Page 87 of Mrs. Pandey
"I just had a couple of glasses," I pouted, taking the pills from his palm. I placed them on my tongue, then drank deeply, letting the cool water wash away the dryness in my mouth. "Didn't think it would hit me this hard." My voice cracked as I winced, pressing the heel of my hand to my temple as if I could push the pain out.
"A couple of glasses, huh?" His brows lifted in disbelief. "They must have been pouring them into a bucket instead of a glass."
I gave a faint laugh but didn't answer. My head was spinning too much to care about defending myself.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay tonight?" he asked, eyes softening in that way that made me uneasy. Pity. I hated pity.
"Don't do that," I said, forcing a smirk. "Don't act like some noble saint. It doesn't suit you."
He gave me a look, somewhere between suspicion and amusement. "And what suits me, then?"
I tilted my head toward him, letting the words slip out before thinking better of it. "Do you wanna fuck me?"
Saurav's eyes went wide, his entire face stiffening as if I'd thrown cold water at him. "Are you crazy?" His voice cracked with genuine shock. "God, Ira, I've always seen you as my sister."
"I know..." I mumbled, looking away. The alcohol made the room blur at the edges, but shame still burned hot in my cheeks.
Saurav was Aryan's cousin, which by extension made him... well, family. We'd always been friendly, sure, sometimes crass, sometimes teasing but there had never been anything more. Hehad a reputation, a long list of women and scandalous stories trailing after him, but never within the family circle. And never me.
He glanced toward the clock on the wall. "I should probably let you rest."
"You can go," I said, sinking deeper into the cushions. My eyes closed, but my mind refused to settle. All I could see was Prashant, his easy smile, the way he leaned in close to her. That woman. The one who laughed at his every word like he'd hung the stars just for her.
I hated her.
But more than that, I hated him. Hated the way he'd walked past me earlier, as though I was invisible. He'd greeted every officer in the room except me. Not a glance. Not a word.
Why? What had I done? Why was he doing this to me?
"Well... I'm heading out," Saurav said quietly. He hesitated at the door, his hand resting on the knob like he wasn't convinced he should leave me alone.
I tried to give him a reassuring nod, but a sudden churning in my stomach made my eyes widen. I barely had time to stand before I bolted for the bathroom.
The cold tiles hit my knees as I leaned over the toilet, the sour burn of vomit rising in my throat. My body convulsed, coughs racking my chest. Tears pricked my eyes not from sadness this time, but from the raw acid scraping my throat.
And then I felt him again. Saurav, crouching beside me, his hand gathering my hair and holding it back with a gentleness I didn't expect from someone so brash.
"It's okay," he murmured. "Get it out."
I didn't understand it. I'd only had two glasses of wine hadn't I? Why did it feel like my body was waging war on itself?
When the last wave passed, I sat back, trembling. My head was heavy, my skin clammy. Saurav didn't leave; he waited while I rinsed my mouth, then fetched my toothbrush without being asked.
"Rinse again," he instructed, standing in the doorway like a sentry.
After brushing my teeth, I followed him half leaning, half dragging my feet to my bedroom. He set a glass of water on the nightstand, then disappeared briefly before returning with a steaming mug of herbal tea.
"Drink," he said, passing it to me.
The warmth of it seeped into my hands, the scent sharp and calming. I sipped slowly, letting the heat ease the tight knot in my stomach.
He didn't talk much after that. Just sat there in the chair beside my bed, checking his phone every so often but never leaving. Eventually, the heaviness in my eyelids won.
Just before I drifted under, I felt the weight of a blanket being pulled over me, the gentle tuck of fabric around my shoulders. Then, faintly, the click of the door locked as he left.
______
I yawned and sank onto the edge of my bed, still feeling the heaviness in my head from last night's drinks. My body was just beginning to relax when my eyes shot wide open as someone was sitting in the chair by the window, casually scrolling through his phone.
