All Strings Attached

Chapter Twenty One

"Neeku ledaa?" [Aren't you?]

"I'm not being stubborn," he defends himself. "You know why I want you to come upstairs."

"Do I, though?" I feign ignorance. "Who knows what you have and don't have."

"I didn't expect we would be in that situation yesterday," he argues, standing toe to toe against me.

"Whose fault is that?"

"You could've brought protection too," he continues, "you didn't."

"You're the one who needs it! I told you I was fine using the morning after pill."

"How is that even practical?" He contends. "We were supposed to wake up early in the morning and not eat anything— when were you going to have a chance to get it and how were you going to have it on an empty stomach?"

"It doesn't have to be in the morning just because it's called the morning-after pill."

"It just gets riskier as the day progresses."

"It's always risky," I argue. "Why even take the 0.01% chance, just forget it."

"Sita," he calls out, snaking his arm around my waist before pulling me against his chest, causing me to stumble into him.

"Reddy," I scold, slapping his chest.

"Cherukuri," he responds, tugging me even closer to him, just to show me that he can. He looks down at me, a smug smile taking over his lips. "How long will you resist anyway?"

"The driver's going to come back," I struggle against his tightening grip as he presses his forearm against my back to keep me stuck to him.

"Let him," Dhushyanth says. "I don't care. I'm holding my wife."

I pause, lifting my eyes to look at his face. Though he looks smug, a tiny amount of sheepishness reflects in his countenance in the way he bites his lower lip.

Intha muddhu ga unte, nenu maathram em cheyaali?

If he's so cute, what can I even do?

I narrow my eyes at him, focusing all my energy on keeping my cheek muscles from twitching. "Po bey," I slap his forearm that's pressed against my back. [Fuck off]

"Enduku nenu ante neeku antha respect?" [Why are you being so respectful towards me?] Dhushyanth asks, furrowing his eyebrows mockingly. "Naaku oddu, please." [I don't want it]

I find myself unable to hold the giggles back anymore. "Don't be funny."

Dhushyanth's gaze softens as his eye scans my face, a soft smile growing onto his lips, causing a fluttering in my stomach.

The giggles leave me at once, as apprehension fills me at his next move.

"You're such a kid," he says, pinching my nose.

"Pedo," I accuse, pushing him away.

Uncharacteristically, Dhushyanth laughs, letting me leave his hold. He continues to laugh despite me throwing daggers at him through my eyes, as the driver brings our suitcase and gifts into the house.

I grunt and whip my face away from him, dramatically, to ensure he gets the message: I am not happy. And proceed towards the stairs, only to hold myself back before I step up.

I look back at Dhushyanth to see his curious eyes trained on me, his eyebrows raising as soon as I turn to look at him.

What if he's getting on my nerves just so I go upstairs to get away from him?