Like a Shadow to You

Chapter 1: Like A Shadow to You

Without a sound, Akash entered the room upstairs. Banu was deep in sleep. As he sat beside her, he could not help but stare at her serene face. He wished so badly to retain the peace. At the same time, he knew this was not going to last for more than a few hours. He pulled the blanket over her head and gazed at her. The room was so silent that he could hear the clock ticking.

His phone began to vibrate indicating a call. Taking out a deep breath, he walked towards the door and opened it. With one last look, he gently closed the door behind him. Hundreds of horrible scenarios were flashing in his mind, most of which involved Banu.

'Why does she have to cross paths with me?'

'What if anything goes beyond my plan?'

'Aravind is not the one to play fairly'

'I'm losing my mind'

'But I can fight the world for her'

'I can even go against my blood to keep her beside me'

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He changed his face from rigid to gentle. Rubbing her eyes, she took a few steps from the room and stood just a few inches behind him. The distance between them was reduced to an inch. He was able to sense her breath on his back.
At first, she opened her arms wide and engulfed him in a warm hug from behind. His muscles began to tense at her proximity. Though he had the urge to turn back and hug her tightly as if his world revolved around her, he knew that this was not the right time.

So, he just stood there like a machine with no movement except his shallow breathing. Banu was confused at his behavior and turned him towards her. She looked into his eyes and tried to peek at the things running in his mind.

He felt naked before her as if she could see through him completely. If it was any other time, he would be so elated for it. But now, he wanted to escape her interrogation. He quickly masked his emotions and showed her a blank face.

Disappointed with the change, she went a few steps back. Unlike his plan, her moving even a little away from him bothered him so much. To hide the raw emotion, he stuffed his hands in the side pockets of his suit. He was afraid that leaving the hand out would reveal his state of mind.

Words stuck in Banu's throat failing to reach him. Nevertheless, her eyes gave a glimpse of what was she feeling at the moment. Keeping all the questions aside, she pointed her finger towards the dining table downstairs. Without waiting for him to follow, she began to descend the stairs and sat in a chair on the dining table.

There were plenty of matters left to be discussed with each other. But he knew that she was not in the right mindset to go through all those miseries again. So, he promised himself that he would never let any more tears fall down her cheek unless they were happy ones.

He went to the kitchen and brought two plates with cooked food for them. After placing a plate before her, he signaled her to start eating. Avoiding his stare, she used the spoon on the table to eat the biryani. Both of them were not in the mood to relish the taste of the food.

What is the reason behind the silent struggle?

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Want to know what happens next? Well, you have to wait till the next chapter. Don't forget to rate this one.