《Short Recap》

He rolled his eyes at my reaction, "Are you coming or do you want to walk back home now?"

I got on the pillion seat hesitantly and clutched the metal tail of the motorcycle tightly. Vinay chuckled before turning the key into ignition, wincing slightly as he did.

"Are you sure you can do this?" I asked.

Without a response, he lurched the bike forward throwing me into his back.

"Let's find out."

●○●

Fortunately, our apartment wasn't very far from college so we managed to make it safely. I don't think I could have survived the trauma of another accident.

Vinay winced as we entered the house. He hobbled forward and switched on the lights in the living room and kitchen before going into his room.

Shaking my head, I strode to my room to take a shower.

It felt weird to close the door after so many days of being alone in the house. Honestly, I wasn't even sure why Vinay had come back after disappearing for so long but I wasn't complaining. He did pay rent after all.

After I had changed my clothes I headed out to check on Vinay. I found him in the kitchen trying hard to reach the top cupboard to take out the small bottle of disinfectant spirit.

"Let me do it." I offered with a small smile.

He stepped aside so I could reach up. I brought down the spirit bottle and a small rubber bag to make an ice pack for the swelling on his forehead.

"Thank you." Vinay said quietly, as I handed him the things.

He winced again, doubling over in pain as he steadied himself against the kitchen counter.

I frowned and took a step forward.

"Sit on the counter, I'll do your first aid." I ordered.

"No..."

"This is not the time to show how macho you are." I cut him off midsentence, "You're not auditioning for Macroman commercial for God's sake."

An almost inaudible groan escaped him as he obliged and hoisted himself onto the granite counter.

Dipping the gauze he had brought in spirit, I stretched my hand to reach his cut up face. Vinay took a sharp intake as I almost poked him.

Dammit!

One of the downsides of being short were that even you hands were tiny.

"Sorry!" I yelped.

Wordlessly, Vinay reached out and grabbed my hand. He gently pulled me closer so that I was standing between his legs and had better access to his face.

I bit my lip hard, suddenly aware of our compromising position. The warmth of his thick thighs radiated through my clothes and I felt blood rushing into my ears.

Kill me already!

Thank god his eyes were closed as he breathed in shallow puffs.

I gently dabbed his split lip and the cuts that littered his high set cheeks. Vinay hissed as the gauze made contact with the sensitive skin right under his eye.

"I am really sorry!" I almost shrieked, pulling my hand away.

Vinay caught my wrist and brought my hand back to his face. "Just get it done with as quickly as possible." He said hoarsely.

I nodded and continued being as cautious as I could with my hand trembling. Our proximity itself was making me feel weird things.

As I set down the dirty gauze and the bottle of spirit, I felt two hands encircling my waist and pulling me forward.

I gasped bending backwards so that there was substantial space between or faces, "What the hell Vinay?"

He didn't reply. Instead he buried his face into my neck and stayed there.

"How did you know where to find me"? he asked, vulnerability lacing his voice.

"I didn't actually," I replied quietly, "I just stumbled upon you."

He exhaled deeply, and the warm moist air of his breath tickled my neck.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

I didn't know what to say. I can't just say that I liked it when he wasn't around, could I? That my life was uncomplicated and driven without him ruining every moment.

"I guess." I replied trying to be diplomatic.

I felt Vinay's lips curve up slightly against my skin, the soft graze sending shivers down my spine.

"Well, I missed you."

I missed you too!

My heart leaped as soon as the words left his tongue, doing a joyous jig inside my chest.

"I'd apologize for the kiss that day but I'd just be doing it out of obligation, because I really liked it." He continued.

I whacked his chest, a smile making dancing on my lips.

"It's never going to happen ever again, okay." I deadpanned, "Promise me."

"Hmm..." Vinay murmured, placing a chaste peck in the hollow of my clavicle.

My eyes closed involuntarily and I let out a sigh, as he kissed up my neck to the sensitive part behind my ear. I was so lost in figuring out why the butterflies inside my tummy were going absolutely crazy that I hardly realized what Vinay was doing.

He nibbled on my sensitive earlobe. That snapped me out of my trance instantly as I remembered what I had been saying earlier.

"Vinay, stop!" I said, closing my eyes and exhaling deeply.

I unlocked his arms from behind my back and placed them in his lap.

"We can't do this," I shook my head. It sounded more like I was telling myself but in that moment it didn't matter.

Vinay wasn't the kind of boy to settle for a girl, at least not so fast. And now that I knew how alluring his charm was I had to be cautious myself if I did not want to see myself hurt.

I walked into the living room and perched myself on the sofa, pulling my knees up to hug them.

Vinay followed suit and sat down a couple of feet away. We both remained silent for a while, the faint buzzing of the crickets outside being the only sound cutting the air.

"Can we talk?" he asked carefully.

"Hmm..." I nodded looking at the white wall in front of me.

"I've been staying at my mother's house." Vinay finally said.

"Okay, but I don't remember asking." I shrugged.

"I know. Just felt like telling you." He replied.

"Well, I know now." I said off handedly.

"Stop being so fucking difficult, Akira. I'm trying to share stuff with you and the least you could do is pay attention." Vinay said exasperatedly.

"I didn't know this was gossip night. But I'm listening, okay." I answered with a small huff.

I saw Vinay close his eyes momentarily, no doubt holding himself down in his seat. He had the habit of exiting rather conveniently whenever things did not go his way.

"Fuck!" he threaded his fingers through his hair, aggravated by my sudden aloofness, "I don't even know why I thought I could talk to you. You're incorrigible."

He stood up and walked towards his room briskly. "Using big words now, are we?" I called out after him, "Not once did you think of how worried I was during the past couple of weeks."

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"You completely cut all contact, you couldn't even drop in a single text," I swallowed, my nostrils flaring with the pent up anger and worry I was expelling finally, "And then you decide to sashay back into my life and have a heart to heart just when everything was perfect."

"You were hardly worried about me, Akira. I saw you frolicking around gaily in college," Vinay fumed.

I threw my hands in the air.

"You know what I give up! Let's just go back to the time when I didn't give two shits about your wellbeing and you were an irremediable jerk." I shouted.

"You know what, for the first time you're right." He grabbed his keys and jacket.

"Here we go again. You know if you weren't such a spineless coward, you wouldn't run away." I blurted angrily.

Vinay stilled. "What the fuck did you just call me?"

"A spineless coward, that's what you are." I shrugged.

Vinay turned around to face me, and I shuddered under his frigid gaze.

I held my breath, as he threw his key onto the shelf next to the fridge, contemplating what he'd do next.

"Happy?" he ground out.

"More than you know." I replied, mustering up a forced smile.

Vinay walked into his room and slammed the door shut, a wave of déjà vu hitting me. And with that the tears came streaming down my cheeks in thin rivulets.

Only then did I realise that my feelings were the ones that were messed up not him.

●○●

I absolutely hate it when they fight but...*flicks away a stray tear*

I really hope you'll are enjoying the story so far!

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Qotd: Which is your favourite book/ series of books?
Mine is currently 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'