Learning To Love - A Tale Of Arranged Marriage [COMPLETED] ✔️✔️

Part 18 - Love

She ran to the door and opened it to see him standing there with his blazer in his hand, his eyes tired. He smiled faintly looking at her and she hit his chest pretty hard.

“Where were you? Idiot! Stupid! Monkey! Donkey!” She asked angrily and he looked surprised at her.

“Do you know how worried I was? One phone call. You could have done that” She told angrily as tears rolled down her eyes.

“Uh——Phone——I——In anger, I——”

“You broke it” She told angrily and he nodded slowly.

“Come! I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything” She told as she turned and walked leaving him dumbfounded. What just happened? Did he dream it like every time?

“Did you talk to me?” He asked and she turned to him.

“Your ear is not working properly? Do you want to go to hospital?” She asked and he shook his head.

“You-You talked to me” He told before engulfing her in a hug tight enough to knock down all the oxygen in her body.

Feeling her shoulders getting wet, she parted from the hug to look at him.

“Why are you crying?” She asked holding his face between her palms as tears rolled down her eyes and he smiled.

“I didn't cry. Tears came in my eyes” He told and she looked at him for sometime. As if a dam had been let loose, she cried hiding her head in his chest.

“What happened? Why did tears come in your eyes now” He asked as he kissed her head.

“I'm crying now” She told as she sniffed and he chuckled.

She parted and he wiped her tears as he held her face between his palms. He looked at her as a tear escaped his left eye unknowingly looking at her.

“I'm sorry” He told and she slapped his face before pulling his collars and kissing him.

He stood there with wide eyes, hands hanging in air as she broke apart.

“I gave you enough punishment for that” She told breathing heavily as she joined their foreheads together. He closed his eyes as he held her face with his palm and took her lips between his. A kiss after ten days of not talking to each other wouldn't be any less sweet.

They stood there with eyes closed as they took in what they missed since last few days. She opened her eyes to look at him before hugging him tightly.

“It was your birthday. I made cake for you. I dressed up for you. I decorated the room for you. And finally——when I did so much and you shouted at me, I felt my whole body going numb. I didn't know what to do. All the hurt built up and I——I'm sorry” She told with tears.

“This was necessary for me to understand your worth” He told and she sighed as she kept her head properly on his shoulder.

“You told you didn't eat anything right?” He asked and she nodded.

“Let's eat something first. It's already 12” He told.

“Why were you late?” She asked and he closed his eyes as her lips brushed against his neck.

“I'll tell you. First——”

“No tell me first” She insisted and he sighed.

Holding her shoulder, he bent down and carried her making her grasp his neck for support.

“My stomach is growling since a long time. First food, then talk” He told as he walked to the dining room and she smiled.

He made her sit on the chair before sitting opposite her. Taking the plate and keeping it in front of them, he quickly served the things while she kept looking at him with a smile.

“Why can't you eat something? There's no restaurant near your office” She asked seeing him literally stuffing the food as if he hadn't seen food since ages.

He said some gibberish and she nodded.

“Eat eat” She told and he smiled making her chuckle. Once he slowed down, he looked at her, ready to talk.

“That day, I lost a deal that I working for since months” He told and she looked at him.

“The one whom I considered like a brother backstabbed me. He gave the details about our tender to the rival company. Everything together, I couldn't handle it. I should have died that day hitting the car somewhere but somehow reached here. I was boiling in anger, is the correct term. When you came and asked me——I just——All the built up anger came out like that” He told and she looked at him expressionlessly.

“In my dreams too, I can't shout at you with a sane mind” He told and she nodded. He sighed and smiled at her.

“One more reason for you to hate me right?” He asked and she looked at him.

“I hate you?”

“You don't? After doing so much to you, you don't hate me?” He asked and she pushed the plate before getting up from the chair and walking to the room.

He rushed behind her as he called her name.

“Why did I get hurt when you shouted at me? Why didn't I say a word back to you when you shouted at me? Why did I not talk to you? Why did I not have breakfast or dinner alone? Why didn't I go and sleep in the other room when I could have done that? Why did I——Why did I——” She asked as she walked to a fro with tears rolling down her eyes.

“Why did I kiss you? Why did I scold you? Why did I wait for you? All because I hate you?” Her voice choked as she sat on the bed. Should she open her heart and show him that he's filled in there? Can't he understand?

“Anika——” He called as he kneeled down in front of her.

“I don't know what's love for you Shivaay. For me, what I'm showing you is love. I don't know what to do more than this” She told helplessly.

He held both her palms in his before looking up at her. No other moment felt right for telling her what he felt about her.

“I love you” He whispered kissing both her knuckles.

“I needed your silence to understand that” He told as she looked at him with tears.

“What a timing right? Midnight and here we are confessing our love instead of sleeping” He told and she hit his shoulder.

“If you didn't become a lion and roared at me that day, I would have done this in the most special way” She told with a frown.

“All these days, I thought you hated me and won't ever talk to me. Do you know how much weight I lost thinking that itself? I had nightmares even” He told and she chuckled making him smile.

“This itself is a huge thing for me after all those. Whatever you say, the way you said now will always be my favourite” He told with a smile.

“By the way, what did you plan that day?” He asked and she shrugged.

“Not important. Forget it” She told and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“You lost that night anyway. You're not going to get it back” She told shrugging and he sighed.

“I'll go and fresh up. Then we'll sleep hugging each other tightly. Don't sleep before I come ok. I have a lot to talk to you” He told and she nodded hard with tears filling up in her eyes.

••|To Be Continued|••