My Vulnerary Husband- our journey towards love - Chapter 250

|Innaya|

“You fool!”

Instead of the hard fall, I expected, a pair of arms held onto me- breaking my fall. A wave of relief washed over me.

“Don’t you know how to stay in one place? Are you mad?” Solemn silence of the night was broken by the scolding of the man. I could not feel any happier even after being at the receiving end of the scolding.

My eyelashes fluttered as I hesitantly opened my eyes. Though I heard him and felt his presence, I did not want my hopes to shatter, and if this turned out to be a fantasy of my mind. I could not afford it.

Under the bright glow coming from the lights, the man’s face was half shadowed, only allowing his left profile to be seen. As the night had fallen, there was silence everywhere, and I could hear the sound of my hammering heartbeat in my ears that was beating erratically in my chest.

“Have you gone mute now? Are you hurt? Is it painful? Do we need to see the doctor?” The person continued scolding and asking me questions. He did not even stop for a moment instead, his concerned nagging ran in the background.

He shook my shoulders, taking my whole weight on his body. “That’s it. I’m taking you to the hospital.” Bending down, he picked me up in his arms, intending to take me to the hospital.

I sobbed, holding onto his collar. “I’m sorry.” The first thing that came out of my mouth was an apology. I did not know how to explain it to him. I was at a loss of words.

Rushed footsteps soon sounded from the living room leading to the patio. There was more than one person. “Innaya? Why did you run off? Are you hurt?” Eshan sounded breathless as he asked me.

Arjun’s body stiffened. He inhaled sharply, glancing down at me. His face turned cold all of sudden, and the concern he showed vanished in thin air.

“Take your wife, and look after her… least she runs away to some stranger,” Arjun interrupted Eshan coldly. He then made a move to shift me to Eshan’s arms.

I looped my arms around his neck and shook my head rapidly without looking at Eshan. I knew once he let go of me, I would not see him. My gut feeling was screaming at me. Shaking my head rapidly, I refused to let him go.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry… sorry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry… sorry… I’m sorry.” I lost the count of how many times I made the apology. I just wanted him to trust me once.

“Why don’t you carry her in?” Eshan said in a restrained voice.

Arjun struggled internally, his blue eyes showing his conflict. He made it clear that he wanted to dump me on the ground and get far far away from me.

***

“Don’t go. I’m sorry.” I refused to let go of Arjun’s neck. Under Eshan’s perusal, he had brought me to my bedroom and placed me on the bed. When he was about to move away, my arms around his neck did not loosen up, instead, they became insistent- fully intending not to let him leave.

“Mrs. Singhaniya, it isn’t appropriate to hold onto some stranger. Let go of me,” Arjun said as he tried to pry open my arms.

The formal tone of his stabbed like knives and tears again rolled down from my eyes.

“Sorry.” Instead of an apology, I could not give him anything else. His aloof behavior was starting to get at me.

“You don’t have to apologize to the strangers, Mrs. Singhaniya,” Arjun said coldly, looking directly in my eyes. His deep, emotionless blue orbs started to scare me on finding no sense of closeness in them.

“Broth-”

“Uhu- I’m not your brother. I’m a friend of your husband who can’t see anything before his best friend,” Arjun retorted, not letting me talk. This was the first time I addressed him as ‘brother’, but he did not want that.

“Arjun, enough now,” Dad scolded him lightly. Then only I realized how inappropriate my actions must look to my in-laws. Eshan’s mother had already kicked a fuss over what kind of loose woman I was. My eyes unknowingly found her standing near the door. She did not enter inside much, just stayed a couple of feet near the door. Unconsciously I released my arms from his neck, and Arjun took that chance to get up. Startled, I stretched out my arms and grasped his hands.

“Woof woof.” Fortune barked at Arjun. He even went on to bump his nose against Arjun’s thighs.

“Woof woof!”

“You want to go home? Let’s leave in a moment, buddy.” Arjun lowered his head, and a sober look flashed across his face.

“No,” I yelled, tugging at his hands. I would not let him go. Fortune did not want to go home, he was miffed with Arjun because he assumed that I was crying because of him. Reading Fortune, and understanding his emotions came naturally to me after spending so much time with him.

“I’m sorry. Forgive me, please. I was not thinking straight. I- I…”

Arjun turned to Eshan, who was standing near the foot of the bed. “Eshan, look after your wife. If her injury worsens, I’m afraid I can’t handle the blame.”

Eshan sighed, shaking his head. “Dad, mom, please rest early. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said to his parents. How embarrassing it must be for him to let his parents see his wife clinging pathetically to his friend. Stuck between stopping Arjun or letting him go, I was momentarily lost.

Eshan’s parents left, nodding at him. Dad stopped at the door. He wanted to say something. “Arjun, remember your words. Don’t let a moment of hurt cloud your senses. It’s not worth it, son.” Those were his imparting words to Arjun before his tall figure went out, closing the door on his way.