Reading Between the Lines

Chapter 32: Digging

A couple of hours ago...

Prashanth's POV-

Most people know how I hate expressing myself. People may find it sociopathic, but I just like to keep things inside. It's not about looking mysterious or making myself look less boring; I've seen what happens when you wear your heart on your sleeve too much, and I don't want to go back there. So what people don't know won't kill them.

But sometimes, it can backfire. Today's an example of that.

I bring Vinnie outside to an empty multipurpose room nearby, and just to make sure no one hears the pandemonium that's about to occur, I pull out some sound blockers and throw them around the room.

"You're lucky you didn't rip my spine out," I sneer while I look in the mirror to see how badly she scratched me.

"Oh, trust me. That was the goal," she scorns back as she winces from the scratches on her stomach. "Okay. Now talk."

I take a breath.

Look, I've known Nivedit since I was in diapers. He's always been one of the nicest, most idealistic, and one of the most genuine people I've ever met in my life. He's like Tutu; he's just taller, broader, and less innocent. And no matter how much his kindness sickens me sometimes, I always knew he deserved someone no less than perfect.

With that being said, I'm not saying that Vinnie doesn't deserve him. She definitely does. In a way, her brashness and her "no-fucks-given" attitude really works with Nivedit's overall... optimism and unicorn-ness. They're oddly compatible. And Nivedit's caring nature really backs her up whenever she has her moments.

But Vinnie has no place being in a relationship right now. Especially with everything that's happened to her, and can happen to her, this is the worst thing she could ever do.

I don't even have to say anything. Vinnie immediately realizes why I'm upset, and she closes her eyes for a bit before exhaling strongly. "Is this about him?"

I look back at her, nodding my head slowly.

She scoffs. "You don't think I thought about that, Prashanth? I did! I think about it every single day of my life. I have to feel him fucking everything possible through our goddamn mate bond, and I can't even block it. Do you know that pain? That pain of never being able to find my real soulmate while that brat gets to do whatever he wants? Letting me suffer in the process? You don't even know what it's like."

"I'm not saying you don't deserve to be happy. With what Viraj put you through, he can't sit back and let you withdraw from the world forever. I saw you at that stage, and I don't want you to go back there again. But this is far from that. This is dangerous! I already lost the old you. Don't make me lose all of you completely."

"Prashanth, I know! I know how risky this is."

"No, you don't! Do you even know-"

"I DO! I KNOW THAT I'M STILL MATED TO HIM. I KNOW THAT MY WOLF COULD BE TAKEN AWAY. You don't think I considered that?" her screams start to be broken by her own shattering voice as tears begin to stream. And soon, the old Vinnie that she pushed away starts to return to the surface.

Her tears are like waterfalls, and I can tell she doesn't know how to process these emotions that she tried to subdue for years. Her whimpering and wheezing are almost gut-wrenching as she hides her face in her hands. I don't know, maybe Savi's hugging is rubbing off on me. But I grab her and pull her into me.

You wouldn't believe it, but Vinnie wasn't always the badass we see. A while ago, she was just like Tusharika. She was a bubbly, sweet, and talkative cinnamon roll. She and Tutu were some of the purest people I knew.