Paayal - His Scarred Butterfly ✅

10 - CARING HER

மீதி இருள் நீ கடந்தால்
காலை ஒளி வாசல் வரும்.
(If you rise above the darkness,
The morning light will welcome you.)

Paayal came out of her room, adorned in a yellow T-shirt paired with a flowing yellow with red floral skirt, a red single pleated dupatta pinned to her shoulders gracefully. Her hair was left free with a center clip, as her hair was wet. She strolled out of the home, towards the garden, her eyes searching for Krishna.

As she reached the garden, her eyes landed on Krishna who was engrossed in picking some drumstick leaves from the tree.

Paayal asked, approaching him with curiosity, "Krishna, What are you doing? Why are you plucking drumstick leaves?"

Krishna turned to her only to be slayed by her beauty and cuteness in her casual clothes. She was wearing the same kind of T-shirt, Skirt, dupatta, and free hair when he saw her in the street for the first time. His eyes reflected a momentarily admiration.

"Why are you plucking drumstick leaves?" She inquired again, breaking his admiration.

Krishna blinked, breaking himself from his reverie and said, "I want to prepare a dish."

"What do you want to cook? Tell me, I will cook it for you." Paayal said genuinely.

Krishna liked her hospitality, but he denied, "You take a rest. I have knowledge in cooking. I have helped my mom during the holidays."

Paayal argued, "Oh, But you are our guest today. I have to cook and serve for you."

Krishna declared, declining the formalities, "Oh God, Leave about these formalities. Moreover, I am not going to cook for myself. It is for you."

"For me?! What are you going to cook?" Paayal asked intriguingly, widening her eyes.

"Drumstick leaves soup! When I took you out of the bathroom, I saw many sanitary napkins in the dustbin. A normal woman won't use that much sanitary napkins per cycle. I think you have menorrhagia. I mean, heavy bleeding during periods. That's why you are fainting too, it seems. If you take iron rich foods like drumstick leaves, spinach etc., along with vitamin c foods, your condition will improve and you will not faint either." Krishna explained, his voice carrying a genuine care for her.

Paayal looked at him emotionally, her heart yearning to tell all the truth to him. She felt like she was cheating him. She wanted to hug him and cry out that she doesn't have any medical condition. Instead, it was the baby in the form of blood. But something stopped her from telling the truth to him. She didn't want to pass on her pains to him, to a person who is trying to give her mother's love! Even a less emotional person like Pranav was having a hard time to digest everything that happened to Paayal. Krishna will be broken, she thought. At Least let him be happy, she thought. But, Fresh tears rolled down from her eyes, her mind pondering over her hopeless life.

"Oh God, Are you crying again? Why are you crying? I said right? The darkness will not prevail always." Krishna worried, his heart aching to witness her tears consistently. He wished to know what was bothering her, but he couldn't compel her.

"No. I am not crying." She said, wiping her tears.

To divert her from her thoughts, he said playfully, "Cry baby, Don't lie."

"I am not a cry baby." She pouted.

"Then, Show me your smile please." He smiled warmly.

Paayal looked at him, forcing a smile.

"Yes, That's good. Now you look beautiful like an angel." Krishna complimented with a warm smile.

Though she didn't take him wrong, the word Angel from him did something to her heart which felt good, yet which she didn't want. She furrowed her eyebrows in order to stop him from further compliments. "What? Beautiful like an Angel?! Don't take advantage of me. Okay? I respect you like my mother. Otherwise, You know what I will do for admiring me."