𝙁𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚

Chapter 33 - Gestures

Akshit's Pov

I woke up late. This is what happens when you go to bed late. I don't regret last night, but I regret overthinking it afterward, alone. And now I've missed my walk. Great. I check my phone for any messages, but there are none. I get up and make my bed before getting fresh. I feel lethargic yet relieved. I can't understand it. I prepare for court after getting ready and plan to grab a quick breakfast. Nothing new, but I still feel bad about it. I want to share breakfast peacefully with her, maybe tease her a little. But I'm already late. Perhaps I can drop her off instead. Yes.

I excitedly and hopefully leave my room, but to my surprise, her room is still locked. I see Megha dii coming out of Shruti's room and ask, "Is she still asleep?" Megha dii replies, "No, Shruti is up. Why?" Oh God. I clarify, "Is Tiara up?" She smiles but soon recovers and says, "No. She doesn't usually sleep this late according to Shruti, but she's still asleep." Oh. What is it? I keep standing there when a half-asleep but dressed-for-office Shruti comes out of her room. Her face shows she's in a foul mood.

I ask, "What happened?" She looks up and says, "She won't be leaving for the office with me. When I asked why, she said she'd be busy working on her software's weaknesses," after a beat, she adds, "If you wanted to know, of course." I feel like she's lying. We both head downstairs to grab breakfast as we are late. But suddenly, I feel like I should visit her. Something doesn't feel right.

After breakfast, I call Aarav. He picks up, and I say before he can, "I'm not going to court today. Send me the meeting details or give them to my junior after the meeting." Before I can hang up, he asks, "Why?" I don't feel like explaining, especially to him, so I say, "I need to be home." He angrily responds, "Don't you think you're being very unprofessional these days, Akshit? This isn't like you. You know how important this is, and you're busy pursuing a girl you don't even know properly." I snap, "Aarav, it's none of your business."

He yells, "Oh, it is. You're screwing everything up. Is it a girl, or are you not getting any pus-" Before he can finish, I shout, "Shut the fuck up, Mr. Aarav Malhotra. I'll punch you in the face if you keep talking shit." He ignores my threat and continues, "You could have had her years ago instead of wasting time now when such a big opportunity is being served on a silver platter. How can you forget what happened because of her, huh?"

I tell him to shut up again, but this stubborn bastard persists, "I shouldn't have listened to you and should have gotten the task done. Maybe even got a taste of her." My grip on the phone tightens, and my insides burn, but I calmly warn him, "I know what's at stake. Don't cross me, Aarav, or you'll never find out the truth. And you know I won't care. Never talk about her like that, or in any way, or I'll rip your tongue out, even if you're my best friend." I hang up before he can utter more nonsense.

I change into comfortable home clothes and wash my face to regain control. I reach Tiara's room and knock twice, but there's no response. What the heck is going on? Oh God, she isn't hurt, is she? I need to talk to her and cool down. I knock again and hear rustling clothes. Finally, she answers weakly, "Yes," as if in pain. Oh no! I knock again and say, "Open the door, Tiara. It's me, Akshit."

After a few minutes, the door opens. She looks worn out. Even in this state, she looks beautiful. I ask, "What's wrong, Tiara? Are you sick?" I try to touch her forehead, but she steps back and says, "I'm fine, Akshit. Why are you here? Don't you have court?" Her voice is weak. I get inside and see the unmade bed. She was asleep. I ask, "You don't sleep this late! What's wrong? Something is! Don't lie!"

She sighs and gets back to bed, saying, "I'm just a little tired." I take calculated steps towards the bed and sit down, facing her. I try to touch her forehead again, but she pulls back. I say, "Tiara, let me!" She shakes her head, but before she can retreat, I hold her close and touch her forehead. It's burning. She looks at me and says, "I'll be fine once I take a shower. It's nothing!"