Protect my heart

c h a p t e r 9

Happy reading!

ANIKA'S POV

Monsoon has always been my favorite season. I don't know why but the pittar patter of rain always calmed my nerves. Rain had always been my solace, a reminder of simpler, happier times. When the world felt too heavy, the rain would wash away my worries, if only for a moment. I had so many beautiful memories with Aarav too, but my favorite was when I hadn't scored good grades and I was very upset about it. It had rained that day too, and like today I had danced in rain that day too but the only difference was that day Aarav had joined me and today he's the one causing me sadness, he's the reason why I want to dance in rain. He dances terribly, I teased him so much after that, even though my mother scolded me that day, it still was one of the best memories I have, I was too happy to care.

But obviously I have to suffer the consequences too. My head throbs, and my throat feels raw. Every breath is a struggle. I am lying in bed under the blanket, shivering. I want to turn off the fan but I don't want to get up, it's too cold and I feel very weak. As I am lost in my thoughts, the door creaks open, and Aarav emerges with his briefcase. I haven't seen him since morning, he looks tired. It's already late and he probably didn't sleep last night too.

He places his briefcase on the table and walks over to the bed, his gaze falling on me. His expression remains neutral, but I can see a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Nothing" I reply. I don't want his concern. He doesn't say anything and glares at me for a moment, I glare back at him. Then he sighs and shakes his head, "you're shivering Anika." He comments.

"So?" I raise my eyebrows. He sighs, and his hand comes towards me but I push my head back. I don't want him to know that I have fever. A dark expression forms on his face as he places his hand on my forehead. He remarks. His hand is warm on my forehead, and I can feel the heat radiating from my body. He pulls his hand back, his expression hardening.
"You have a fever," he says, his voice tight. "Why didn't you say something?"
I look away, not wanting to acknowledge his concern. "It's not a big deal," I mutter. "I'll be fine."

He scoffs, "You're clearly not fine. You're burning up, and you're shivering like a leaf." He glares at me, his eyes narrowing. "You're stubborn as always," he says, his voice laced with annoyance. "Why didn't you tell me you were feeling unwell? I wouldn't have left you alone."
I roll my eyes, "Why does it matter?" I snap back. "You don't care anyway."
"Shut up." He says, his voice cold.
"You shouldn't have gotten wet in the rain," he says, his tone sharp. "Careless." My eyes widen in surprise, how did he know, oh, stupid me, of course he remembers my habits. If he had such a good memory than he couldn't for once have contacted me.

"I can take care of myself, I don't need your charity." I yell. "You have fever, I need to-" He extends his hand to help me get up but I hit it, "Don't touch me!" I exclaim.

"Listen here, Anika, i don't like you either, but i am not going to let you suffer, when I know i can do something to help. So just shut the fuck up and let me do my job.

I try to muster a response, but I fail. He walks out of the room without a word. See, he doesn't care, what's the point of asking and taunting then.

My heart sinks as he leaves the room, I know he's right, but I will never admit it, never in front of him.

I shouldn't have gotten wet in the rain, it was careless. But I couldn't help it. The rain had been so beautiful, it bought me comfort.

I curl up under the blanket, feeling the shivers run down my spine. My body feels weak and my head is throbbing. I close my eyes, trying to ignore the pain. No matter how hard I try I am not able to sleep, the throat ache is too much. I hate fevers. I keep lying in the bed. He could have at least changed. I could have asked him to turn off the fan shit. Now I will have to get up on my own. I slowly push the blanket away wincing as the breeze hit me, "don't," His voice booms, "lie down, tell me what do you want?" I look back, startled by his voice.

"What is wrong with you? I got scared." I whisper yell. He walks towards me with a tray in his hand. "Here, take this medicine and drink hot water, you will feel better by tomorrow." He says.
I hate that he's here, taking care of me when he's a part of reason why I ended up like this. But at the same time, I can't help but feel a sense of comfort. It feels strange to have him so close, his presence filling up the room. He hands me the medicine and a glass of hot water. I swallow the pills with difficulty, grimacing as they go down.

"Here, drink this soup too." He then holds the bowl of soup to my lips, and I take a few sips, the warmth soothing my sore throat.

"Why are you doing this?" I whisper, my voice barely audible. "You hate me, right?" Aarav doesn't reply right away. He sets the bowl aside and looks at me, his expression unreadable. Finally, he lets out a sigh.

"You're my wife." He raises my chin using a finger, his touch sending shiver down my spine, "you're my responsibility."
"You have enough responsibilities, don't add me to the list." I whisper, looking into his eyes. His finger pull away, his face expressionless, "sleep Anika. You need rest." He commands. No energy to respond, I lie down in the bed, my head sinking into the pillow, I feel his gaze on me, heavy and intense. I mutter a quiet "thank you," my eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. He pulls the blanket up to cover me, his fingers grazing my bare arm lightly. I shiver slightly at the contact, but my body feels too heavy to move.

I close my eyes, tiredness washing over me, but I can still feel his presence in the room. I know he's watching me, his eyes never leaving my form.

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Author's note:
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