"All my life I have never felt loved and wanted, so don't fuck with me now."
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He sat with his head down on the cold floor in the corner of his room, hugging his knees to his chest tightly to keep the violent tremors at bay. He was partially hidden by the curtain, and all he could think of was blending in with the darkness. No one would be able to find him. He wouldn't have to fight and fail all the time. He would be set free.
Aahana gulped the knot in her throat and rushed towards him.
"Atharva?" She crouched down to his level and tried to pry his hands away, but he yanked them free and tightened his arms around his body, rocking himself back and forth.
"Please, please leave me," he mumbled under his breath, his voice hoarse and faintly audible.
"Look at me," she pleaded and gently grabbed the sides of his head, lifting his face to make him look at her. She felt all the air leave her chest noticing his puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
His breathing became labored when his eyes locked with hers, and every emotion was evident in them for her to see. She was flooded with his pain, sadness, anger, and most of all.... vulnerability, almost drowning in them.
Her lips parted, but before she could manage to speak, he shook his head and pulled away from her, cornering himself against the wall, his eyes closing of their own accord.
Aahana didn't know what to do. She had never encountered this kind of situation before. But seeing him, lost like a child, she couldn't help but shuffle closer to him and wrap him in her arms.
He tensed.
"What happened?" she asked, soothingly rubbing his back, but it didn't calm him like she hoped it would. If anything, he tensed even more and tossed his head from side to side, thrashing in her arms to let him go.
Call it instinct, but leaving him alone did not feel right. She pulled him closer, her grasp around him gentle yet firm as her fingers combed through his chestnut hair.
She cooed sweet nothings in his ear and after what felt like an eternity sitting there, he relaxed in her hold and buried his face in the crook of her neck, hesitantly wrapping his trembling arms around her waist.
She continued to tell him everything was okay, and he felt her words worm their way into his heart, spreading warmth within him, and he felt okay.
He heaved a sigh and drew back to look at her. She wiped his cheeks, then rose to her feet, extending her hand to him. He stared at it, blinking, before taking it and standing up.
She smiled slightly and walked him to his bed, making him lie down. He did so without hesitation. She pulled the comforter over him and froze when her eyes landed on the left side of his neck.
A red bruise, or more like a hickey.
She recoiled from him as if he had burned her but he just stared at her, emotionless, not comprehending her sudden change.
