Poles Apart

Chapter Forty-Eight

Arvi

"Let's go for dinner?" Arjun asks when I step out of the bathroom after showering.

I look down at myself, still in my robe and up at Arjun who looks very busy with his phone.

"Yes, let's go," I agree, waiting to find out how long it'd take my husband to look up from his phone.

Arjun's lips curve into a lopsided grin even when he doesn't look up. "Are you coming like that, darling?"

Why ever I thought he wouldn't notice.

"Just because I'm looking at my phone, it doesn't mean I'm not looking at you," he says, climbing off the bed.

I shrug indifferently, not accepting defeat. "I'm going to wear my clothes and come back."

"Okay," Arjun says, shooting me a smile as he slips socks onto his feet.

~.~.~.~.~

"Are you going to tell me the plan at least now?" I ask Arjun, as we sit across from each other at the restaurant.

His lips turn up in the usual smirk. "Aren't you happy with where you ended up?"

I scowl. "Doesn't mean I'm not curious about what happens next. I need to prepare myself to leave this place."

Arjun sighs softly, biting into his chicken sandwich. We opted for easy food on the first day, leaving the Philippine food for when we can actually enjoy it.

"If you really want to enjoy yourself now, you'd rather forget when you're to leave, wouldn't you? Otherwise, the only thought in your head would be of your departure."

I bite the inside of my lip, knowing Arjun's right. It's what I do all the time, counting days down until we leave and feeling bad and bad-er about it.

"Fine," I relent, begrudgingly. "Don't tell me."

Arjun looks at me for a moment, trying to figure out if I was mad or not. I stay silent, letting him figure out himself.

After dinner, we walk back towards our villa, on a secluded part of the practically uninhabited island.

I stretch my hand out to hold his, subconsciously, only realising that I have done so when his warm hand doesn't reach out to me. I look at him and down at his hands that are shoved into his pockets.

Shrugging to myself, I try to act indifferent to the subtle rejection as I wrap my arms around myself, pretending to be a bereft soul in a cold world.

Amongst the chirping of the crickets, we walk back to our room, neither of us saying anything. I wonder if he's lost in thought, but he seems too stiff to be distrait.

Once we reach the room, Arjun is quick to settle on the bed, phone in hand and merely waves me off when I tell him I'm going to change into something comfortable to sleep in.

Somewhere between us going out for dinner and coming back, I seem to have pissed off my husband of no more than three days.

I rewind all the events from the specific timeline but can't find anything to have pissed off Arjun. If I did something to offend him, he would've told me, wouldn't he?

He hasn't been the kind to have a lot of pent-up emotions or obsessive thoughts; he usually says whatever is on his mind, not leaving even the crude thoughts that might corrupt my innocence. What about him is different now?

What could I have done to push him into silence?

We're supposed to be on our honeymoon! What's the point of bringing me all the way over to the Philippines if he won't even goddamned glance my way?