Chapter 31 - Everyone has a past

|Eshan|

I huffed before I stood up from the bed. I walked to the closet to pick out my nightwear. I was aware of the Innaya's gasp and her alarmed, "What the?"

"Yeah, what the. When I carried you on the first day, as they were unaware of our marriage, he said I started sleeping around and then called you beautiful," I answered while rummaging through the wardrobe.

The approaching footsteps told me that she was coming towards me. Yet, I refrained myself from turning around.

'Why am I sulking like a child? Is it because she is taking Arjun's side?' I questioned myself.

"What did you do?" Innaya's voice startled me. When did she come beside me? I glanced beside only to see her taking out my nightclothes from another side. Then only I realized, I was checking into the wrong side.

'Stupid me!'

"Umm... nothing," I replied taking the clothes from her hand. I avoided looking into her eyes for obvious reasons. I was not remotely proud of attacking him even when he started annoying me first.

"Eshan," Innaya warned, taking hold of my wrist. 'Is this, real?'

"I may or may not have strangled him," I answered tilting my head sideways. Innaya's eyes widened in shock as if suddenly realising something and later she worded that, "Oh God, that's why Arjunv was rubbing his neck that day."

"Why would you do that?" Innaya asked puzzled.

"Excuse me? What is the meaning of this? And, tell me, from when you both started being best friends?" perplexed, I shot back.

"From today, and not only best friends, we are more than that," Innaya answered and a fond smile graced her lips. Even though I was confused about what she was saying, I smiled back. 'She is my personal calming balm. She has that contagious peaceful aura around her that blankets my distress and provides me the warmth of calmness.'

"What that would be?" I raised my eyebrow questioningly but I was not angry or irritated anymore.

"I am not telling you."

Innaya turned her head away, folding her arms across her chest.

"Fair enough. Let's see how long you won't tell me." I replied smiling rather mischievously as an idea of getting my answers formed in my head. I placed aside the clothes in my hand as I stepped towards Innaya.

Slowly, I circled my hands around her and started tickling her.

She did not even twitch.

'What the?'

"I am not ticklish," Innaya informed me rather too smugly.

'Oh! No worries Mrs. Sighaniya I have other ways too.' I smirked to myself before I stepped further and she stepped back.

"There is no escape, Tesoro."

I kept my hands on her waist before I slowly leaned into her. All the while, I was looking into her expressive eyes. They always allowed me to know her better. Currently, they had surprise and anticipation, filled in them. Deliberately, I kept my face neutral and unhurriedly slid her hair from her left shoulder with my one hand, while fingers of my other hand slowly traced round patterns on her waist.

"What- what are... you... doing," Innaya stammered as she asked.

The plan was working.

"Trying," I simply answered before I placed my lips on her shoulder. I was aware of her sharp intake of breath and the way and how her face was getting flushed.

What started as an innocent plan of getting an answer, turned into something else with the much more close proximity of ours.

I had no idea what shampoo she used, but she really had a great choice. Not too strong and neither too mild fragrance of it was of perfect balance. Unconsciously, I breathed in the scent of her shampoo and hers.

"Ok... stop... He is my elder brother," Innaya's wavering voice broke my trance as she placed her hands on my chest. I was not sure of why she did that, but I was more than glad for that interruption. Never had I wanted to go this far and sure as hell I am not imagining where this would have led if not for her interruption. I closed my eyes to regain the lost control of my mind before her words registered in my brain.

Brother? Abruptly, I opened my eyes as I looked at her surprised.

'We have been friends for as long as I could remember but after whatever had happened, I have never seen him giving this close place to anyone. Arjun Arya I know is not someone who would get involved in the brother-sister bond, that doesn't mean he is bad or something. He is just not any relationship kind of person. What changed?' I frowned.

"Why are you surprised?" Innaya asked withdrawing her hands from my chest.

"You are the first person apart from us that he... how I put it into words. Arjun is someone who wouldn't let himself attach to people, well forget about a stranger. He takes time to adjust with umm... strangers," I awkwardly tried explaining. It was not my place to tell her anything about Arjun.

"The Arjun I saw the whole day, was not the one you described," Innaya said with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, everyone has past and the baggage it brings along with it," I said as my mind went back to Arjun.

"Hmm... you are right. Everyone has a past," Innaya was speaking as if she was in trance. Her eyes glossed with tears. She continued as she leaned on the wall for support, "Well not everyone has beautiful memories of their childhood. Sometimes we have to take the brunt of someone else's mistake or psychotic and pathetic excuse of human being. That... woman... she ruined my childhood for me. She... she made me hate myself. She made me feel worthless. My cynophobia is because of her. She left her golden retrieval on me, just because she thought that I disobeyed her and as a punishment she..." she trailed off as if, it became too much to bear.

Hell, I felt disgusted by that woman. She did ruin my Innaya's childhood and I was witnessing the scars that woman left on Innaya.

I cupped her face, wiping the tears that were rolling down on her face. I wanted to stop her and at the same time, I wanted her to continue. I wanted her to get everything off her chest. That emotional burden, baggage, she carried was too much to handle for her and if sharing helps than I was more than willing to be there with her, for her.

"If given a chance, I would rewind today and never-never meet her. She reminds me of that dark night where we wish for nothing more than the small light. She is one of my most horrifying nightmares, I never want to see," Innaya's voice dropped as she tried hard to stay strong.

However, I saw behind that failed attempt of hiding her pain. I knew, she was hurting and those incidents were forever etched in her mind.

"Oh sweetheart," I engulfed her in my arms as she started trembling with all the emotions. I held her whispering the encouraging words in her ears. I held her until she calmed down.

Tonight, I had disturbed sleep even though I had her in my arms. It was because of what she shared with me, because of what she had gone through. For the most of night, I just kept caressing her, hoping that at least for this night she would have the peaceful sleep.

*