Page 53 of Forbidden

“Send me a tub of ice please.”

Jhanvi stiffens as I disconnect, and I give her another stern stare.

“How can you be so foolish? You should have changed dammit.”

“Change?” she snaps. “Into what? You tore all my clothes. Now don’t try to get my sympathy by ordering the ice cubes for my rashes.”

I don’t know if I should be angry or laugh at her insensibility.

“Seriously, Jaan? I didn’t know you were that dumb when it comes to me and my actions.”

Whilst she stares at me all confused, I make my way to the other side of the bathtub and get the white Turkish robe hanging in there.

“You hadthisin the room to change.”

Jhanvi swallows nervously as I place it on her lap. Now she knows who’s more foolish?

The doorbell rings.

“Don’t change yet. Wait.” I command her before heading out to get the ice cubes. When I come back, she is still there. Sitting and watching the robe blankly. But the moment I step in and keep the tub of ice cubes beside her, Jhanvi gets alarmed. There are rashes everywhere on her body – arms, feet, neck. She is about to scratch the ones on her neck again when I grab her wrist and pull her arm away. Scratching them will not solve her problem. With my other hand, I pick an ice cube and apply it gently over the rashes on her neck. She freezes – like literally freezes because of the cooling effect of the ice on her skin and also because I am the one applying it on her.

CHAPTER 22

Jhanvi

This is wrong!! This whole tearing off my clothes act which Aarav did, becoming jealous of Mohit, is wrong and yet here he is, soothing my rashes. When I had told Mohit two days ago that Aarav was taking me to Mussourie to sign off some deal, he hadn’t denied me nor informed me he would follow me here. When Aarav left to meet the client today and I took a walk in the hotel’s garden, where I met Mohit who said he had checked in at the same place and had a gift for me. I didn’t know whether taking that gift from him was right or not, especially when I knew how much Aarav disliked seeing me around Mohit, but again, why would I care about his likes and let him choose the people I want to be with? So, I accepted the dress Mohit gifted me and returned to my room. Aarav was already late than promised and I did not know when he would be back, so I wore the dress to see if this time Mohit had picked the right choice or not, when Aarav had barged in. All that argument we had and the way he tore my dresses made me hate him more and I promised never to speak to him again, but here he is now, soothing my rashes.

Aarav blew air every time he applied the ice to the rashes and rubbed it gently before moving to the next one. The gentleness in this entire act fluttered my heart. Not even for a single moment he took his eyes off my rashes or made me feel uncomfortable. I am letting Aarav Raichand ease my pain, that’s new. I flinch when he rubs the cool ice on my shoulder where there’s an intense red rash.

“Easy,” he says, before blowing some air again. My eyes shut. Am I allowed to feel good? I don’t know, but no one has ever shown this much concern in soothing my pain before. Never a man at least!!

Aarav picks another ice cube and rubs it on my other arm, giving the rashes there the same healthy treatment. Bliss!! I can’t believe how this same man can both hurt and soothe me? It’s not natural. I feel cold. Everywhere. Despite the blaze of heat radiating from his body. He has that puppy face put up in his expressions, which I don’t think comes very often. He moves a step behind to check my knees. One of them has a rash. Grabbing the soft skin of my feet to hold me in position, Aarav rubs the ice on my right knee. Okay!! Time to take things back in control. He tending my arms was okay. I can’t let him take care of the rashes in other parts of my body. Feels too intimate.

“I will do it now.”

I try to pull back my feet from his hold, but again, whom am I dealing with? He is Aarav Raichand who hardly obeys others’ commands.

“This is all my mistake,” he murmurs, his eyes glued to my knee as he rubs the ice cube. “Let me take my punishment.”

Such heavy dialogues. I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t.

“Tending me is a punishment for you?” I ask instead.

He lifts his chin to meet my eyes again, his finger still pressing the ice on my knee.

“Seeing you in pain is.”

Really? Does my pain affect him?

“Says the one who gave me,” I mock.

“I asked you to change the dress,” he argues. “I gave you a choice. I told you there will be consequences, Jaan. I want you to take me seriously henceforth.”

Whatever!! I don’t speak as he nurtures my other rashes and then grabs a fresh towel to wipe off the excess water from my skin. This time I obviously don’t let him do that and snatch the towel.

“Let me change, now.”

He surely doesn’t mind, but Aarav keeps his arms pinned to the sides of the marble where I am still seated.

---