Chapter 20
"I cut myself"
He blurted out as if he does not have any care about the world and his eyes reflected a strange emotion that I have never seen before. We both stood there looking at each other, forgot to speak, searching for many answers with my palms still cradling his face and his palms were resting on my waist. Our stare was broken by a painful moan from him and my gaze shifted to his neck, where I saw a deep cut and it registered in my mind that like his hand moved towards my waist, mine had taken the place of his neck leaving his cheeks behind.
His neck was bleeding, drenching my fingers and I almost screamed.
"Shh! Sharon, Please be quiet, won't you?"
Swayam suddenly covered my mouth with his palm muffling my sudden screaming. His right palm was covering my mouth and he held my head with his left palm. By the force he used, he accidentally pulled me towards him, decreasing the already narrow space between us. I know I should not think about anything else than his injury, but the closeness was creating a havoc in my head, not helping to think straight.
Before the situation goes to awkward I shoved him slightly releasing us from the awkward position, and I dragged him towards the bathtub, he followed me without any objection, as if he was tired of the drama he pulled up over there.
"Are you real?" He asked me when I helped him to sit on the bathtub's edge.
"What do you mean?" I scowled.
Without waiting to hear his reply, I walked up to the shelves to take the first aid box. After taking the box and a mug of hot water, I kneeled down in front of him to nurse his wounds when I heard his reply.
"I mean, are you really Sharon?" He mumbled the last part too scared about my reply. I know what he was talking, I was simply showing care when I should not.
He does not know I cannot pretend to, not to care for him when I actually do, Therefore, I choose to ignore his questioning gaze.
Taking out a piece of cotton, I dipped it into the disinfectant. His eyes enlarged into the size of a soccer ball when he caught my action and he shook his head hastily as a No'. I rolled my eyes at him in amusement.
Isn't he the one who cut himself?'
Ignoring his objection, I brought it near one side of his collarbone that had a deep cut, it seemed like he cut himself with a razor blade.
Why would he do that?' I tried to find an answer for that, but I could not find something that would lead him to self-destruction.
"Stay still." I hissed when he pulled his head away from me. "It will sting a little," I warned before starting to clean his wounds.
"Like that would help." It was his turn to roll eyes.
"Obviously it will help." A small smile formed on my lips when I caught him pouting. He is such a baby. I restrained myself from pulling his cheeks. While engaging him into a talk I rubbed the cotton over his cut gently, at first he didn't react and I relaxed but I didn't know that was the breeze before the storm, he soon screamed at the top of his voice and I almost lost my balance falling backward.
"What?" I snapped at him.
"You cheated, you tried to divert my attention." He accused with a murderous look.
Don't know why, but the look he gave me didn't scare me as it used to.
"I have better ideas to divert your attention."
Once again, I managed to make him forget about his wounds and I cleaned his neck. I barely got a chance to peek into his shoulder, and there was a cut too.
How many places he cut himself?' I wondered.
"Like?" He smirked at me, challenging.
Taking a bold step, I raised the edge of his shirt to get a better view of his shoulder and I saw a few more cuts there instead of just one.
"Watch me," I spoke with a different tone, a little husky and a little deep. His eyes snapped to mine shocked with how my two simple words sounded huskier.
After throwing the used cotton to the basket, I forwarded my hands towards the buttons of his shirt. I giggled inwardly when I saw him visibly stiffening.
"Wh...what a...are y...you do...ing?" He stammered and I cheekily grinned at him with an evil glint.
"Cleaning the mess,"
He locked his eyes with me when my fingers struggled with his shirt's buttons; though he saw me struggling, he did not try to interrupt. I opened the buttons half way and pushed it back, exposing his shoulder, neck and a good portion of his chest. There were a few fresh cuts and a few healed ones. I frowned in confusion.
How did he manage to cut his body like this without anyone noticing it?
I was losing my patience to get some answers from him, to confront him; however, I did not because I needed to finish what I started.
It took ten minutes to dress those all wounds, he had around six or seven cuts across his exposed body, it looked as if he was taking out his anger on himself. Those were slightly deep and I knew he needed a doctor, but I was certain that my nursing was enough to stop the bleeding; the wounds on his shoulder were not bleeding like those in his neck.
"Is there anymore ...cuts?" I asked him after disposing of the last used cotton.
"Huh?"
"Did you cut yourself in any other place?"
I slowly placed my hand on his shoulder, making sure that I was not touching his tear.
He did not react for some time, just sat there peering at me, incredulously. I could see many emotions in his eyes, I could not really name them, but in between those, I saw one emotion that left me stunted...Insecurity.
Swayam is insecure.
"No," He replied, indifferently, the cool and funny nature had gone. He hurriedly got up and took two steps away from me as if he just woke up from a dream and everything that happened just disappeared.
"Swayam, what happened?" I stood up and faced him.
"I don't need your help." He spat it to my face and walked out of the bathroom, leaving me there alone.
Stunned by the sudden change of atmosphere, I walked to my room to take a shower.
***
When I came back to the dining table, I saw Swayam there eating his breakfast with a scowl on his face. Dad and Tanni were there also, but what surprised me was, Rey was there, when I came back from Delhi, he was out of town and I was waiting to meet him.
"Rey..." He jumped from his seat and turned towards where I standing, near the staircase.
"Sharon..." Calling my name, he walked up to me and pulled me into a friendly hug. While hugging him back, I caught a burning stare at us and my eyes came out of its sockets when I saw a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
Swayam is Jealous.
"You have a lot to explain."
"I know, but after some time."
He nodded his head and we joined others for the breakfast. After a line of silence dad cleared his throat, gaining our attention.
"I have something to announce." His voice held an authority, and we all knew he was not going just announce he was going to order.
"I have decided to get Swayam and Sharon married."
***
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