Page 70 of Not In Love

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The painin Diego’s ankle was a steady, punishing throb.

He sat slumped on the couch, his left leg propped carefully on a couple of pillows, the makeshift compression wrap already in place.

Across the room, Kaif, Muriel, and a few of the cousins were deep in hushed conversation, arguing quietly about logistics.

ER or urgent care. Driving him themselves or calling for an ambulance.

Waiting for the swelling to go down or getting an x-ray immediately.

He barely heard them. Frustration boiled under his skin, thick and bitter, at his own body betraying him again. He had never tolerated being helpless that well to start with.

It hadn’t been too bad of a fall from the ladder but of course he had landed on his bad ankle which folded like a fucking wet paper straw under him.

The last thing Muriel or anyone else needed the day before the wedding was this kind of incident. Thank God his mother had gone back to their house with Muriel’s mama, or he would have her crying to contend with. Luckily, Tia was spending the day with them too.

Now if only he could tell Kaif and Muriel to?—

The front door slammed open with a force that shook the rafters.

Kash came hurtling through the doorway like a hurricane unleashed.

Her hair was half-straight, half-wild, one side sleek and glossy, the other curling frantically toward the sky. Her chest heaved, her hands were shaking. She looked feral, terror and rage and heartbreak dancing across her features.

Fear fisted his stomach tight. He tried to push himself up instinctively, wanting to go to her. Pain ripped up his leg, locking him down.

He barely managed to brace himself with one arm on the couch before she was dropping hard to her knees on the floor, her body collapsing under the weight of whatever had driven her here.

"You asshole!" she yelled, amidst a choked sob, the words cutting like a whip through the stunned quiet of the room. "Was this just another trick to manipulate me?"

The entire house froze, and he stared at Kaif and Muriel in confusion.

A glass clinked faintly in the kitchen. Someone outside yelled something, but even that seemed muted, distant.

“Kash, what are you talking about?” he said, hating that he was so far away from her.

Her eyes glittered with fury and despair, an expression he never wanted to see again. “Mom texted me that you had an accident. I thought something bad happened to you and I...”

The soft, choking sobs that followed frayed Diego apart. Damn it, when had Neena even texted Kash? Seeing how pale the older woman had gotten after seeing Diego fall, Mona and Chaaru had rushed her out of the house.

All he could feel, more powerful than the pain pulsing up from his ankle, stronger than the helpless fury, was the overwhelming need to reach Kash. To touch her and hold her and kiss her.

Kaif moved without a word, sliding under Diego’s good arm.

Gritting his teeth so hard that he tasted blood, Diego let Kaif help him up, not putting any weight on his injured ankle. Every muscle in that leg screamed, but he didn’t care.

He hopped, half-carried by Kaif, until he was in front of Kash. Then he dropped to his knees, harder than he should have, jolting the bad ankle, but it didn’t matter.

Only she mattered.

He reached for her gently, carefully, and when she didn’t push him away—when she swayed toward him as if her body needed him—he wrapped her up in his arms. "Shh...breathe, sweetheart," he murmured into her sweaty hair, voice breaking with how much he needed to soothe her. "I fell from the ladder and landed on my bad ankle.” He kissed her temple, hating the tremors shaking her. “I’m hurt, yes, but I’m here with you. Right here, baby.”

Only a choked gasp came from her, as if she didn’t dare believe him.

"I would never play such a cruel trick on you, Kash. Ever. I’m sorry for making that stupid play in the first place at the Sangeet.” His hand moved slowly up and down her back, soothing, steady. In the face of her pain, his heart felt like a lead weight in his chest, stealing his breath. “I would cut my heart out before even thinking of hurting you, Kash. You have to believe me, Preciosa. Please.”

Finally, Kash looked at him.

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