Crossing The i's And Dotting The t's

(XXIII) Sanity, Where Art Thou?

Okay, maybe my mind exaggerated that. Kian wasn't knocked out due to the force of the flying glass, but he did stumble backwards because of it. The back of his sneakers got caught in the slightly upturned carpet and he almost went down flying, his back meeting the covered floor with a loud yet muffled thud.

Radhika rushed forward, one hand clasped tightly over her mouth and eyes wide with horror. Vivaan was ahead of her, and was already bent over as he examined his, our, friend. Though I could spot the tiny curve of his mouth, he was amused.

As much as I hated to admit, even I was torn between my urge to laugh and my concern.

But when Kian continued to lie there, unmoving, any traces of a snigger that was building inside me disappeared and I instinctively dropped to my knees, pushing Viv out of the way, and leaned over. My heart was in my throat. Obviously I was aware that the worst thing for him might be a concussion, but still an irrational dread was coiling in my stomach, leaving the feeling of a nasty aftertaste in my mouth.

I checked his pulse, which turned out to be normal. That was a relief. He wasn't going to be unconscious for long.

And sure enough, he stirred moments later, a pained groan escaping his lips. There were beginnings of a bruise developing on his forehead, but it didn't seem as if it'll turn into a bump.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod Kian, are you okay? No I mean of course you're not. Shit shit shit fuuuck I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I—"

"It's okay Rads," Kian croaked out, his voice coming out scratchy as he squeezed his eyes shut, gingerly touching the part of his forehead which had collided with the metal glass. "Though next time when you're flinging deadly objects around a room, make sure your target is not in front of the door. It's a recipe for disasters."

She blushed guiltily but didn't reply to that. I was thankful that he still had enough senses working to make sarcastic comments. It should mean that there wasn't any lasting damage right?

"Can you sit up?" I asked him, murmuring gently.

It was as if he noticed me for the first time, for he jerked in surprise despite my soft tone, squinting at my face, before his lips stretched into a lazy grin. "Oh I don't know. This is a vulnerable position for me. Mind kissing some life into me eh Sleeping Ugly?"

That confirmed it, he was perfectly fine.

Giving in and smiling a bit, I played along. "Really? Wasn't it the other way round? The Prince saved the helpless Princess by molesting her in her sleep."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "I'm a feminist, the classical kind."

The loud clearing of a throat brought us back from our short reverie. I was thankful my complexion was on the duskier side. Otherwise I would've resembled a ripe Kashmiri apple, given how hot my face felt. Instead, I focused on Kian as Vivaan and I helped him up. He swayed a little when he was finally upright before getting steady on his feet again.

Radhika kept muttering frantic apologies which Kian waved away good-naturedly, slowly making his way towards his room. I wordlessly followed, taking his hand, not only because I wanted to make sure he would be okay but also because I was in no mood to witness the resumption of the lovers' spat.

Barring some soft music playing in the background, the hallway was quiet, naturally, since it was nearly midnight. Kian was slightly leaning against my side, perhaps still feeling a bit dizzy. Facing me once we reached his room, he rested his back towards the door. "So that was embarrassing, talk about bad luck. I was so confident about my plan."