Not A Simple Engineer Boy! | ✓

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Scrollstck- Suganthi Lakshminarayanan

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"You know, I can take care of myself," Satya said, tapping Xavier's arm. He had fallen asleep in a rocking chair in her room. "I'm perfectly fine."

He woke up, startled by the sudden intrusion into his personal space. "Satya, don't scare me like that!" He groaned and stretched, his joints cracking like a percussion symphony. "This stupid chair sucks!"

Xavier had been extra cautious in caring for Satya. Despite her protests, Xavier decided to stick close until she could walk, jog, or at least wobble around unaided. The guest room was too far for his liking, so he chose to embrace the torture device disguised as a rocking chair, sacrificing three consecutive nights of decent sleep.

I should just sleep on the floor; even that marble slab looks more forgiving than this wooden atrocity. His gaze drifted longingly to the floor, the cool sheen of the marble practically whispering an invitation to his aching back.

Of course, he could have summoned the servants to drag his plush California King bed—complete with memory foam and a headboard worthy of royalty—from one of the mansion's guest rooms into Satya's cavernous bedroom. The room was so absurdly large it could moonlight as a five-star hotel lobby. But that felt excessive, and Xavier wasn't keen on disturbing the house staff, who were already grappling with the emotional whiplash of Satya's recent accident.

The staff adored her. Most had been around for decades, watching Satya transform from a chubby-cheeked toddler into the confident, whip-smart woman she was today. Seeing her bedridden had been a gut punch to all of them.

By the third day, Satya was starting to look more like herself—still swaddled in bandages like a warrior fresh from battle, but her face had regained its trademark glow.

"You're wearing yourself out," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his stubble-rough cheek.

"I'll live," he replied with a faint smile. "It's not impossible."

"Dhanya should go back to school," she muttered, guilt flickering across her features. "I need to make arrangements. This is all my fault."

Dhanya had rushed home after seeing the news online. Neither Satya nor Xavier had explained the full extent of what had happened, agreeing to keep her in the dark.

"It was so stupid of me to love someone who didn't even care for me," Satya muttered but her gaze held a secret that Xavier wasn't able to read.

Xavier's jaw tightened. Narayan hadn't so much as sent a courtesy text, let alone visited. The mere thought of the man made Xavier's fists itch for a fight, but Satya's frail condition kept him tethered.

"Stop blaming yourself," Xavier said firmly. "You're here, alive and well—that's more than enough for us. That kid was bawling her eyes out when she saw you in the hospital, and yet you think no one loves you?"

"You do love me," she said with a feeble smile.

Xavier rolled his eyes, his glare speaking volumes.

"Don't you?" she pressed, her grin widening.

"No shit, Sherlock."

Xavier wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve, but his circle of friends—small enough to fit into a single group chat—knew they held a sacred place in his life. Adult friendships were a balancing act he took seriously, even if the list barely extended beyond eight people.

"I knew that," Satya said, watching him as he picked up his laptop from the makeshift study table. He sat on the couch and opened it, the glow of the screen lighting up his determined face. For Xavier, it seemed the sun rose each day just so he could work. Was he a workaholic? Yes. But he thrived on it.

She approached him cautiously. "When was the last time you talked to Krithika?"

Without looking up, he replied, "I text her regularly. She understands that you're my priority right now."

Satya let out a sigh of frustration, then snapped his laptop shut. "Xav, I'm fine!"

"Satya—"

"Stop treating me like a fragile antique! Yes, I made a stupid decision trying to—" she hesitated, her voice faltering, "end things. But don't baby me!"

He gave her a confused look.

"You're in a new relationship," she continued, her tone more deliberate now. "Women tend to expect some attention from their boyfriends, you know."

"If you've forgotten, I dated my college sweetheart, married her against all odds, and—surprise, surprise—got divorced. Presumably because I was more than what she expected me to be," he said, reopening his laptop. "I think I'm familiar with the whole 'what women want' concept."

Here we go again. Satya glared at him as he leaned back on the couch, typing away as though nothing had happened. Should I slap him? Would that help him see things clearly?

Do tell me what you feel about this and the upcoming chapters, always open to positive criticism.