Bound By Hurdles

❥ Chapter 11

Aadyanth had a slight hope that he could alter her hate into love some day. Until he learned about her toxicity from his brother. The only way to unleash his pain was to make her suffer. And he did it at the spur of the moment. He convinced himself that she deserved the mistreatment. It was rather a lame try from his part to lessen the guilt that was constantly piercing his conscience.

But this morning changed his perspective about Sonakshi. The new revelations came like a slap on his male ego & forced beliefs. Aadyanth had always thought of his decisions as supreme & thoroughly right. He used to find explanations to cover up his impulsiveness. His rash ways used to affect others but he cared the least.

Today was an eye opener for him. The little conversation he had with Juhi before he left Sonakshi's penthouse induced him to join the dots. When he did, he finally realised Sonakshi was innocent. Infact she was never at fault. He had punished her for a crime she was not even aware of. He had called her names & accused her of sleeping around for absolutely no reason.

The damage was already done. Neither his words nor deeds could be undone at this point. All he could do was repent for his mistake. The tears he made her shed & the words he made her say would haunt him forever.

So much happened in a day & all he could memorize was the very same morning when he woke up to the truths, with Sonakshi securely wrapped up in his arms!

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Flashback

Waking up to Sonakshi's face was like a dream come true for Aadyanth. Her fidgety movements broke his peaceful morning slumber. It took him some few minutes to adjust to the new surroundings. Last night's events came crashing down before him making him exhale deeply. It was just four in the morning. They were at her balcony. He recalled how he had dozed off admiring her sleeping figure last night. Sonakshi was still very much asleep holding onto to him. She had protectively snuggled deep into his chest as if she was the rightful owner of the place.

Aadyanth bent his face down till the level of her face careful enough to not wake her up. Kissing her earlobe, he muttered a subtle 'love you' in her ears. Sonakshi jerked in sleep when his stubble brushed her cheek in the process. Her drowsy eyes flickered for a nano second at the slight shift. Sensing his restless movements, she tenderly patted on his chest a few times as if lulling him back to sleep.

Finding a better position in his lap, she went back to sleeping soundly. Aadyanth released the breath he was holding. He thought she was awake & almost waited for the explosion to follow. They didn't look alike rivals, not even a bit. Instead their cosily cuddled posture resembled that of a new couple in love. He dreaded her possible reaction if she found them in each other's embrace. The only way to dodge the expected blast was to go away from the place silently. But Sonakshi was making it difficult for him. She had locked him from all the sides. Her hands had gathered his shirt in a firm grip while her legs were diagonally tangled with his. Even a slight drift from him brought out response from her.

Having no other option, Aadyanth tactfully lifted her in his arms maintaining the same position, all the while rocking her back and forth. He felt like Sonakshi's babysitter overnight. A smile adorned his face at the silly thought. If she approved, he was ready to babysit her forever. The affection he felt towards her intensified after witnessing her drunken antics last night. He was ready to forgive her or rather had forgiven her already for her shortcomings. People usually behaved with zero adulterations under the influence of alcohol, which meant there was a softer side to Sonakshi as well.

Tucking her under the warm blanket, Aadyanth tried to disentangle her hold from his shirt. Sonakshi tightened her grip on him at his move.

"Stay please" She drowsily murmured. The idea of his familiar scent withdrawing from her reach made her disappointed. She was left craving for more of his reassuring embrace.