Raiza's Burden

Chapter 11 Visit

"Yes," Gyan barked into his phone.

"Wow what's wrong," Arabella asked cautiously.

"Headache" he groaned.

"Migraine or Raiza?" She taunted there was silence for a few seconds and Ara waited patiently.

"both" He replied softly.

She smiled. "I'm on my way take your migraine meds" She ordered and the call was disconnected.

Gyan dropped the phone by his bedside and opened his eyes slowly to the darkroom hoping he had remembered to close all the curtains. Rummaging through his bag he found the pills and popped in two with some water.

He walked to the bathroom slowly to wash his face, each step causing him pain. He reminded himself that he was stronger than the pain. He washed his face and stared at his image in the mirror. He stood still and counted he knew he had to let the pain in for his mind to get used to it. He was resisting and it wasn't helping. He took a deep breath and relaxed. His head exploded and he immediately closed his eyes. Kept breathing slowly in and out letting the pain take over.

After what seemed like a long hour his mind got used to the pain and he opened his eyes. The pills dulled his senses pushing the pain to the background. Gyan slowly walked back to his bed and crashed. Lying down staring at the ceiling he remembered the last two days. Raiza's face crossed his mind and his mind became agitated. He closed his eyes took a deep breath and let the thought of the mysterious beauty go.

"What does she want?" he asked himself.

"Why are you obsessing?" a voice in his head questioned..

He let out a long breath "I want her" he replied to his own question

"Why?" another question popped into his head.

"Because I do" he replied.

The answer was followed by complete silence. He could feel the headache recess slowly and his body recovered its strength. He knew the attack always followed a stressful day and the last two days had him rattling his brain for an answer. His meds helped to numb the ache for a few hours but he hadn't found permanent solutions for the migraine. It was a blessing and a curse. It kept him in check, made him prioritise his health, kept away from alcohol, and it also acted as a warning bell so he knew he was stressed out. Over the years he had learned to live with it and work around it.

He knew his confusion with Raiza led to his sleepless night triggering the migraine but he wasn't sure why he was obsessing over her until his mind clearly answered that. He wanted her at all costs.

The soft knocking on the door dragged him out of his musing. He sat up slowly and walked to the door. His movements were slow and careful. He didn't want the migraine to surface again. Ara's smiling face hit him as he opened the door. He let her in and shut the door behind him to ensure unnecessary sounds don't bother him.

Ara sat on the sofa while he rested on the bed.

"How are you feeling now? " she asked.

"Frustrated" He replied staring at the ceiling.

"Still trying to figure her out?" she asked knowing pretty well what was troubling him.

"I don't get it" he replied.

"What don't you get?" she questioned.

"Her" he replied "She isn't cruel, not insecure, she is aware of her beautiful and not adverse to use it to her advantage. But she seems immune to me" he puzzled. "She is either your lover or she has a man in her life. Given how beautiful she is I won't be surprised" he stated.

"You are obsessing Gyan" she chided. Ara sighed looking at her friends. She knew in her heart when she introduced them that he will fall for Raiza. Her beauty would attract him but her strength will hook him to her. She had hoped things didn't take the direction she knew they would, but now that they seem to be moving in that exact direction she decided to help.

"She is not my lover Gyan and she doesn't have a man in her life" she declared with a sigh. "She is divorced" Ara added. Gyan turned to stare in surprise.

"Are you telling me that whoever she was married to was idiot enough to let her go" he questioned.

Ara smiled "Just because your parents gave you a home that was filled with Romance doesn't mean everyone else's will have the same privilege" she explained.

Gyan gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew Ara's irritation had to do with her own life and wasn't directed at him. He knew too well the pain she went through due to her abusive mother. "I'm sorry" he apologized.

She took a deep breath and relaxed "She was married to an abusive bastard and fought through a long horrific divorce" Ara gave a short and abridged version

Gyan felt a pang it was hard for him to imagine abuse. It wasn't normal to want to and need to hurt someone. He sighed as her behaviour started to make sense to him.

"I can't give you all the gory details Gyan you will have to learn that from her. But if you want to win her affection I suggest you start by turning off your charms" she advised

Gyan reached out to her and squeezed her hand. "You are protective of her I understand" he started.

She shook her head "I want what's best for her. I love her. Every time I look at her I wonder how she spent 10 years with a monster and survived" she declared her voice agitated "I have watched my father die a little every day because of my abusive mother. When he finally ended his life I couldn't blame him I was happy he escaped her" she remembered as her eyes moistened. "When I met her for the first time after learning about her abusive marriage I was expecting a broken woman who may not even be willing to survive. My father's face was running in my head. But the moment I saw her, her desire to live, I was in love. The abuse had left so many scars so many marks but none of that seemed important, all I could see in her was the desire to live and the desire to be" Ara's voice softened to reverence as she whispered the last words.

Gyan stood up from his bed and walked up to Ara. Her pain and her admission were overwhelming her and he knew what his friend needed the most. He held her close to his heart in an embrace of protection that she had been familiar with since they were children.

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Author's Note:

Hello, my dear readers,

I'm eternally grateful to you for choosing to read my book.  It would be wonderful to hear your views as well.  Please do comment. 

I know I have not been consistent with updates sorry for that. With the new year, I will try to keep a consistent calendar for the update at least 1 chapter in 10 days. 

Thank you for your patience.

Lots of love
Taz