Solace

|65|apart

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***

The doctor had been thorough. Professional. Calm in a way that had made Vaibhav want to scream.

No concussion. No broken ribs. No internal bleeding. Minor bruising on her chest from where his arm had caught her,bruising that would fade in a ten days or maybe less.

She was fine.

Physically, she was completely fine.

Vaibhav had listened to every word, standing beside the examination table with his arms crossed tight across his chest, watching the doctor's hands move over Nidhi's arms, her head,
her ribs. Cataloging every touch. Every assessment.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But it never did. The doctor smiled. Said she was lucky. Said to take it easy for a few days. Prescribed rest and ibuprofen if the bruising bothered her.

Lucky.

The word had made something twist violently in Vaibhav's gut. She wasn't lucky. Luck implied chance. She was alive because he'd reacted. Because his arm had moved faster than thought.

That wasn't luck.

That was...

He didn't let himself finish the thought.

The drive home had been silent. Nidhi staring out the window. Vaibhav's hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving behind something heavier. Something that sat in his chest like a stone.

She'd taken off her seatbelt.

In a moving car.

While they were fighting.

Had been so angry-so upset-that she'd risked her life just to-what? Make a point? Punish him?

The thought made his jaw clench so hard it ached. When they pulled into the driveway, she'd gotten out before he could say anything. Before he
could stop her. Walked straight to the house without looking back.

By the time he entered the bedroom, she was already inside the wardrobe.
He could hear her moving around in there. The soft rustle of fabric. The sound of hangers sliding on the rod.

Vaibhav stood in the middle of the bedroom, still in his black tuxedo, bow tie hanging loose around his neck. The jacket felt too tight.

Everything felt too tight.

He stared at the open wardrobe door. At the sliver of lavender dress visible through the gap. The calm he'd been holding onto, the careful, controlled calm that had gotten him through the
hospital, through the drive home, through the moment he'd watched her walk away from him, finally cracked.

"That was reckless."

His voice came out quiet. Too quiet. The same deadly calm from before.
The movement in the wardrobe paused.

"We could have had this argument at home. In the bedroom. Like adults."
He took a step toward the wardrobe.

"You didn't need to take off your seatbelt in a moving car. You didn't need to risk your life because you were angry at me."

Another step.

"Do you have any idea how-"
He stopped himself. Took a breath. Tried to find the control again.