Craving Shanaya (Ongoing)

S E V E N

"Are you out of your mind?" Shanaya stared daggers at Abhinav.

"Listen, just trust me," he whispered to her, almost pleadingly.

"I am in your bedroom and you expect me to trust you!?" She exclaimed.

Abhinav tried to hide the flikr of hurt that passed through him at her little faith in his character. He gritted his teeth in annoyance instead and grabbed her hand, the tiny rhinestones from  her bracelet digged in his palm, creating angry imprints.

"Look, Ms. Oberoi," he said, seethed, "if you think that you can go downstairs, where there are so many people, important people , with a dress like that, and people would ignore you, then you are dead wrong."

Shanaya couldn't help but slightly shiver at his tone. He seemed scary, reminding her of someone, someone she didn't want to remember. Her lips, involuntarily, let out a whimper.

Abhinav's face softened as soon as he heard her whimper. He cursed himself for losing his temper on her. He let go of her hand, eyeing it as it fell limply at her side.

"I know my father, Shanaya. If he heard even a single bad thing about you, he will sieze the contract. And people will talk. Trust me," he gently spoke, "I just want to help you."

She looked up and met his eyes, her eyes held so much vulnerability in them that he had to fight the urge to take her in his arms and whisper words of assurance to her, to tell her that she was safe.

It surprised him.

"Why?" She whispered, oh so lighly.

He blinked, not sure what she was asking. He parted his lips but couldn't speak for he didn't know what he had to speak.

"Why do you care, Abhinav?" She asked, her voice firm yet soft, "Why are you helping me? What do you want?"

Shanaya saw as his face morphed into one of confusion then hurt.

"I don't know why I care, okay? And don't even think that I want something from you in return! Not everyone wants something from you," he spoke, hurt visible in his words.

Yet, Shanaya could also sense that he himself was confused with his behaviour. In her ten year of living on her own, she had seen enough world, enough people, enough to know when someone was deceiving or truthful.

He didn't seem to lie.

But he seemed naive.

"Everyone wants something from you. It's how the world is. It's how the people are. All are selfish. All of us!"

Abhinav was taken aback by the sudden maturity in her words. Gone was the vulnerability, the girl who stood before him was now a soul filled with experiences that he never had, sufferings that he never knew.

This made something clear to him. Something he himself was so sure about.

"If that's so, Shanaya, then I think you are right," he said, a soft smile grazing his lips, "I do want something from you."

Shanaya felt herself tense.

"What?"

"Your affection,"

With that he left leaving a bewildered Shanaya behind, in his room.

*******

Abhinav felt like he was finally seeing something he couldn't make out earlier. As he made his way out of his house, which was bathing in celebrations, he thought hard on what he said to Shanaya.

Your affection...

He had thought of her as a chase, a simple challenge that he would fulfill with his looks and charm, that would satisfy his ego. However, time and again, his erratic breathing on her closeness, his wish to see happiness on her face, his urge to keep her safe conveyed to him that it was something more than a mere chase.