Dare to Be | Heir & Heiress #1 | ✓

♔ 1.14 Annie - Part 1♔

♔ Aarav ♔

-Annie's 18th Birthday-

          "Aarav! Stop, leave him." Annie tries to pull me away from the stranger before I would punch him a second time.

Still holding him by his collars, I argue. "Annie, he was..."

With a firm tug, she turns my shoulder so I would blink away from me and look at her instead. "He wasn't doing anything I didn't want!"

"What?" I question, her words ring in my ear but they fail to make sense.

"I approached him." She informed clearly, anger seething from her eyes.

She... approached him? She wanted this?

"I thought..." I began to explain as my hold on the guy's collar dropped and he scurried away.

She scoffed, "You thought? What, that I wanted to be a hermit my whole life? God, Aarav, stop caring about me so much. It's suffocating! I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Being the son of a rapist... When I saw that stranger so close to Annie, showering kisses down her neck, something took over me that I had crossed the distance in a second to pull him off her. The very thought in my mind had been that Annie wouldn't want this. That maybe she was drunk and some random guy was taking advantage of her.

I knew she was saying these words because she was mad at me. But... suffocating? It hurt to hear it all. Stop caring about her? That could never happen! Did she not know?

I try to conceal my expressions as I answered. "Sorry to be such a pain in your life. Enjoy your night." I turned to leave but retreated on recalling why I was here in the first place. "Oh, and happy birthday."

Two words. I wanted to say them with such excitement earlier. I had imagined the way her face would have lit up on seeing me, the smile that would have instantly appeared on her lips and would have stayed there the entire time. I just wanted to surprise her. But... surprised, I was.

I make my way through the crowd and out of the club to get away from here before my hurt would transform itself into anger and innocent people would fall prey to it.

I cared about only select few people who weren't already related to me and Annie was at the top of that list. And she finds me suffocating?

A part of my brain tried to convince me that she was angry, probably had a few drinks... but it wasn't enough. That was no excuse. It didn't make the pain disappear... to have the person you feel closest to think you are suffocating.

Vikas, the head of my security detail, seems surprised that I returned from the club so soon and that too alone. But, he knew better than to ask questions. He opens the door for me to get in the car just as I am two steps away from it. I am about to get inside when there were rapid sound of heels clinking on the pavement behind me before a hand reaches out to push the door shut.

That bracelet dangling off her wrist told me who it was. I don't turn to look at her while I speak, "I'm leaving you alone, Annie. Isn't that what you want?"

She squeezes into the tiny space between the closed car door and me. I sigh and take a step back so she has breathing space, "I'm sorry, Aarav. I didn't mean it. I was just angry. I can't be responsible for what I say after I have a few drinks."

I scoff shaking my head, still refusing to look her directly in the eye for I know... if I did, all that hurt and pain would either melt away in a second or erupt in some form of tears. Neither of which are options I want to explore right now. "Some would say alcohol acts as a truth serum."