Destiny's Play!!

Chapter - 81

Avni stirred. She wanted to open her eyes but the lethargy she felt made her lids feel heavy. She made a strange sound and heard a voice soothe her, a gentle warm hand rub her shoulder. She felt warm and safe. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking into a pair of midnight black ones. Karan. He smiled a little.

"How are you feeling sleepyhead?" he asked.

His voice raspy and soft. Why was he leaning over her like that? Where was she? And then the events before she had practically crashed into sleep came back. Her eyes grew big with horror and upset. She bit her lip as guilt washed over her and she lowered her gaze.

"I am sorry," she whispered.

"Seems to be a favorite word with everyone these days," Karan said drily.

He had seen the expressions change on her face so rapidly it was as if he had just flipped the pages of a book really fast. He couldn't help but feel sad and angry at the same time. But he knew she needed to talk. Hell, they both needed to talk only if she was up to it.

"Avni," he said quietly when she didn't respond to his dry humor, "I think you should eat something," he asked. "You slept without your dinner and it is not good to go hungry for longer periods of time," he told her.

"I am not hungry," she responded in her small voice.

"I wasn't asking," Karan said tightly.

Enough of this wallowing in self-pity and for what? For whom? For those who didn't care enough for her. He didn't like it one bit. If she could weather something like what happened to her she could definitely weather this one out as well. He rose from the bed and went towards her side then picked her up along with the blankets and took her downstairs.

Avni would have protested. Should have protested. But the expression Karan wore on his face was enough to seal her mouth. It was as if his entire face was carved of stone. He was angry. The tightly clenched jaw. The nerve that ticked at his temple. It wasn't his fault. She had told him everything but not about Sahil's truth. She should have but her false sense of duty and her commitment to never tell anyone had stopped her. So if he was angry with her he was justified. She hurt him by not trusting him with the secret. He would surely hate her now. How will she face the rest? She had no idea. How will she face Shalini ma? What will everyone think? She bit her lip.

"Stop worrying about others for once Avni," Karan said exasperatedly.

Avni lowered her gaze and Karan felt lower than a snake's belly for putting that look on her face. Hadn't she had enough? If he continued to rebuke her she wouldn't fare any better. Besides he had promised to never let tears come to her eyes. How could he break his promise? He sighed as he placed her over on the couch settling her gently.

"I am sorry Avni," he said as he shook his head, "I am just...never mind," he said then rose to go to the kitchen.

Avni sat there huddled in his blanket. She watched him work in his kitchen. She had probably never thought of this before but he looked so comfortable in his kitchen considering his big frame. He didn't look out of place at all in his t shirt and running pants. This was another thing, he never wore slippers. What had he wanted to say before he had stopped? Something was weighing him down. He was not the one to leave a sentence incomplete. If things hadn't gone down well for her things hadn't gone down well for him either. His finding out about her past first, then the confrontation with his parents and their refusal to accept their relationship and finally the shock of finding Sahil's reality. How was he feeling? He hadn't spoken once of how he was faring? She had asked but he had smiled and waved the questions off. Granted he was strong not that strong. Had his father's words reminded him of that other time in his past? She looked out the window at the darkness that had fallen. What time was it? What did it matter? Time had come to a standstill as far as she was concerned. How many more trials and tribulations was she to face? All she had wanted was a bit of happiness. Was that too much to ask? She recalled how she had told the ugly truth of her life in front of everyone and she closed her eyes at the pain she felt. She shouldn't have. How was Shalini ma faring? She opened her eyes again as she heard the rain fall outside. It was muted. The sound. But she was sure the rain was pelting against the structure and the wind howling. How strange. Even nature mirrored how she felt inside. She should be undergoing a raging storm deep within instead it was so muted she could barely sense anything. It was as if she hollow inside. Empty. How was that possible? Was she even making any sense? Did emptiness equate to calmness? She wasn't sure.