Page 81 of Protect my Heart
CHAPTER 47
ANIKA
His chest is warm under my cheek, his heartbeat steady like a lullaby I didn’t know I’d been craving all this while. We’re tangled up in bed, his hand lazily stroking my hair while I trace circles on his arm. The silence isn’t awkward. It never is with him. It’s thick and heavy, like honey—slow and comforting. The world outside this room doesn’t exist right now.
I tilt my head up, resting my chin just under his collarbone, and whisper, “Tell me.”
His fingers pause in my hair for a second before he shifts slightly, leaning on his elbow to look at me. His hair is messy, a few strands falling on his forehead, and his eyes—those damn eyes—are darker in the dim light. Tired, but still so full.
“Well,” he says with a sigh, “it sucked, obviously.”
I blink. “You’re saying the sex sucked?”
His brows shoot up. “What? No—Anu!” He chuckles, suddenly alert, running a hand through his hair as he sits up straighter against the headboard. “You were asking about the time when you weren’t here. That sucked. Not this. This—” he gestures at the two of us, a smile tugging at his lips, “—this was very, very good.”
I squint at him, skeptical. “I didn’t even finish my sentence. How did you know?”
He shrugs, a lazy kind of proud glint in his eyes. “Guess I still know you.”
And just like that, my heart swells. Stupid heart. “Maybe you do,” I mumble, letting my fingers find his and entwine them.
We sit like that for a beat, and then I shift a little closer. “Tell me anyway,” I say softly. “What was it like? After I left.”
He exhales, his gaze dropping to our hands. “My dad died three years after you moved. Cancer.”
My breath catches. “Aarav…”
“Yeah. It… it wasn’t a good period. Not because of the grief. Honestly, there was a time I thought he deserved it.”
I blink at him, stunned. “What?”
“I saw him hit Maa once,” he says it like he’s rehearsed it before in his head but never dared to say it out loud.
My lips part. “Uncle? I could never imagine…”
“Yeah, me neither,” he mutters. “But it happened. Maa said it was just one time and that I should forget it.” How could I? She was my mother, but I also didn’t know what to do. I could talk to someone else, maybe Dadu or Badi Maa, but I didn’t know if Maa would like it“ She said that he didn’t mean it. She gave him her company.” Anika gasps, disappointment and a bit of anger swirling in her eyes. “She bore his shoutings, his tantrums, everything. I made sure he never touched her again. I used to sleep in their room just to make sure she was safe.”
“Aarav…”
“No one else knows,” he says quickly, like he’s scared if he doesn’t get it all out now, he never will. “Maybe Aditi suspects. But we never talk about him. I was just… glad he was gone.” He looks at me, his lips turn down in a sad smile as his eyes hold fear, “Is that wrong? Does that make me a bad son?”
I sit up properly and cradle his face between my hands, forcing him to look at me. “You were looking out for your mother. That doesn’t make you a bad son. That makes you brave. You must’ve been so tired. You were a kid, Aarav.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes are glistening now. And God, it breaks something in me.
“Maa loves you,” I whisper. “So much. And you are her son too. That says your father was the problem, not you.”
He lets out a shaky breath and leans forward, pressing his forehead against mine. “It’s just… he used to be kind, you know? I don’t know what changed.”
“Sometimes people show their worst when they feel safe enough to stop pretending,” I murmur.
He nods slightly and kisses the tip of my nose. “Okay. Enough of my depressing life. Your turn.”
“No,” I whine, “I don’t know your college life!”
He chuckles, “Not very interesting; got bullied but was a straight A+ student.” He shrugs casually.
“Bullied?” I frown. “Who are these people, and where can I find them?” I question, anger bubbling in me.
