The Damaged Woman (18+) [Under Edition]

9. Truth.

Khushi.

Beep!

Beep!

I hear voices; they sound unclear, and distant. I force my eyes open, the searing light is almost blinding. My eyes slowly adjust. Where I am? I cough, my throat is so dry. It feels like I haven't had a drink of water in forever.

I swallow, it feels like shards of glass in my throat. Gosh.

I look around the room. I hate hospitals, my chest tightened as the memory of this horrible place push me into a panic.

I weave, pulling at the hospital gown that clings to my body. I rip the needles, and wires from my body, tossing my feet off the side of the bed. I stand, my legs buckle, blinking away the dizziness. I hold-on to the bed to steady myself.

I need to get out of here.

I need water to soothe my parched throat.

I reach for the water bottle that was placed on top of the bedside table. I fall to my knees, knocking everything to the ground, the excessively loud crash rings out into the relatively empty space.

Shit.

The door open, I look up curiously, trying to help myself up from the floor. Varun enters the room, much to my delight and horror Arnav is standing right alongside him.

He runs to my side, and lift me from the ground he places me back on the bed, his arms suddenly wrap around me, hauling me into his chest. The strong scent of his overpowering cologne burns my nose.

He is bathed in cologne.

It wasn't bad, it was just too much for my sensitive nose.

Arnav is quiet the whole time. I could feel his graze from across the room, boring into my soul. I stare at him over the shoulder of the man that is holding me, my mind went back to the kiss we shared in the bathroom back at the restaurant.

It was so wrong yet so right. Maybe I'm delusional, but in those moments that we shared I felt like his, and in some ways he felt like mine. So much happened between us in such a short time.

I loathe being wrapped in someone else arms when all I wanted is for him to hold me instead.

I was too weak to protest, Varun pulls away discontentedly when I didn't react to his show of affection.

Arnav watches from a distance, his hands across his chest. There is a deep furrow between his full dark brows. He looks worried, his eyes meets mine with so much intensity my heart clench, they were like magnets pulling me deeper and deeper into there dark depths.

Varun speaks, bringing me back to reality. I quickly look away. "I'll go get the doctor." He forces a smile, and strides out the slightly open door.

Arnav walks over to the side of the bed, he plunges his hands inside his pants pockets.

"How are you?" He asks.

"I'm fine." I cough, my voice hoarse.

He crouches down, picking up the tray I knocked over. He unscrews the cap from the water bottle, and hands it to me.

I shakily take hold of it. "Thank you." I whisper, and slug down the entire bottle.

I lick my dry lips, reaching over to put the bottle down.

"Let me." Arnav murmurs, taking it from my hand.

"I'll do it myself." I say harsher than I intended. He seems taken a back by my tone.