Love that Hurts

YOUR VILLAINESS DEAREST

Aryan rubbed his eyes, apparently to drive away the headache that had jolted him out of his slumber. It felt like a hundred-pound weight had been dumped on his head and all the burden was being carried by his neck. The pain was unbearable. He had had a lot to drink the previous night, evidently so. The only people left from the party were Abhishek, Rahul, and Jai. All of them were snoring in different corners of the penthouse. Aryan was in desperate need of some coffee because he could barely piece anything together. He marched up to the kitchen to brew himself a hot cup of espresso, on second thought he considered phoning up his assistant to get him an iced americano to help with the bludgeoning headache.

"Um yeah hi. Get me an iced americano, in the penthouse. ", he purred into the phone. Even his voice was causing him pain. Holding his head in his hand, he settled on the couch. After about a minute trying to recollect what had happened at the party. The image of Raina leaving with Maitreye crossed his mind. 'Did she come back?', he wondered to himself. He called out for Raina. He did so, for quite some time and rather loudly, so much so that his sleeping guests woke up.

"Had your beauty sleep? Now call Maitreye and ask her to send Raina over. ", he said to Abhishek.

" What? She left with Maitreye? ", enquired Abhishek. In response, Aryan just cocked his eyebrow and with an annoyed air around him said, " Well yes! Why else would I ask you to? "

Abhishek phoned Maitreye and enquired about Raina, as the conversation further progressed, lines of worry etched onto his face. "She's not with her. ", Aryan's ears shot up.

" Give the phone to me. ", he snatched it away, urgency of the moment was evident from his behavior. " Hi, M. She left with you last night, what do you mean she's not with you. "

"Yeah she left with me, we got some ice cream nearby and I came back and she said she would get home too. "

Aryan's face was growing redder by the minute, "Where did you guys get ice cream? Where did you drop her off? "

"We got ice cream at the parlor that is like a hundred meters from your complex and from there we went on our own ways, I haven't seen or heard from her since then.", his heart started beating faster. The rush of adrenaline from the panic that was attacking him had caused his headache to vanish momentarily. She ran away, she ran away! Of course she did, she was on the look out for that one chance, that one slip up from Aryan and she would be on her own merry way, all free. Aryan kicked the coffee table in frustration. 

"Calm down mate! ", Rahul put his hand over his shoulder. Aryan jerked his hand off in response, "Calm down? I can't calm the fuck down. Do you understand the severity of the situation? She has run off to God knows where and I had clue about it until this morning. If she did intend to run away, she must be ages away from me now, ages. Do you understand that?"

"Why would she run away in the first place?", a clueless Jai asked.

"You sit this one out Jai, its quite personal I believe.", Abhishek advised. And with that, Jai saw himself out. By this time, Aryan had already started hyperventilating.

"Look at me, Look at me! We will find her, she is not far off. We will find her, calm down!", Abhishek implored Aryan to keep his cool. Just as Aryan was about to take another sip of his espresso the doorbell rang. Rahul hurried up to check. As the door swung open, a calm settled over his face. He passed Raina an awkward smile. She was back! She hadn't run away or anything of that sort. She was just out, getting air? Fresh air that hadn't to every nook and corner of the penthouse they lived in. Aryan's eyes snapped towards her and he practically ran to the door. Before she could respond, she had already been caught in a bone crushing hug.

"Are you try to knock the air out of me now?", Raina asked. He just chuckled in response and kissed the top of her head. By each second, the hug was getting tighter making Raina all the more out of breath and uncomfortable. "Knock it off Aryan, I can't breathe.", she complained. Aryan backed off and assessed her face, the face he thought he wouldn't see ever again. But the more he looked at her, the more anger settled in him. Where had she been all night? Why was she coming home just then? Had she initially insisted on running off but in the middle of it changed her mind and decided to skedaddle her way back to him? 

"Where were you all night?"

"At my parents."

"That's far."

"Like you said, I had the whole night to myself, so i managed."

"Why so sudden?"

"I don't see the need to explain myself as to why i decided to visit my parents.", Aryan picked up his cell and phoned her mother. He enquired about her present and got an answer contrary to what she had said.

"You weren't there."

"So?"

"You lied. Where were you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes of course it does! I should know where my wife had been all fucking night!"

"Then listen well because I'm not going to repeat myself", began Raina. "I was at the airport, I had a flight at about 3 in the night, for JFK. I was leaving, but then you popped into my head and I just lost it. Lost it over the audacity you've shown these past couple of days. You haven't left me in peace ever since i had these godforsaken eyes on you. I just got so bloody livid that i decided i just couldn't go back like a coward, without giving you a piece of what you deserve."

"Whatever on earth do you mean?"

"I mean it's my turn."

"What turn?"

"My turn to make you miserable."