Love Me

8

Daksh was dozing off in his room when a loud knock jolted him awake. He got up to answer the door and found Roshni standing there, her eyes barely open.

"What's up, Roshni?" he asked.

"I can't sleep! My foot is killing me, and it's all your fault Asshole!" she snapped. The pain was clearly visible on her face. At the end she was just a dedicated girl who had faced the harsh punishment just because she talked back.

"I can't believe you're cursing at me right now. If you want to go through the morning's drama again, feel free to keep cursing. But for now, just come in," he replied opening the door completely.

With a huff, she stomped into the room and flopped down on Daksh's bed, lying on her stomach.

"Get me some painkillers, quick! I couldn't get any sleep because of the pain." she mumbled, her hand reaching out while her face was buried in the pillow.

"Forget the painkillers. I'll give you a massage instead. Just roll over and maybe change into something more comfortable. You're still in that suit," he suggested looking at the anaarkali design simple suit.

"I don't want to move at all," she groaned, not budging an inch.

Daksh gently turned her onto her back and looked at her, noticing her eyes still shut.

"Why do you need me to change? Just  massage my leg. You're such an idiot. I can't argue with an idiot," she said, finally sitting up a bit as he started to press her leg with his hands.

"Daksh... is Ayaan mad at me? He didn't talk to me like he usually does. Is it because Mom left and you all think I'm a burden?" she asked, her gaze stayed on her feet instead of meeting Daksh's eyes filling herself as a burden whom they had to carry because she was left with no one in her life.

Daksh put his finger under her chin and make her look at him. Little worry from Roshni's eyes vanish seeing the soft expression on his face.

"He cares about you. You had a fever, right?" He asked. She nodded her head in response. So he continues again. "But you still went out in the rain and didn’t tell me you were eating those fried rolls. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t say anything at all. He’d just let you do whatever," he reassured her.

"Still," she whispered.

"Look, if I love you, I’m going to scold you, argue with you, and tell you what’s right and wrong because I care about you and don’t want you to get hurt. That’s why he was upset. He knew you were sick and he even knocked on your door to give you medicine, but you didn’t answer," he explained, moving his hands up her leg gently.

"I'm not a bur..den, right?" she said, her voice trembling as if she might break down at any moment.

"Why are you thinking like that? Stop overthinking and just understand one thing you can never be a burden. You are part of our family. You have been since you were born so you cannot question like this. And don’t you dare cry," he warned her at last, sounding more like he was giving a command.

"Do I need to apologize to him then?"

"No, not to him. But tomorrow, when you get to school, I want you to apologize to your teacher probably, got it?" He watched as she nodded in agreement.

She lay down again while Daksh continued to massage her leg over her clothes until he noticed she had fallen asleep.

"Why are you creating fake scenarios in your head, baccha? Don’t do that," he murmured to the sleeping Roshni, gently stroking her face. After kissing her forehead, he grabbed a pillow and moved to the couch to get some rest.