A Twisted Tale

Confusing My Heart

Meera's POV

To say I was happy would be an understatement. I was beyond happy. I was giddy with excitement as I sat on the floor cross-legged and cooed at the puppy. Martha looked at me with a smile and said "It was Mark's idea. We all know how much you miss cuddles. I know he can't be replaced, hence, we brought home this little guy to keep you company since we're not around all the time." I looked at Mark and thanked him. Before I could open my mouth he said "I know your next question. That frown on your face says it all. I didn't buy him. Remember mum told you about the rescuing of dogs from a slaughter house? All of his siblings got adopted but he was left behind. So I decided to adopt him."
I widened my eyes in surprise that he read me so well. I was pleased to hear that he wasn't bought but adopted instead. I asked Mark if there were any vaccinations or doctor's appointments to be taken care of but he beat me to it. Mark had the puppy with him ever since I returned from Milan. He waited for everyone to be in one place before surprising me. I couldn't find words for how grateful I was that I had such an amazing family.

When I had to choose a name, I  yelled 'gundu'. Everyone had  confused expressions on their faces so I told them that gundu meant round and plump in my native tongue. I spent almost an hour playing with gundu before putting him to bed.
I almost forgot about Leah's wedding until I saw her text. I panicked and ran towards Mark's room. The door was open and what I didn't expect was a shopping bag and a note on his bed. I read the note first.

"Dear Meera.
In here is something that I picked out for the wedding tomorrow. Hope you like it.
P.S. You will look like a goddess in this."

Love
Mark

I put the note aside and opened the shopping bag. When I pulled out the saree, I couldn't help but gasp. It was a peach coloured lace saree. I gasped even louder when I saw that there was a sleeveless peach blouse with a lace poncho inside the bag. That wasn't even the best part. There were a pair of shimmery nude stilettos, a pair of earrings and bangles in the bag. "I wanted to give them to you myself but looks like you've found them on your own." He said chuckling.

I turned around and pulled him in for a hug. I realized after I literally threw myself at him that he was only wearing a towel. And since he was unprepared, his feet gave away and we landed right on the bed with him on top of me. For a minute, I couldn't breathe. He was closely pressed against me. What's even worse for my frail heart was that he smelled extremely good. He had a soft smile playing on his lips when he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Unknowingly, I put my hand on his naked chest and saw him shut his eyes and gulp visibly. When he opened his eyes, I swear my heart stopped. There were so many raw emotions on his face that it shook me to the core. I could feel his heart beat faster under my touch. When he put his weight on one hand and stroked my arm with another, I couldn't help but shiver. He must have noticed it because I saw his eyes darken. I didn't know what was happening between us but it scared me nevertheless. We heard someone clear their throat and Mark hastily got off me. "Uh. Um. I didn't know you both were um busy. I can come back later." Said Claire looking at the two of us. I didn't want her to picture something which didn't exist so I rolled my eyes at her and said "Really Claire? Your brother and I? I couldn't contain my happiness so I jumped on him causing him to lose his balance and fall right on top of me. That's all." I looked at Mark to back me up but all I could see was his hardened expression when he muttered "That's all. It's no big deal." I cleared my throat and showed her the saree Mark bought for me. "Oh my God! This is so bloody beautiful. I didn't know you have such amazing taste!" Exclaimed Claire.

Whatever haze Mark was in finally left him. He was back to his normal self when he said "I've always had an amazing taste. Besides, I've had help from mum. Mum was the one to suggest that I buy her a saree since Meera loves wearing ethnic attire. And she looks stunning in a saree. Only I remember how many men I had to scare away every time there was an event. After all, I have two very beautiful women by my side."

I don't know why but for the nth time in my life, him calling me beautiful made me blush furiously. Claire gave Mark and I a knowing look before going back to her room. Again, we were alone in his room and it brought back memories of the scene right before Claire walked in.

I picked up the saree and asked "How could you arrange for everything in a day?" He smiled at me and said "Remember the day we went shopping on King's road? I asked you to go ahead and told you that I would join you in while. That's when I did all the shopping."
I looked at him. Really looked at him and saw sincerity in his eyes. I hugged him once again and thanked him for both gundu and the saree before going back to my room. I was very sleepy so I decided to go to bed early.

I was driving the car one sunny morning. I was happy. Suddenly I saw a truck swerve at me out if nowhere. I tried applying the brakes but the brakes failed to work. I kept driving away from the road until I reached the edge of the cliff. The car jumped off the edge and went right into the water. I tried opening the doors but it wasn't working. The car kept filling up with water and I kept drowning further into the water. I tried to scream but my lungs were filling up with water. I couldn't stop the tears flowing out of my eyes... No.

I felt like I was running out of oxygen when I heard a voice speaking to me frantically. "Meera, wake up! It's just a nightmare sweetheart. Please wake up!" I opened my eyes wide and found Mark leaning over me with fear in his eyes. I couldn't stop crying. Mark pulled me into a tight hug and tried to soothe me. He kept rubbing circles on my back while I cried my heart out. "Stop crying love. It's okay. You're here at home and I'm with you. Nothing will ever happen to you as long as I'm with you. It's okay. It kills me to see you cry like this every time. I wish I wasn't this helpless." He said as he rubbed my back.

I held on to him tighter and took a shaky breath as I said "Actually, I either exhaust myself or take sleeping pills before going to bed. And I have no idea why I keep having these nightmares. But you know what? The only time I'm free of them is when I'm with you. As strange as this sounds, ever since the accident I've had nightmares. But only when we used to have sleepovers was I truly rid of those nightmares. You somehow calm my mind."
I forgot how to breathe when he said "Oh Meera. If my presence truly helps you sleep better then I wouldn't mind sleeping right next to you for the rest of my life." He too must have realized his mistake because I felt him freeze. I didn't know how to respond to his comment so I chose to just hug him. His body relaxed when he saw that I didn't get weirded out. I pulled back slightly when I realized that I was in his lap. He kissed me on my forehead and I lay down on the bed. I wanted to ask him to stay with me but without even having to say a thing, he slid into bed right beside me.

For the first time in my life, I was very aware of him. He held me protectively. I turned towards him and froze. His eyes were hooded as he looked at my eyes and then my lips. I didn't say a word as I waited for him to say something. Anything in fact. He closed his eyes and said "Go to sleep love. Good night." Again, I was confused as to why I was disappointed. I knew one thing for certain though. Tonight, something shifted between the two of us and whether I agreed with it or not, I knew that I didn't see Mark the same way as before.