Destructive Love (#1)

CHAPTER 23

|PRIYANKA|

I twisted my fingers and sighed. The tension in the car was thick. Anurag was seated beside me, while Aarav occupied the front passenger's seat. I briefly glanced at Anurag, who seemed to be tensed from the moment we sat in the car. Aarav too seemed to be angry. There was no doubt that the two of them were going to argue the moment I went home.

My thoughts were going insane, I wanted to talk to him and ask him if everything was okay but at the moment I didn't want to push him to talk to me. I had already done enough when I screamed at him, I cursed mentally and shook my head. My heart fluttered when I remembered how he held me and the almost kiss.

Would he have kissed me if Aarav had not interrupted us? What was the need to participate in these horrible matches? Why did he have to get hurt to vent his anger deliberately? My head spun slightly as questions filled my mind.

I looked at Anurag again, the streetlights illuminated his face briefly as the car moved. His face concealed his true emotions but his demeanor clearly showed that he was angry mostly with himself. I noticed that his hands were clenched tightly, and the bandage that he had wrapped around his knuckle was lightly soaked with blood. It looked painful but Anurag seemed to like inflicting pain on himself, which did not sit well with me.

I swallowed and raised my hand to hold his but instead stuffed it back in my pocket. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat. I think he needs his space for now and I will lose my cool if he once again says it's none of my business. Besides it was better if we didn't have this conversation with a stranger seated right at the front seat.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and checked for the distance. It would take us approximately another forty-five minutes to reach our destination. I needed a distraction to pass this time without letting all these overwhelming questions and thoughts drive me to the brink of insanity. I can't focus on reading a book, so I decided to write a blog and post it.

I began writing, I felt relaxed as the words flowed out of me. It took me about half an hour to write. Once I finished writing I checked and corrected the errors, satisfied with what I had written I posted it and closed the app.

My heart sped as I felt Anurag's gaze on me. Although there was space between us I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. I turned to face him and our eyes locked. I could see the anger along sadness reflected in his eyes. I was about to ask him why he played this dangerous match when he shook his head briefly and turned away.

I sighed and gazed out of the window. Another ten minutes and we would reach home. I knew that Aarav was going to lay things out pretty hard for him. I have never seen the easy-going brother this angry. I don't want him to fight these things alone. I want him to know that I'm there for him and I'm not afraid of whatever this is leading to.

I scooted closer to him, I touched his fist. He jerked slightly and tried to pull his hand I held it and shook my head. I eased his fingers and entwined my fingers with his. He sighed and after a few seconds held my hand. His hands were rough, it seemed like each ridge and scar had a story behind it. I brushed my fingers softly against the bruises on his knuckles right across the bandage.

"Does it hurt?" I asked him softly.

"No, it doesn't hurt." He replied after a few fleeting seconds.

"Physical pain is hardly anything." He added, his voice slightly cracked at the end. At that moment my heart cracked, and I felt the pain and vulnerability that he had been hiding behind the stoic facade.