Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

3.12 | Touch of Reality

Rushing back from her room just in time, he answered. "She's in her room resting. She said to say sorry to you, Aman. She had an upset stomach and she did ask a waiter to inform you, but I guess he forgot."

Aman said in concern. "Oh, is it bad? She could have told me. I would have taken her home instead of her catching a cab."

Arnav rushed the call into ending, "It's fine. She'll call you back later. Thanks for checking. Good night."

"Oh, goo..." Aman's voice cut out as Arnav pressed the red end button. Then he went on to curse and punch the glass table. It shattered into pieces at once, causing us all to flinch back. Small shards pierced against his knuckles, blood instantly oozing out.

"Arnav!" I exclaimed.

Riddhima had her hands covering her mouth in surprise while Armaan had his eyes bulging out.

Aarav ran out of his room hearing the sound. "Dad?!"

I glanced at Riddhima asking for help and she ran up the stairs to nudge Aarav back into his room. I pulled at Arnav's hand to inspect it while scolding, "What the hell, Arnav? You can't go around punching things when there's a kid in the house! You can't seriously be mad at Aman because di has an upset stomach from dinner."

Snatching his hand back, not caring of the blood as if the glass shards embedded in his skin didn't hurt, he snapped. "She's not in her room."

"What?" I echoed, at first unable to understand why he would lie to it to Aman. Then it dawned. He didn't want Aman to worry. But... then it meant... "No."

Arnav went on to pace back and forth, his fingers meshed through his hair. Armaan stepped up between us, "Arnav, calm down and..."

Arnav yelled at him too, his eyes turning a shade darker, "Don't tell me to fucking calm down! She is missing! They both are missing! If Aarav hadn't been hiding, that bastard would have taken him too!"

There was a growing sorrow within me, seeing his state. My feet neared me towards him, and I dismissed Armaan calling my name in a warning. He was worried about me approaching Arnav when he was enraged out of his mind, but that was my last concern.

I've only known Lavanya and Anjali a short time, but I know how close I've gotten to them. There's an invisible bind between us. We have all endured a kind of pain that no one should ever have to. If what is going through inside of me is any indication, I couldn't even begin to father what Arnav must be going through.

Seeing me nearing, he took a step backwards as if he didn't trust himself around me. But I only retraced it. He needed to know his anger wasn't going to scare me away - now or ever in the future. Reaching up on my toes, my arms wrapped around his neck, hiding my lips at the crook of his neck where it met his shoulders.

If I was all out of sorts right now, losing touch of reality, this is what he would do for me. This is what he has done for me.

The first few seconds, I stood against his body in silence, letting him get a hold of himself as one of my hand traveled to his upper back, rubbing it.

In a low whisper, I pleaded. "Come back to me, Arnav."

I felt a wet stain on my bare skin, learning of his tears, just as he wrapped his arms around my waist. His heart was hammering against my chest, breaths in soft pants before he inhaled deeply into my hair as if the lingering scent of my shampoo would calm him down.

There was a storm churning inside of him that would prove to be fatal unless he could gain control over it.

"This is what he wants," I pulled back just enough to be able to glance into his eyes. "Us, vulnerable and out of balance. You can't play into his hands."