Skin

Part 14- Hidden Feelings

"So you finally found a way to come inside this room, didn't you?" Khyati asked sarcastically.

"What do you mean? I was going to come inside this room later on anyway." Rishi said confused.

"But you wanted to be here earlier so that you could annoy me. Why won't you just leave me alone?" Khyati asked in an aggravated manner.

"Oh hello, I didn't want to come here anyway, I was perfectly happy eating my ice cream but Bua dadi all but dragged me back here." Rishi said just as annoyed.

"Who in their right mind eats ice cream at midnight and that too in the middle of winter?" Khyati asked annoyed.

"You know what? Don't answer that, I don't care what you do. Just go sleep on the couch and don't bother me." Khyati said aggravated.

"Where are you going?" Khyati asked when Rishi did not go lay down on the couch and instead started to walk towards the bathroom.

"Going to the bathroom to get ready for bed." Rishi answered.

"Well, you can't because I'm going to the bathroom." Khyati said but made no move to go to the bathroom.

"I thought you wanted to go to the bathroom?" Rishi asked confused.

"Yes, I do want to go to the bathroom." Khyati said standing in front of the bathroom door, not going inside, but blocking the door so that Rishi couldn't go inside either.

"Okay fine then." Rishi said realizing what Khyati was trying to do.

"Eww chi." Khyati said making a disgusted face as Rishi got out some floss and started flossing his teeth right in her face.

"What are you doing?" Khyati asked disgustedly.

"Well since I go to the bathroom, I brought the bathroom to me." Rishi said with a victorious smile.

"Ugh eww, I'm leaving." Khyati said as she made a disgusted face, finally going inside the bathroom, and closing the door behind her.

As soon as Khyati left Rishi gave a victory chuckle, knowing that he had won, and then lay down on the couch to sleep, a victory smile on his face even as he slept.

******
When Karan got out of the bathroom, he was surprised to find Naina asleep on the couch, sleeping in an awkward half sitting half laying position.

He watched her sleep lovingly, trapped in a trance. Only when he saw her shiver did he move to grab a blanket from the bed, and covered her with it. Naina cuddled into the blanket unconsciously.

Then Karan wordlessly put a hand over the back of Naina's head, putting the other over her shoulder to lay her down the right way. And Naina who was sleep deprived did not wake up to all this movement.

But as Karan was about to move away from her, Naina's hand that had unconsciously grabbed onto his sweater did not let him leave, causing Karan to smile softly.

'What are you doing?' Karan thought to himself, his smile dropping.

'Have you forgotten that you're supposed to hate Mrs. Chauhan?' One side of Karan's mind thought mockingly.

'I still love her, and will continue to love her, but she doesn't need to know that.' Another side of Karan's mind thought sadly.

'And when she finds out that you still love her, she will use that weakness to her benefit.' One side of Karan's mind thought with a silent bitter chuckle.

'How will she find out? There's no one to tell her, she thinks I hate her.' Another side of Karan's mind reasoned.

'Actions speak louder than words. And this, what you are doing right now, this care, this concern, if she sees it she will take advantage of it! You lovesick fool have you forgotten that she only married you for your money? And she only helped cure your skin condition so she could remain Mrs. Naina Karan Singh Chauhan! So she could have power and money!' One side of Karan's mind yelled angrily, cutting off any protests that the other side tried to make.

Both sides of Karan's mind remained silent after that, as a lone tear ran down Karan's face, and hit Naina's hand that was by her side, reluctantly got up from the couch after gently removing her hand from his sweater, defeatedly going to lay down on the bed, and turning away from Naina, so that he could forget that she was there, drifting off into a semi peaceful sleep after a whole year because even though Naina wasn't next to him, she was nearby him, and that was enough for now.

Naina slowly awoke when she felt something wet fall on her hand, about to open her eyes but then thinking better of it when she felt someone sitting by her on the couch, knowing exactly who it was. Wanting to see what would happen, only to feel Karan grab onto her hand, trying to take it off of his sweater which Naina now realized that she was holding, reluctantly letting go of his sweater, still pretending to be asleep. Only when Naina heard him lay down on the bed and turn the other way, did she open her eyes to look at his back with a small smile, noticing the blanket that he had covered her with.

'You still care.' Naina thought to herself with a soft smile, drifting off to sleep again, with a little hope this time.

******
It was weird for NK to be in his room again, and that too all alone. Most of the time Nirmala would have been walking from corner to corner doing household chores, never even taking a break.

'But now this would never be possible.' NK thought to himself sadly, with misty eyes, as he was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, the only light in the room coming from the lamp on the bed stand.

'And it's all my fault.' NK thought regretfully as a lone tear fell from his eye, which he quickly wiped away.

Just sitting there, unmoving for a bit, lost in thoughts, before reaching over to grab his phone that was laying on the bed stand. Wordlessly scrolling down his contact list, his thumb hovering over Nirmala's name.

******
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