MAYRA'S POV
You can do this Mayra. I repeated over and over again the same thing in my mind, pressing my fingers firmly over the doorknob. What else can happen except that he might be angry, hurt, disappointed, sad or maybe something more? I have to face him, if it means tolerating his anger which I know right now must be at its best. How long can I avoid him and why would I do so when I've done nothing wrong? I agree I should have not gone to that club but now I couldn't change it. What's done was done. Now all I can do is to somehow make him believe that I will never do anything intentionally to hurt him or our relationship.
After thinking constantly for two hours only thing which I solved was to have a talk with Rehan. If I will not solve everything right now in this moment then like last month all will remain stormed between us.
With a deep breath I pushed the door. Okay here we go.
Everything was dark. Lights were off. What? Is he asleep? I took one deep breath and turned the lights on. For a second my eyes fell on bed but it was empty and in a passing moment my eyes landed on the floor which almost took my breath away.
There was Rehan, on the floor. His fingers were tightly clenched over his stomach. He had his eyes shut rather forcefully. His breathing was abnormal.
For once nothing made sense. I just stood there in confusion but when he groaned in pain griping the corner of bed sheet tightly then only it hit me.
Withdrawal syndrome.
How could I not think about it?
"Rehan" I called out his name once I sat in front of him and placed my hand over his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyelids and blinked in confusion. His eyes held nothing but vulnerability. The corner of his lips twitched in pain. He slowly raised his hand and touched my face. "M- Mayra?" He shuttered and I quietly nodded.
"LEAVE." All of sudden he raised his voice, moving his shoulder to remove my hand but still the anger in his eyes didn't overcame by the amount of pain he was suffering. His chest raised up and down like he was struggling to breath.
"Rehan take a deep breath." By ignoring him I again put my palm over his shoulder and instructed him but after staring at me, he again groaned and clenched his stomach.
Till now his face was completely soaked with sweat. I touched his forehead and found that he was burning in fever. Tears welled up from my eyes after looking him into this state. I know he was going through pain. This withdrawal was never easy. Do something. Do something, Mayra. You couldn't let him fight alone. He needs you. Do something to ease his pain.
"Rehan look at me." I said, cupping his face and forcing him to look into my eyes. He tried to push me away but failed. He helplessly looked straight into my eyes making my world stop. My heart broke at his condition.
"I-I can't." He slowly breathed out and grabbed my wrist tightly in between his warm fingers. His grip was so strong that it became almost unbearable for me. It was like his life was dependent on his grip.
"I can't control now. Let me take drugs." He pleaded in a broken voice.
No. I couldn't let you step back when you've already moved ahead. You just need distraction.
"Kiss me." I said which came out more as a whisper.
"W-what?"
"I said kiss me Rehan." This time I said as loud as I can and next I know his lips were moving against mine, roughly. My every nerve bloomed up with new fire. It was like a burning passion. He kissed me like there is no tomorrow but I know what this kiss actually meant for him. He was trying to escape the withdrawal by depending on our kiss instead of drug.
Whilst continuing the kiss he stood up and pushed me against the wall. He gripped both my wrist over my head and his kiss went deeper. Soon the metallic taste of blood rolled inside my mouth through the cut over my lips. I pressed my eyes shut and waited for the time till he will break apart because now it was unable for me to kiss him back. He moved his lips against mine rather brutally making it impossible to stop the tears from falling down. With passing second, I felt my lungs getting out of air.
Please, stop Rehan.
After few minutes which felt like infinity, he took a step back and fixed his eyes on the floor. I leaned more into wall to catch a breath of relief. Everything went silent between us, only our harsh breathing was making some sound. I looked at him but he didn't even dared to meet my gaze. On the side, he fists were clenched. Off course he was still in pain.
"It's hurting. I-I...It's all unbearable, suffocating. I couldn't take it." He said and pressed his eyes closed.
I nodded absentmindedly. What I have read about withdrawal syndrome one by one started ranging in my mind. Anxiety, frustration, anger, irritation, stomach ache, mood swing, depression, panic, unpleasant feel, nausea. He was going through so much.
"Look what you did. You brought more pain than before." Those words escaped his lips and he quickly went to the bathroom. I ran to him and held his shoulder when he started throwing up bile.
"Leave. I don't want you to witness my pathetic condition...This is all gross." He said once he rinsed his mouth and sat on the floor, leaning to the bathroom's wall.
I shook my head and interlocked my fingers in between his trembling finger.
"I am not going to leave you when I know you need me the most." I spoke softly and pulled his head to rest over my shoulder.
He didn't said anything, just exhaled a deep breath.
"One day you'll realize that this all pain was worth when you no longer feel the need of drug."
"B-But...This is all unbearable." He whined like a little child. His voice sounded so adorable that I smiled even in this situation.
"Rehan it is better to suffer one day and let it all end than to bear the suffering for whole life." He nodded on my shoulder.
We sat there without saying anything else for few minutes when he finally decided to break the comfortable silence.
"You didn't do anything with Max." It was more like he was saying this to himself rather than me. My body stiffened at the name of Max.
"What do you think?" I asked, already being aware of the answer. Off course he will think that there's something going between me and Max. Why would he believe me when I went there even after he warned me to not go?
"No. You might have married me for that project but I know that you'll never do something like that. You're too pure to have an affair. "
A big smile formed its way through my lips. I guess I will never be able to figure you out, Rehan.
"I will not leave that Max for..." He wasn't able to complete his sentence as he started coughing. I shook my head at him. He sounded so cute while trying to sound angry in this condition.
"Okay-okay but first we have to do something to make you feel better, don't we?" I laughed.
"Stomach ache? I asked.
"Very bad." He replied quickly in annoyed tone.
I stood up and after grabbing his arms, I took him to the bed.
"Take rest. I will be back with something edible for you then only I will give you medicines. Okay?" I added after placing a blanket over him. I touched his forehead again in a hope that maybe his temperature has come down but his body was still burning.
"Do something." He groaned, gesturing towards his stomach.
I quickly came back with a bowl full of hot soup and put it down on the nightstand.
"Come on, get up."
He made a face at the glimpse of soup. I laughed and sat in front of him. The way he scrunched up his nose and made an annoyed face to some extent it reminded me of Dhruv when he was sick and was reluctant to eat anything. He tried to feed the soup by himself but failed miserably due to his shaky fingers which were unable to hold the spoon.
"Here, let me help you."
"Rehan I am going to give you an injection."
"Why?"
"Because injection works faster than medicines."
He scowled and leaned his back onto the bedpost. Oh, so he's not fan of the injections.
I shifted closer to him and held his arm. After rubbing his skin with cotton, I took out syringe. I looked at him who was pressing his eyes shut in defense.
"Relax, it will not hurt. Just like an ant bite. That's it."
"Yeah, right." He said sarcastically making me laugh at his antiques.
After injecting him, I smiled and patted his shoulder to let him know that it's all done and now he can open his eyes.
"Now, sleep."
"I can't sleep." He sighed and passed me a helpless look.
"No problem. Don't sleep, take rest." He didn't said anything next just crawled next to me and placed his head on my lap. After surrounding his arms around my waist and pressing his face over my stomach, he closed his eyes. My body relaxed from his touch and a pure ecstatic feeling rushed in my heart. I started moving my fingers through his soft hairs and smiled in bliss.
He was angry with me but still he didn't break his promise. He never touched drugs.
"I am going to have a talk with Vishal about his girlfriend. That Tara knows very well how to get under my skin." He again get back to his complaint mode sounding extremely adorable and childish even though he's annoyed. Fever do have a cute effect on him, bringing out his inner child.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't have gone there..." Before I could complete my sentence, he said something which shut me up completely.
"Do you hate me for throwing so many restrictions at you? If yes then don't. You're everything Mayra, anyone would want you and that's the thing which scares me most. I thought that if you'll go to that club then someone might intrigue you and you'll forget about me. After all I am nothing but waste of space. Why would someone like you want to stay by my side?"
Insecure? That means it wasn't his possessiveness but his insecurity.
"Would you believe me if I tell you something?" I asked.
"I don't trust you but I couldn't stop myself from believing you." He spoke calmly making me smile.
"I've been looking for someone since the day I've heard my first fairy tale. Someone who would take my breath away, someone who would cook for me, someone who would care for me, someone who would laugh with me, someone who would act all childish with me, someone who would make my heart feel. And I can proudly say that I've found my fairy tale in my husband who took my breath away with his single kiss, who cooked for me even though he had never tried something like that, who do cares for me, who had laughed with me although he wasn't all happy person at first, who had given me the pleasure to watch his inner child and finally who had made my heart 'feel'. So now tell me Mr. Malhotra that why wouldn't I want to stay by the side of my husband who has given me the chance to feel my fairy tale?" I confessed with my whole heart.
His muscles stiffen and he tilted his head, looking into my direction in void expressions. His eyes were searching something, like he was assuring his thoughts through my face. I saw his Adam's apple moving in his throat and then after a small blink he again buried his face onto my stomach.
"That husband who physically abused you, called you with sick names, told you not to work, took all your freedom, insulted you, caused you tears and pain?" He asked bitterly, tightening his hold on my waist.
I mentally laughed at his question and bend a little to place a kiss on his head.
"No. That husband who was scared of losing his wife." I countered as my mind wondered back to the conversation we had over phone. How easily he had thought that I will divorce him? If only he knows that how much I love him than he might have never felt such stupid things.
"Can we start over?"
"I am Mayra Malhotra, wife of the most amazing person. I love watching sunrise, reading books, cooking, hearing untold stories, spending time with my husband. I like fire because its color keeps on changing, I have a weird craze for making things neat and tidy. There were times when I was labelled as bookworm, some of my former classmates had thought that I couldn't speak, the only thing which was constant through my childhood was to offer smile. Once I had accidentally stumbled upon a porn video in my roommate's laptop which had caused a terrible hazard in my mind making me wonder that sex is scary."
I ranted in one breath without thinking anything and when I stopped in middle to catch breath, all I could do was to flush in embarrassment when Rehan started laughing harder making me realize that what actually I had blurted out.
"You and bookworm, no doubt about that but seriously Mayra you were scared after watching porn? Oh god!" He said and then started laughing all over again. I mentally face palmed over my stupidity.
"Such an innocent you're."
I smiled to hide up my blush and pressed my eyes shut. His melodic sound of laugh caused tingling sensation over my body.
"I am Rehan Malhotra, husband of the most beautiful woman. I love nothing more than being in the arms of my wife, eating food with her hands, kissing her. I have strange pull towards children. There were times when I was called useless and never mind... I-I but nowadays I like happiness." He said sounding hollow but little content. I pursued my lips together in an attempt to hide my worried expressions. What happened with him and who called him useless?
"Everything will be different from tomorrow. We'll live the way you want not the way you were, okay?" I shifted the topic to avoid his discomfort.
"Tomorrow?" He mouthed in a lost tone and quickly placed his free hand over my wrist and pressed it.
"No. You will stay away, got it? You will stay away from me tomorrow." I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion. His voice was blank but still it had stumbled. I thought of questioning him but I couldn't.
What the day of Tomorrow holds? I shook my head to ease everything out of my mind and smiled. Everything will be okay now.