Aaratrika ~ His Lifeline

Aaratrika had been warned - never step inside the royal castle of Haydar.
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

He chuckled, a rich deep sound and continued ,"Were you expecting me to slip by the mere sight of your tears and fall to my knees right at your feet, Rani Sahiba?"

I clicked my tongue fighting the urge to snap at him. Forcing a smile on my face, I said, "Did it work? Raja Sahab?"

He leaned in, so close that I could feel his warm breath on my cheek and his smile in my bones, "More than it should have, Eranya" He gently brushed away a stubborn lock of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers lingered a little longer against my skin, sending a rush of blood to my cheeks.

Our bodies were so close now, chest against chest, breaths mixing.

Our gazes collided and I saw something shift in his eyes, darken. My heart started beating erratically.

This felt right for all the wrong reasons.
No. Yes. Finally.

I instinctively clutched the hem of my choli tightly and closed my eyes, tilting my face and-

His lips never touched mine.

I blinked in confusion and watched as he stepped back, any traces of amusement completely wiped from his face within seconds. My blood ran cold.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰.
But why was I still alive then?