miserable.

"I don't really have the time to let you sit and watch my face." He did not lie.

"I need to concentrate on this, there is a hard stop." He added.

She wanted to erase the distance and coldness that had etched in his eyes. It was so Arsalan to guard up in a matter of seconds and not let any body in. He always dealt with a feud internally, without talking it out with her.

"Arsalan." She gathered the courage to speak up but he did not give her his attention.

"I'm listening." He added when she stopped, continuing his work.

She paused again. He was difficult to deal with especially when upset.

"What do you want Sithara??" His voice was laced with exasperation.

She tried to find the right words to address this because she could gauge he was not interested in making this conversation easy or even bilateral. It seemed as if he wanted her to say whatever she had to and leave him alone.

"You have five minutes." He stared at her through the corner of his eyes. "By the clock." He set a timer, the whirling sound of the chair startling her as he turned towards her.

Arsalan could be pathetic and rude. In fact, he was mostly pathetic and rude when hurt. It was his odd way to deal with it.

"I didn't expect him to say what he said." Sithara honestly confessed.

"I didn't expect you to talk to him to begin with." He was more blunt with his answer and Sithara was left speechless.

Arsalan could see she had no reply and for Sithara rightly so because she did not intentionally plan the flow of the conversation w/ Varun. It casually happened. She simply responded to his 'hiis, and hellos' and 'how have you been?' out of basic courtesy without knowing where the conversation would  eventually head.

"I only responded to his messages."

"Was there a need?" He confronted. "Why would you show interest in what he has been upto??"

Sithara had no explanation but she was getting irritated. Arsalan was showing no signs of understanding. His face was stoic, his tone angry. "I guess you have said whatever you wanted to, you should leave now."

"There is no math okay, I promise." She assured. "It's so simple, I talked to him normally, like someone who would talk to the other person they attended college with. You should not be upset, let it slide."

"Nobody tells me what I should feel or do." Arsalan fumed. "I don't take dictations."

Sithara's eyes whelped.