MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 75

Sharath Pov:

As soon as I muttered, "Shivani... I'm sorry. I'll... I'll brush my teeth again," she shot me a fierce look, her eyes narrowing as if to say, *Don't you dare*. I sighed, defeated, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. I tried again, softer this time. "Baby, please. What's wrong? Talk to me." But she just turned her face away, refusing to even look at me.

Without another word, she made her way to the kitchen, her every movement cold and purposeful as she started taking out ingredients. I followed her, watching her move around with that distant expression that felt like a punch to the gut. I tried one last time, gently saying, "babby  I already told you—we can just order tonight, Shivani." But she ignored me completely, focused on chopping and stirring, as if I wasn't even there.

I was done with her ignoring me. I walked over and caged her between myself and the kitchen island, forcing her to stay close, hoping that maybe she'd look at me, say something, anything. But she only pushed against my chest with her palms, trying to get some space between us.

 When I didn't budge, she turned her face to the side, her tone brisk. "I need to cook. Move."Her coldness stung, but I didn't want to push her too hard. If she needed space, I'd give it to her... for now. So I stepped back, still watching her closely as she worked, every chop of the knife, every stir of the pot seemingly calculated to avoid glancing in my direction.

 I made a couple of attempts to help her, but each time she gave me a look that said everything she didn't need to say aloud. I sighed and backed off, watching helplessly as she cooked without a single word to me.

Finally, dinner was ready, and she set the table in silence, her movements almost mechanical. She placed a plate in front of me, serving me without looking up. "Baby, talk to me," I said, my voice almost pleading, but she just gave a silent wave of her hand, signaling me to eat. With a huff, I picked up my spoon, feeling a pang of frustration as I tasted the curry. It was bland, completely lacking the usual spices she loved so much.

I glanced over at her, and she was still eating quietly, not even looking at me. Curiosity got the better of me, so I reached over and scooped a little curry from her plate to see if hers tasted any different. Nope, still bland. Confused, I set my spoon down and asked, "Why is this so bland, Shivani? You always say you can't eat food without spices. What happened?"

She shot me a quick, cold look, her voice clipped. "Shut up and eat."

I couldn't help but chuckle finally getting some response from her, shaking my head. She was still ignoring me, but that flicker of concern in her eyes, whenever I winced, gave her away. I leaned forward, putting on a fake sad face, hoping to break through her wall. "Baby, if you don't tell me why this food is so bland, I'm not going to eat it. I'm starving here, you know I haven't eaten since the afternoon."

Her eyes flicked to mine, clearly annoyed, but something softened in her gaze. She sighed, exasperated. "Did you even think about your lips, idiot. If you tried eating anything spicy, you'd be in pain. stupid."

I couldn't help but laugh at her frustration, the anger in her voice masking a genuine worry for me. "Oh, so this was all for me?" I teased, but her glare told me she didn't find it funny.

"Do you think this is funny?" she said, her voice shaking a little. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me? I wanted to bang that door down, and when I finally saw you in there... hurting yourself like that... ignoring me... you can't even imagine what I felt." Her voice cracked, and I saw her eyes well up with tears she was trying so hard to keep in.

I reached for her, immediately filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Shivani. I know I messed up. I wasn't in my right mind... I just... I'll talk to you next time, I promise. Just... please forgive me." I pulled her into a hug, feeling ashamed of the pain I had caused her. The way her body softened against mine told me she was forgiving me, and I closed my eyes, grateful for how undeservedly good she was to me.

After a moment, she took a steadying breath and nodded. "Sit down and finish your dinner," she said gently. "You should eat, and afterward, I'll reapply some medication to those lips."

I returned to my chair, started to eat again. The curry, while bland, still stung a little against my sore lips. It's not that much but I still flinch and continue eating while letting rice touch my lip again and again. Shivani's observant eyes didn't miss a thing. Without saying a word, she got up, took my plate, and sat down beside me. 

"You shouldn't be letting the food touch your lips directly," she said softly, scooping up a bite and holding it out to me. "Even if it's bland, it's still too hot, and you'll just hurt yourself more."

She kept feeding me, her tone a mix of tenderness and irritation as she mumbled something about how I was always being reckless. I hid a small smile as I let her care for me, grateful that she was finally letting her walls down again and my plane finally succeeded.

 When the meal was finished, she left briefly and came back with the ointment, sitting down beside me to apply it. And I couldn't be any more happy when I fell asleep on her chest finally feeling the peace that was missing from morning.