A Loveless Alliance

Chapter-20 [Bakery]

SIDDHARTH'S POV

The moonlight shimmered its glow brighter than the dimly lighted up street lamps, half working, half not. Myra sat beside me staring at the stars, while her own eyes shined brighter than them.

Right now, We were on our way to a bakery because my soon to be sister-in-law demanded a cake to compensate for not bringing her for shopping, when she was busy with her Own classes. Please note the sarcasm.

Anyways thanks to her, I could spend a little extra time with Myra. I would have never been able to take Myra where we were going, if it wasn't for Sanvi. So kudos to her! My smile slowly faded away, as a sudden question was passed at me.

"Why did you lie to your mother? We could have just told them the truth. She looked really disappointed in you."

Instead a frown made it's way between my eyebrows. Myra's tone was heavy, her words were followed by a heavier sigh as if that particular question was troubling her a lot. My eyes darted at her, who was staring blankly at the car's roof.

She swallowed slowly. I could feel the building tension tickling my skin. Lowering down the speed as a natural instinct, I let out a short sigh before answering her question.

"I know how much you hate unwanted attention. You already looked troubled and embarrassed, I didn't want to make you more uncomfortable. So I lie-"

"Why? Why are you doing all of this? Thinking so much about my comfort, bringing me those snacks and what not! And now we are going to buy cake for my sister at freaking 9 p.m."

......

It wasn't a response that left her mouth.
Instead it was a burden breaking free from her, a bubble of frustration that just popped. By the time she was done talking, her chest moved up and down heavily.

My foot almost involuntarily pressed the break. The car was filled with her heavy breaths, normally I would have yelled back in such a situation but right now, my heart clenched looking at her troubled self. I just wanted to scoot over and pull her in a hug but I couldn't. So instead, I said.

"I was just being nice."

"Why??"

She exclaimed frustratedly, her hands moved up showing the intensity of the emotions running high and fell back on her thighs with a thud. Confusion took over my mind. What does she mean, why?

I clenched my fingers wrapped around the steering and spoke, my voice coming out more raspy than usual.

"You don't need a reason to be nice to people, particularly to the people you care about."

Something shifted in her eyes, I couldn't comprehend what but her breathing slowed down. Maybe it was just her mood swings taking over. There was a long stretched silence clouded with a sense of palpation so animated that I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.

"When did care come in between our arrangement?"

My jaw tightened as those words glided out of her mouth. The air thickened, those heavy breathes of hers ringed in my mind like a continuous hammer. I held her gaze, no matter how restless it made me feel at that time, I didn't look away.

I could feel the strainness engulfing us. Arrangement, right. Not a wedding, or anything but an arrangement, that's what we were and I had proposed it, yet today it was hurting me the most.

The air surrounding us felt too tight to breathe freely, I hated this. A short breath cutted through the thickness between us before I stated sharply. I knew my words sounded petty but I needed to get those off my chest or I would have choked on my own words.