Red Aint The Colour Of Love.

CH 8🎀

"Have a look at your face," he said, standing outside the car. 

Peering at the mirror she looked away, horror creeping under her skin. Blood had dried on her nose and lips, and specks of it were already coming loose, she turned away, the nausea was back, and she could feel the memories hit her consciousness. She squinted my eyes hoping to block my memories. Only when she heard the door shut, she opened her eyes. He leaned towards her from his driver's seat, his hands placed right beside her shoulder. Almost as if in a trance she reached out for him, grabbing him by his hoodie, leaning into his chest as she inhaled a lungful of his musky soft smell. 

"Does it hurt too much? Is your nose broken? Do we need to go to the hospital" He asked, his voice filled with concern as he patted her shoulder, letting her hold onto him for some unknown reason.

"I am fine," she uttered into his chest, leaning more into him not letting the tears roll down her cheeks but rather shutting her eyes tight forcing it to return from its rising pit. Outstretched time passed as she clutched in her hands the fabric on his back,  his soft smell, thumping heart, all the sensory effect it had on her, grounding her to the present moment. 

"Feeling better?" he asked, his words trembling out. 

"Ah, I am sorry" She pulled away in an instant, her eyes fixed on the pitch-black asphalt road ahead. 'Are you out of your mind, Cavana? Did you just hug him? Him?' the shock, the embarrassment, and especially herself, she has to hide it all. "No one must know about your hemophobia", Osvane had said loud and clear during her first days of arrival at Floink's. 

"You can fight well," Hyrt mentioned leaning in, opening the dashboard, and taking out a handkerchief. 

"My brother taught me.", she uttered, her face flushed as the realization hit her, Hyrt had leaned in to take out that and not embrace her. 

"Interesting. I didn't know Osvane knew how to...." he went off as he made the hanky moist with some water from a water bottle while Cavana experienced, five stages of embarrassment. She has yet again made a mistake, it wasn't Osvane but Briventin who had taught her. 

The wet napkin being rubbed against her nose pained her yet, Hyrt being the one doing it to her, made her bashful. In the last few days, she could have never once thought, that this was how their first meeting would end. "It hurts right? Bear with it a bit, okay?" Hyrt uttered cleaning the dried-off blood from her face, his eyes fixed on her nose and lips, a small frown visible on his forehead. She closed her eyes in defeat, all the emotions turning her into a puddle of mud in his hands. His slow inhale and exhale almost on her face, made her fight for release from his hands but he grabbed onto her jaw solidly. "Don't," he said releasing his grip on her, as he washed the hanky and rubbed her face with it twice more, cleaning away any sign of stiff and stubborn blood specks. "I am sure it was just a minute nasal trauma, it doesn't hurt much right? This might cause some bruising...." he uttered examining her face, holding her by her chin.

"No, it doesn't hurt much," she said pulling away and looking into the mirror to find her face fresh and clean, with a bit of stinging pain at the center. 

"Thank you Hyrt, it was quite a chivalrous stunt you pulled there. Well done, good job!" She sighed, facing him.  His face broke into a big grin. The frown had disappeared and today he had not glared at her like he did last day rather his lips formed a perfect curve, his teeth visible, and his hair a bit messy as he stared at her. Her hope for alliance bloomed brighter than ever, negotiating with him might be easier than she had debated. 

"I was not being chivalrous, I did what I had to do, Glasle. " He said, a faint smile still ghosting on his lips.

In the next few moments, Hyrt started driving as Cavana leaned on her side, her eyes on the street, settling down into the uneasiness that arose from her saying his name and him saying a woman's name that he believed her to be. She wished I wasn't Glasle at that moment. She wished she was, Cavana. 'The person he is marrying would be Glasle and never me. He will love Galsle, never me! I am wearing her clothes but will I let her turn into my skin for this man's sake? Will I not be myself, for him?  Will I choose to remain tangled in a situation like this? Will I hide myself to illuminate someone else?' Those feelings that stirred inside her were overwhelming, like a sinful wish, as a selfish yearning. The choices and decisions she has to make should be subtle and selfish, a deal she would be making without a guaranteed return from her end  'If you want higher returns you should be able to take some risk' , she almost chucked loudly with the ignoble thoughts swirling about in her mind with a hint of realization that an unplanned force had already started working its way in her head. 

"I am a mess." he said suddenly, his head hitting the window. Why would he be in a mess? I wondered. The alcohol she had consumed had escaped from her system like vapor. A little bit drunk she got, feld away because of that hideous man. She wanted to drown in some more, to stop thinking, to let the voices die down. With him driving beside her, she felt even more aware of her every passing thought, of their breath intermingling in the same space, of the ticking watch on Hyrt's wrist. She wished at that moment, might her ploy never reach him until she was the one explaining it to him. 'It's not as bad is it, I will just have to keep on doing what I have been doing for the last few weeks, hide my identity, and then when he lets his guard down, I will explain it all to him. I am the victim here, I did not plan this marriage!' she tried justifying herself in her already aching head. 

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Author Note - Macbeth reading awaits me , also an early morning and early Monday update , Lovely ! Have a good day, lovelies .