Conditions Of Shashank | 18+

Chapter 21: Bandages

Ishika is listening carefully. Just then, Ujjwal chuckles and says he was joking.

(After 5 minutes)

"Can I go and cook now?" she asks.

"Yes, Ishika," Ujjwal replies.

Ishika goes to the kitchen and starts preparing the meal.

While cooking, she glances back at the dining table, wishing Ujjwal would stay nearby. As she chops tomatoes, she looks back again, but when she doesn't see him, she feels a bit sad.

Distracted, she accidentally cuts her fingers with the knife, letting out a sharp "ahh" in pain.

Ujjwal, sitting in the living room, hears her and rushes to the kitchen.

He sees blood coming from her fingers. He quickly grabs a bandage from the living room.

"Keep your fingers straight," Ujjwal instructs.

Ishika holds her fingers straight as Ujjwal carefully bandages each of her three cut fingers. Ishika closes her eyes in pain.

After bandaging her fingers, Ujjwal asks in a concerned voice, "Cook carefully. Where was your attention?"

How could Ishika tell him that she had been cooking with the hope of seeing him nearby?

"I was just rushing to chop the tomatoes," Ishika lied.

"Why were you rushing? Take your time, Ishika," Ujjwal said.

"Okay."

"I'll order food from a restaurant. Your fingers must be hurting," Ujjwal said, picking up his phone to place the order.

"No... no, I'll finish cooking," Ishika insisted.

"Ishika, you saw how much blood came from your fingers," Ujjwal reminded her.

"Please, let me cook," Ishika pleaded.

"How about this? You tell me what to do, and I'll cook. Is that okay?" Ujjwal offered.

Ishika agreed.

She instructed him to chop the tomatoes carefully.

Ujjwal wasn't very good at cutting vegetables. Even when he chop and ate fruit, some pieces would be big, and some small. Similarly, the tomatoes ended up in uneven sizes. Ishika chuckled at the sight. Ujjwal noticed her.

When Ujjwal realized that Ishika was laughing, he deliberately chopped the potatoes unevenly as well, wanting to keep her happy and smiling.

Following her instructions, Ujjwal continued preparing the dish.

When it was time to make rotis, Ujjwal took some flour and playfully spread it on Ishika's left cheek.

He asked, "Do you know why I put flour on your cheek?"

Ishika shook her head.

He teased, "I did it to hide your rosy cheek because it's captivating my heart."

Hearing this, Ishika blushed, and her cheeks turned even pinker.

Then Ujjwal started kneading the dough.

Ishika gently asked, "Why didn't you put it on my right cheek?"

Playfully, Ujjwal replied, "Because from where I'm standing, I can't see your right cheek, so I'm not captivated by it yet."

Ishika chuckled.

Ujjwal made a roti and, while shaping it, said, "When I make rotis, I discover new shapes every time."

Ishika laughed, covering her mouth with her uninjured hand, forgetting about the pain in her fingers.

He continued making rotis, each one a different shape from the last.

After finishing the meal, he set everything on the dining table, and they both sat down to eat.

Ishika's injured fingers made it difficult for her to eat with her right hand, so she thought of eating slowly with her left hand. But when he offered to feed her, she couldn't refuse.

He took the first bite and brought it toward Ishika's mouth, and she leaned forward slightly to eat from his hand.

The closeness between them grew. The food was just an additional- her heart was already full from the care he was showing.

Ujjwal prepared the second bite and fed her again. Ishika ate carefully, not wanting her teeth to accidentally hurt his fingers.

As she took the next bite, a little bit fell onto the dining table. Ishika was about to clean it up when Ujjwal told her he would clean it later.

While feeding her, Ishika suddenly realized that Ujjwal wasn't eating himself.

With food still in her mouth, she asked, "Why aren't you eating? You should eat too." As soon as she said this, she began coughing.

Ujjwal handed her a glass of water and gently rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Take it easy, Ishika."

"I'll eat after I finish feeding you," Ujjwal said, pouring water into her glass.

"Why don't you eat first, and then feed me later?" Ishika didn't like the idea of Ujjwal eating after her.

"Don't worry about me, Ishika. I'll eat," Ujjwal reassured her.

Ishika nodded.

After feeding her, Ujjwal finally ate his meal while Ishika sat nearby.

Once they were done, they went outside for a walk in the garden. Ujjwal stopped and said, "Wait, close your eyes."

Ishika stopped and closed her eyes.

Ujjwal gently wiped the flour from her left cheek.

"Now open your eyes."

Ishika slowly opened her eyes and looked into his eyes.

Just as Ujjwal was about to lose himself in her innocent eyes, Ishika asked softly,

"Aren't you afraid of being captivated now?"

Ujjwal playfully replied, "No. I don't have anything to do right now. After this, we will head straight to bed. So, if your cheeks captivate me now, I will happily be captivated."

Ishika smiled.

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