The Man She Betrayed

55. Twenty Questions

Clara

Under the ceiling that was dangerously low, we both were sitting silently, cozied up by the warm blanket. The only sound that could be heard was the noise of water splashing against the broken glass of the window.

The awkwardness was probably because of the kiss we shared less than an hour ago. I could still feel the after effects of that kiss on my lips. It wasn't just a peck, it was a full makeout session that left my emotions all in mess.

Plus the feeling of his warmth right next to me was not doing me any favours. If possible, I would love for him to cuddle with me at that moment so that I could feel his warmth against my body and his strong hold over me.

Playing with the hem of my shirt, his shirt, I stole a glance of him. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest, highlighting the contours of his arms and his hair was messily set on his head.

"So this place isn't that bad, except the bathroom issue." I initiated the conversation, snuggling deeper into the duvet.

"Hmm." he said. After another long pause, he commented to lighten the atmosphere, "Imagine not having a bathroom in your place."

His words struck me in a wrong way. We don't understand the importance of basic necessities of life until we lose them. "There are people who don't have a place at all." I added and then regretted it the next moment at the way his face contorted in worry. "Sorry. I just... I didn't mean to say that."

"Clara!" he whispered softly and I turned my face to him. There it were, the expressions that I was afraid of seeing. Pity, sympathy and grief.

"I... Let's.. Let's play something." I said to change the subject.

He looked like he wanted to say something but then he shrugged. "Twenty questions?" he asked.

"What twenty questions?" I asked in confusion.

"It's a game of twenty questions each. I ask you one questions and then you ask me one question and so on." he explained.

The idea of having a heart to heart with him through 20 questions didn't sound so good but sooner or later, we need to do that. I couldn't imagine a better place for this.

"You go first." I said.

Nodding, he turned around so that now he was facing me. I did the same and rested my one side to the bed. Our free hands were resting on the bed, inches away from each others.

"Your favorite color?" he asked.

"Red." I replied. "Yours?"

"Blue." he answered. "Favourite holiday destination?"

"Umm.." It took me so long to answer this. There were so many places I wanted to visit but I don't think I would be able to afford any visit to them. "Paris." I settled for the most cliche one.

"Mine is Sydney." he added.

It was my turn to ask. "Ugh. It's so hard to find questions." I groaned. "Let me think.... What's the one thing you always keep with you in the wallet?"

I expected to hear something emotionally significant but he raised his eyebrows and a shy, mischievous smirk appeared on his face, "Believe me, you don't want to know."

I groaned again when I understood what he meant, "Ew."

"What?" he asked innocently. "You have such a dirty mind Avery. Having that doesn't mean I use it everyday. It's just.... It's just a cautious habit."

It would be wrong to say that the conversation regarding his sexual endeavours didn't cause a bitter feeling in my stomach.

"Ok. Topic close. Your turn." I ran my fingers through my hair. They were starting to dry now.

"What's your idea of a perfect date?" he asked, scooting closer to me.

Thankfully, it was dark in the room so he couldn't see my flushed face clearly. "Um.... Not a crowded place. Just a nice dinner, movie after that, dessert, cozy blanket and all."

"Noted." he winked and I slapped his arm playfully. His eyes gleamed in amusement as my jaw hung low at my own actions.

Ignoring his amused gaze on me, I thought about the next question I was going to ask. "Ok my turn. It's something I have been wanting to ask for a long time. What did you do after I... Um.. After I.." 

"After you left?" he completed the sentence for me. I nodded, ready to face the consequences of addressing the elephant in the room.

"I remained depressed for months, thinking over and over that why you hated me so much, why the idea of spending few months with me was so apprehensive for you?" he replied.

I lowered my gaze to our fingers that were touching gently.

"Then when Ryan returned and fed me his bucket of lies, I told myself that I was not the issue here."

Tears welled in my eyes but I subtly wiped them when he wasn't looking at me.

"I never hated you." I muttered softly. "I just... I was stupid. I had a life planned out and I thought you were a hindrance in everything I had wanted. So I couldn't bring myself to like you. Maybe, I never tried because I was afraid that if I did give you a chance, I might actually start liking the idea of us."

He put his hand over mine, letting his finger draw small circles. "We were both stupid. We both made mistakes. The base of our marriage was totally wrong yet I expected you to somehow fall in love with me."

"My mistakes were far worse than yours." I said, lacing my fingers with his.

"So was your suffering." he added, scooting closer until we were sitting at a very small distance.

"It's fate Aaron. I considered you the biggest hurdle in achieving a nice, successful future and look where fate took me. Knocked up, penniless, on the streets." I chuckled humorlessly, my eyes fixated on our linked hands.

He brought his free hand to my face, tucking some free hair behind my ears. He then proceeded to caress my cheeks, forcing me to close my eyes and let out a small sigh.

"It's over Clara. You have had your share of miseries. I won't let anything bad happen to you anymore." he whispered against my face, his breaths tickling my skin.

His face lingered this close to mine for a long moment after which I exclaimed, "If you aren't planning to kiss me then I must be looking like a fool right now." I said, talking about my closed eyes.

I heard him chuckle, after which I felt his warm lips over mine. This time, I didn't hesitate much and responded the kiss with equal fervour. Somewhere amidst the kiss, he lay back on the bed and pulled me along him, our lips still devouring each other. I remember feeling dizzy after that heated kiss, which resulted in falling in sleep in his embrace, with our bodies moulded with each others and my face hidden in the crook of his neck.

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