His Wife | Grooms #1 | Slow Updates

XXII. Her [Darkest] Thoughts

A bottle of beer and a bottle of red wine.

Those two were the first things Arjun's attention went to when he stepped inside the penthouse in the evening. His eyes than traveled to Sanam on the couch, flipping through channels. He dared enter the area, "Should I ask?"

Her eyes staying on the channel guide, she assured. "I'm not drunk. I'm not a beer person, by the way." She added the later, having figured that out today when she'd taken a sip and changed her mind about getting drunk.

Loosening his tie and upper buttons of his shirt, he sat next to her. "And may I ask what caused this experimentation?"

"Shh," she hushed him when she settled on a channel having reruns of the show Bones.

It was the starting of an episode where the body was found. "That's disgusting," he muttered, looking away from the screen to her. There was not a wince of disgust on her face. Then, he had to remind himself. She herself was a doctor. Sure, some things can still be gruesome but most things that may be for the average heart didn't bring about the same reaction for her.

She sighed, "I love this episode. This is when we first start seeing something between Angie and Hodgins."

"I don't watch the show but thanks for the spoiler." He picked up the bottle of beer, no longer chilled, but still had a sip.

She recalled his comment once on how he preferred to not drink unless it was a social event or a tough day. She assumed it had to be later, "Tough day?"

"Yeah... rather not talk about it." He said moving the bottle from one hand to another.

She debated whether or not to tell him and start this conversation. A few seconds into the debate, she decided to go with it and just see how he'd react. "You had a visitor today." 

He breathed out through his mouth, "I figured." It had been the reason for his tough day after all. "What did she want?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Didn't ask. Not really my business. I just thought I should let you know seeing this is your place."

"When will you accept that it's yours too now?" He sordidly muttered, wishing she'd learn to see his things as hers as well. In his mind, it hadn't been an arrangement for a long few months.

"It's not, Arjun. I just live here to keep up the pretense. We're not really married and so the whole 'what's yours is mines' concept doesn't apply here."

He grabbed the remote off her hands and turned off the TV.

She exclaimed and went on to get the remote back. "Hey, I was watching!"

He held it out of her reach, "No, if you're going to say something and bring up the topic, you might as well see it through till the end."

"I didn't start anything," She countered, sitting up properly. "I was just pointing out the facts. Now turn the TV on."

"No," he refused. "If those are your facts, then let me point out the facts from my side." He returned the bottle of beer on the table in front of the couch and turned about to face her. "I keep telling you in more ways than one that you're my family. Yes, my friends are like my family too, but you know you're more than just a friend for me. Our almost kisses. You really think I think of you as just a friend after that?"

She faced the black TV screen, arms crossed over her chest. Her ears perked listening and her heart thudding in her chest at a lightning speed but mouth refusing to let out a word. She could still feel his eyes on her, staring at her relentlessly desperate for her to speak up.