Pocket Full of Lies

8- Two can play that game

Finally some space to breathe.

I exhaled out loud as Rehaan went to take a bath. It was difficult to even breathe in his presence. That guy had a special talent in making me weary without even speaking a word. Only I knew how I managed to sit still for so many hours.

Okay, okay, it was only half an hour, but try sitting in a room filled with nothing but silence and someone discreetly eyeing you and tell me if it doesn't feel like the worst part of your day or even life.

I think I should ask the doctor if they could provide me with an oxygen mask. Breathing around this observant jerk was just that difficult.

"Why... are you doing this?" Rehaan asked, as soon as he came out of the bathroom.

I turned towards him to see him eyeing me warily and with a bit of a pity. It was then I realized that I had unconsciously started cleaning his hospital room. Might I add, aggressive cleaning.

"Ah...I...I...," I scratched my head, not knowing what to answer.

"There's cleaning staff here..." He muttered in a soft voice as he slowly approached me and gently took away the cleaning cloth from my hands.

"I know. I know...sorry, I just..."

I just went into autopilot mode.

I guess he understood from my expressions that I didn't realize I was cleaning until he pointed it out, because his guilty face from before was back. "Did I...did I always make you clean up after me? Did I force you to do all the dirty work while I enjoyed doing nothing?"

Well yes, but you paid me for it.

He was right in his assumptions but the dynamics behind those statements were entirely different. I did clean up after him. But he wasn't a cruel boyfriend who made his girlfriend do every work while he lazed around. He was just an employer who paid me to do his work.

"No, you are getting it all wrong," I said, with as much conviction I could put in my words.

"Are you sure?" He was still looking at me like he committed a grave crime.

Think Muskaan, think and come up with something believable.

"Yes sure," I said with a chuckle to make it more believable. "I was just bored by sitting around silently so I started cleaning to keep myself busy."

"Really?"

"Why can't you believe my words in the first try itself?" I huffed. "Are you sure? Seriously? Really? So many questions. Argh!" I threw up my hands in the air in exasperation.

A second passed, before he busted out laughing, making me realize that I said all that out loud. My frustration was out for him to witness and enjoy. I groaned as I covered my face to hide my embarrassment.

"Sorry," he apologized in between the laughs.

"Stop laughing." My voice came out muffled beneath my hands, making him laugh even more.

"Seriously stop," I shouted in frustration, throwing my hands away from my face.

"Okay, okay, sorry, I will stop," he said, pressing his lips tightly to stop, but still a few chuckles left from his mouth.

I tapped my foot as I waited for him to finally stop laughing. As soon as he did, I sighed and gestured to him to get on the bed as he was standing for quite a long while which was appreciable in his state.

He obediently followed my order and got on the bed quietly, before apologizing once again.

"I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you to repeat everything. I will try not to ask again and again. But please forgive me if it slips out sometimes by mistake."

How could a jerk look so damn cute?

I kind of like this jerk who listens and obeys my words.

★★★★★

Screw that! I don't want him to listen to me.

He listened. He freaking listened and tried to be thoughtful.

Just because I told him that I was cleaning because I got bored of the silence, he started talking to me.

Yeah, you must be thinking that Muskaan is so inconsiderate. That man is putting in so much efforts but she is still complaining. But who will understand that his thoughtful gesture can put me into jail.

To get rid of the silence, he forced himself to talk to me. And what happens when you talk with someone you know nothing about? Questions, a lot of questions! Questions which might reveal my lie. Questions for which I will have to make up more lies. Questions which might turn my life upside down.

"So...since when do we know each other?"

I breathed out with relief. Finally something that I can answer truthfully.

"Seven years."

"That's a long time," he muttered to himself thoughtfully. "I don't understand." He looked up at me, tilting his head a bit towards left. "If we are together for seven years then we might have been close."

"Yeah...," I trailed off warily, not knowing where this conversation was heading.

"Physically close too..."

Pervert

It was quite hard to maintain the smile on my face while all I wanted to punch the shit out of this jerk.

"Don't get me wrong,"

I am definitely getting you wrong😤

"It's just that you haven't hugged me once since I woke up. I mean your boyfriend just woke up after such a traumatic event, surely any girlfriend will cry and hug him out of happiness."

He seemed to make it look like an innocent question but his sharp eyes were back.

So you are investigating me in the name of talking, huh? Playing smart, are we? Two can play that game. Let's see who wins.

I moved closer to him. "I wanted to, I badly wanted to. Forget hugging, I would have kissed you relentless, the moment you opened your eyes."

Seeing him squirming gave me more confidence. Poor guy was trying to back away without making it too noticeable. Too bad, his discrete actions were too visible as I was focusing just on them.

"I really wanted to but then I thought you would get scared. You can't even remember my name. I can imagine how terrifying it would be if some stranger just jumps on me, suddenly hugging and kissing me.

"See, you are trembling even now," I pointed it out to him as I slowly backed away.

"That's the reason I have been controlling myself and keeping my distance. Just for you. For you to feel safe."

For you, my ass. I wouldn't touch you even if my life depended on it.

Rehaan was breathing heavily as he tried to wipe out the sweat from his forehead with his shaky hands. His condition made me question whether I overdid it.

He suddenly looked so small and scared like a lone child in the huge world.

This switch that kept happening between the anxious Rehaan and suspicious Rehaan was confusing the hell out of me. I felt pity for the anxious one while I was scared of the suspicious one.

I had to be on my toes every single second to counter him in all his changing phases.