Married My Enemy (#1 Rajput)

27- 'Crossing The Limit'

Kiaan's all smiles. "Yes—what? No! NO! Shut up." Why don't I listen properly? He rolls his shoulders up and down, warming his muscles up for another heated—in a good or bad way—argument. "—it gives me immense joy—"

"—to imagine sleeping next to me? Yes, yes. Of course. I'm pretty attractive—"

"Tu chup kar. Abhi!" He wants to bang his head on the wall. I thought I'd get on her nerves but this—this isn't going according to my plan! (You shut up. Right now.)

"Kyu? My voice is tem—" (Why?)

"Because you sound like a sheep. Hissing and rattling. And barking." He pulls his hair. I won't go bald, right?

Jaanvi's spotless eyebrows draw together and knit. "Sheep's don't bark. Dogs do. And Snakes hiss and r—"

He realizes he sounds like an idiot. He's annoyed and reacts quickly around her to piss her off—just the way she pisses him off—so he said whatever that first came in his head. "I was ch—checking your general knowledge." He looks away from her. "Point is, you get the point. Now let me complete my sentence."

His mouth parts to speak but Jaanvi unintentional speaks. "Hey! My general knowledge is fabulous. I took a class in year eleven—god! I got a hundred out of hundred in that class. Everyone was so jealous. One girl said 'uhh, she probably reads books all day because she's got no mother to scold her and—" Her innocent smile slips.

She lifts her eyes and gazes into Kiaan soft ones. He's quiet. Expressions soft—like a chocolate before you touch it and it sticks into your fingertips because it's melted—and painfully sympathetic but consoling too.

She swallows and clears her throat. Eyes roaming on the floor. Frightened to look into his kind eyes and spill into tears. He's the one person—the one person—she doesn't want to receive pity from. She's not a charity case. She's got no disorder or physical problem or anything wrong with her—she doesn't want this.

"—what were you saying? My he—hearts—" Eyes stinging in tears. She blinks and pauses. Collects her breath and stands up, turns away from him and begins arranging the bed to keep herself distracted. "—hearts generous for once. So, come on, talk."

His mouth dry. Speechless. You're doing it again, Ariel. She talks. Giggles. Mocks. Insults. Speaks boldly. Ends up saying something personal and honest and heart-breaking. Something that reminds her of her mother. And then she's quiet. Then she changes the topic. Starts joking again or fights. Uses humour to run from the horrible life she's living in.

He wanted to say, 'it gives me immense joy to know you finally came to realize self-obsession is harmful. So, for once, Your Highness, come out of your shell.' It doesn't seem appropriate now.

His tongue touches his mouth—sweeps as if to hydrate it—and then licks his lips. "Yeah, well, you—you're pretty clever." His eyes are on the floor too. Index finger hurriedly and accusingly lingers around the floor when she looks over her shoulders to get a glance at his expressions. It's like he's making a defensive point. For her. Supporting her.

Jaanvi doesn't remember when the last time someone called her clever was. She can't recall any memory of someone praising her for her intellectual brain. It makes her heart warm and soggy in a good way. She looks away. Smiling softly. Sadly. With a tiny bit of happiness.

Kiaan scans his eyes around the room to keep himself busy for a few minutes. He doesn't want to leave her alone after this conversation. He'll be her moral support. Just by his presence. But he finds nothing. So he stays standing. Awkwardly in his bedroom.