Falling in love with my CEO.

36 - A Night of Unspoken Bonds

The whole night, I stayed by Akhil's side, my body curled up on the sofa in his room, unable to tear my gaze away from his still form. Sleep was elusive, my thoughts consumed with silent prayers for him to wake up, to show any sign of life. The room was dimly lit, the shadows playing tricks on my tired mind, but I refused to close my eyes, afraid that he might need me if I did.

My mother has always been suspicious of me, her orthodox beliefs dictating every aspect of my life. She's the type who never allows me to go out without a chaperone, let alone talk to a boy. But this time, something changed. Out of nowhere, she asked me to take care of Akhil, not even batting an eye at the idea of me staying at his house overnight. It was as if she had seen something in him, something that won her over completely. She even kept coming by to check on him herself, and I wasn't surprised. Akhil has that effect on people.

Throughout the night, he showed small signs of life—little movements that made my heart leap. But his eyes remained closed. Then, one fine morning, as I was about to head to the kitchen—not to cook, but to order food on Zomato—I heard a sound. Turning around, I saw his eyes slowly flutter open. Relief washed over me. He looked better than before, though still weak.

Thank God he's getting better, I thought as I prepared to feed him the blood he needed. "Take it easy," I told him, pushing the glass toward him. "You're not touching that phone again. Business can wait." Despite the unpleasant smell of the red liquid, I had grown used to it, accepting it as part of this bizarre routine.

Akhil didn't argue; he just followed my instructions quietly. As I moved to leave the room, his hand caught mine, holding it with surprising strength. "What do you want now?" I asked, trying to mask the tremor in my voice.

"Why don't you stay and talk to me?" he said, his voice softer than I'd expected. I wanted to stay, I really did, but I knew better. If I stayed, I'd get lost in him again, and I couldn't afford that. "I can't," I replied, pulling my hand free. His expression fell slightly, and I hated seeing that look on his face. But I had to be strong. "No means no," I added, walking away.

"Stubborn head," he muttered, but I heard it. I couldn't help but smile despite myself. How does the one person I'm trying so hard to hate keep making me smile?

Just then, I heard a voice at the door. It was Sahithi, my childhood competitor. "Hey, Sushvi! You're here? Where's Akhil?" she asked. What was she doing here? And how did she know him? "He's in his room, resting," I replied, trying to mask my irritation.

"Oh," was all she said before brushing past me and heading straight to his room. My blood boiled as I followed her. "He's resting! Don't disturb him!" I called after her, but she ignored me. She sat beside his bed, taking his hand in hers.

"How are you feeling, Akhil? Mommy, Daddy, and I were so worried when we heard about your accident," she cooed. What was happening? How did she even know about him? My thoughts raced, and I could sense his smirk as he picked up on my annoyance. Damn his vampire powers—he could probably hear every thought running through my mind.

Before I could address Sahithi's intrusion, the doorbell rang again. Who now? I opened the door to find a group of aunties from my apartment standing there, all with concerned looks on their faces. "How is Akhil, dear? We heard he had an accident," one of them asked.

How do they all know him? "He's fine... resting," I stammered, utterly confused. They didn't wait for more information; they just pushed past me and headed straight to his room.

I watched in disbelief as they crowded around him, fussing over him like he was their own son. The powerful CEO and vampire who usually kept to himself was now chatting easily with them, laughing and joking like he'd known them all his life. It was surreal. He no longer looked like the formidable man I knew; he seemed more like a carefree boy.

Once they finally left, I sat beside him again. "Let's watch a movie with some popcorn," he suggested, a playful gleam in his eyes. Popcorn—his obsession.

I nodded, trying to keep things light. He motioned for me to sit on the bed beside him, and though I hesitated, I complied, not wanting to upset him. "Which movie do you want to watch?" I asked, scrolling through Netflix.

He didn't respond. When I looked up, I found him staring at me, his gaze intense. "Hello?" I waved a hand in front of his face. He blinked. "Your wish," he said.

I quickly selected A Christmas Prince and hit play. He chuckled. "I don't get your obsession with prince stories. Just yesterday, you were reading Prince with Benefits," he teased.

I hadn't realized he was paying that much attention. "Can't help it... it's one of my crazy fantasies," I admitted, avoiding his eyes.

He smiled softly. "Would you like to marry a prince, then?" he asked, studying my face carefully.

His question hit a sore spot. I didn't want to talk about marriage—not with him. "I'm getting sleepy. Goodnight," I said, closing my eyes in hopes that he'd drop the subject.

"You know you can't escape from me," he murmured, his voice husky. I opened my eyes again, meeting his intense gaze. "I don't want to escape from you... I want to get rid of you," I said, my voice firm. "I hate you, Akhil, and that won't change."

He turned my face toward him, bringing us close—too close. "What are you doing to me?" he whispered, his eyes locking onto mine. My heart started to melt, betraying me. Not now, Akhil, please not now.

"Just helping you get better," I replied, trying to sound disinterested. But he didn't smile or laugh at my weak attempt at humor. His gaze shifted to my lips, and I knew what was coming next. He was going to kiss me.

"I think you need to rest," I said, standing up abruptly. I went to the bathroom to wash my face, hoping the cold water would snap me out of this dangerous daze. I should be stronger than this—I had to be.

As I reached for a towel, I heard his voice behind me. "Please stop being like this," he pleaded, making me jump.

I turned to find him standing there, looking much stronger than before. "So you've recovered enough to walk? That's good. I guess I can go home now and get some sleep," I said, tossing the towel aside.

But before I could leave, he caught my hand, his grip firm as he pulled me close. "You can't leave me... don't even think about it, Ms. Chamarty," he said, his voice low, his eyes filled with an unfamiliar anger.

"I can, and I will, Mr. Chowdary," I shot back. "I hate you. I hate that I trusted you blindly. I hate you more than anything in this world, and I promise you, I'm never coming back."

His grip loosened, and his face fell as he looked away. I knew I was being harsh, but he had hurt me more than I could bear. I wasn't going to let him back into my life, no matter what.

Just as I was about to leave, the doorbell rang again. Who could it be at this hour? It was midnight. Maybe it was Sadha Chowdary, though I doubted it since she was staying with my mother.

I opened the door to find a beautiful elderly woman, probably in her 60s, standing there with a warm smile on her face. Sadha Chowdary stood behind her.

"Granny," Akhil's voice came from behind me.

Who is this new character in my life now?