Chapter 122 - Fluffy Ball Of Fur

|Innaya|

Two pairs of eyes locked in a fierce battle continued the staring competition without any break. Now, one might wonder who those eyes belonged. Contrary to the normal expectation, it was not Eshan.

I would have loved to engage in gazing at Eshan's deep molten orbs, but sadly it was not the case. Perched up on the sofa chair with my knees tucked underneath I stared ahead consciously. At around ten feet distance from me, there laid a reason for my misery, innocently.

Innocently? Did I just think that the fluffy ball of fur looking at me with those big eyes was innocent? I must be losing my mind to think that. But as I continued looking at him, there was that slowly spreading feeling of liking towards the dog. His lack of aggressive behavior must have something to do with it.

I regarded Fortune warily. He did not do anything harmless. He did not even try to approach me as if he was already taught by Eshan to stay away from me.

After Arjun abruptly left in the morning, Eshan also locked himself in his study. Something bothered him, and he brushed it off making up excuses for not feeling well. I knew Arjun's departure worried him. It was written on his face, he just did not realize that. From bits and pieces of Arjun's conversations so far, I knew he also had some terrible past. Otherwise, he would not have guessed my condition.

Imagining Arjun going through something terrible that had left a big wound on him; I felt heartache in my heart for him. From my own experience, I knew how hard it was to deal with aftereffects of the trauma. I just prayed that he was okay and he too gets someone in his life that would help him move on. Eshan and I were there for him.

However, it was not the same. As my life partner, Eshan had that love, understanding, patience, and respect for me. I wanted the same for Arjun, too. Kind of emotional safety a partner could provide would not be compared to that of what anyone else could offer.

Eshan knew about Arjun's past, and it would be very wrong on my part to ask him about it. I just prayed that Arjun would be okay and he returned safe and sound to us.

Fortune whined tilting his head on his paws. I wondered if he did that because, for a minute or so, my attention had shifted from him as I thought about Arjun.

"Do you think Arjun is in some kind of trouble?" I asked him about his owner. I realize my mistake after the question was out. Was I trying to communicate with a dog who I did not know? Dogs could understand human emotions and gestures. However, the possibility of understanding a stranger sounded weird to even my ears. I shook my head, thinking about my weirdness but, the idea of talking to Fortune seemed quite appealing. Back then I had searched ways for overcoming my cynophobia. One of them was to watch videos of dogs, and assure myself that not every dog out there would attack me.

Somewhere I had gotten over it and learned to handle my anxiety. That was also the reason that I could stay without breaking into a run before Fortune. My eyes from time to time glanced at stairs, waiting for Eshan to leave his study.

Fortune licked his front paws while occasionally looking around. I had to admire his patience in staying in one place. Maybe, that was why Arjun said he was the service dog.

If I was not cynophobic I would have approached him. Because he looked so damn cute that no one would resist themselves from touching or petting him. There was that comforting aura around him. He did not give the feeling of running away from him.

I looked at the bag Arjun had left behind. After he left, around half an hour later when I came downstairs for preparing lunch, at that time I found Fortune lazing on the rug. And, at one corner a big brown bag was placed. Beside it, there were two bowls- one filled with water and second with dog food.

It was a good thing that Fortune's needs were taken care of. I would have had a hard time to give him food. From some distance it was okay, but what if he got excited and rushed towards me? Dog's have a very good sense of smell, and smelling their favorite food, it was understandable for them to get excited.

However, that excitement was not easy to handle for someone like me who had cynophobia. My thought also circled around my mom. I had not checked upon her in the last couple of months. Though I would receive updates about her health from her doctor, yet it was not the same case. I had not confronted her about it because I wanted her to tell me on her own.

My mobile rang, breaking the silence. Fortune's ears twitched as he raised his head. I picked up the mobile from my lap. Looking at my grandmother's name flashing across the screen, I felt joy bubbling in my chest. It had been so long that I had talked to my family. Last I remember, we had talked around two and a half months ago. So much had happened in this period that I had forgotten calling back at home.

They must be quite worried about me. I wondered how they were holding up, and how I was going to explain why I did not contact them. Grandma would catch my lie from my voice. I was a very terrible liar. Maybe, I should at least try to make up some excuse.

"Hello, Grandma!" I greeted once I answered the call.

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