Touch Her And... (Completed)

Chapter- 37

"This is awful." Ambika said while cleaning the floor. But her right foot  kept hurting and she needed to do something about that.
"Do you have a first aid kit or anything at least?" She asked with her visibly frustrated gestures pulling Pratap out of his trance.
"Inside the cu-cupboard might be." He stuttered when his eyes fell on her bleeding foot and he immediately tried to sit up again. "Damn!" He uttered as he failed again. "D-do something to that f-first and.. " but his words were cut short midair.
"I think currently I am in a situation way better than you. I know what I should be doing." She opened the cupboard and started searching for the first aid kit.
The fact that the man was getting even more drowsy with every passing second made her anxious and she was trying her best to do anything possible before he totally gets out this world. Finally she found a small box which seemed to contain the necessary things.

She looked at his hand and flinched immediately. This much blood was impossible for her to witness. She sighed and clenched her eyes to control the tears that were threatening to come out.

"How could you do this yourself ?" she whispered and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears continued to trail down her cheeks.
She tried to touch his hand but he flinched. It was obvious that his hand was hurting like hell.
She bent her knees and sat beside him in haunches.
"Let me clean your hand Chhoto babu. P-please." She pursed her lips.
"Pra-Pratap.." He whispered looking at her. His eyes were inhumanely red. But they were displaying an unknown emotion.
"Call me.... Pratap." He said without blinking his eyes.
She looked at him in confusion.
"I can't. I am not.. allowed." She said.

"Then.. GET LOST!" He growled and turned his face.

She was taken aback by his behavior. But immediately composed herself and said "fine.. I will get lost after cleaning and treating your hand. Is that okay.. PRATAP?" She said in a tonality as if she was talking to a stubborn toddler who was not ready to eat his food.

He turned his head slowly and looked at her like a lost puppy.
"Okay.." He smiled.

It took her some time to clean his hand and bandage the same. They said nothing to each other. He continued to look at her through his hooded eyes.

Finally she broke the silence.
"I don't know if I should be saying this or not but hurting yourself means hurting your close ones. The people who care about you. If you continue doing this then.." she couldn't complete as her words were interrupted with a faint whisper.
"Nobody.. c-cares.." He said looking at her in a way as if she was a piece of greenery amongst a dry desert.

"Everyone does." She said smilingly. "They are just afraid of approaching you." She said lifting his hand from her lap.
"And you... aren't.. you afraid of me?" He whispered again.
She exhaled and licked her lips looking at the floor drawiing his attention to her lips. He fisted his bandaged hand and closed his eyes.
"No.. I am not afraid of you." She smiled again.
He opened his eyes and looked at her with a new found curiosity.
"Because I can see it.. feel it.. " she paused and shook her head as if she should not say whatever she was about to say.

"Say." He demanded.

She kept looking at the floor for a few more seconds. Then she cleared her throat and said
"I think all these rudeness, stubbornness, hot headedness of yours are nothing but hoaxes. You use them to hide the uncontrollable craving." She whispered cautiously.
He tensed up and asked "w-what craving?"
She turned her face and looked at him with a sad smile.
"You crave to be loved." She said and started standing up.
His body stiffened and a tiny drop of tear slipped out of his eyes.

"Get well soon Chhoto babu." she said and turned around to leave.
But she couldn't as a hand covered in bandages held her hand from behind.

"Stay .." he swallowed.
She frowned at his gesture.

When he said again
"..till I fall asleep.. "
She turned around to see the pleading grey eyes filled with hope.
"Please.." He added.

She smiled and nodded at him.

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"What the hell..!" she could hear someone freaking out. A voice that she knows pretty well.
"For God's sake wake up Amu..! How did you hurt your foot?" Ashok kept shouting.
But she was finding it really hard to open her eyes. She couldn't sleep well last night.
Then the flashbacks of the night hit her so hard that she almost jumped out of her bed immediately and instantly a painful cry escaped through her mouth.

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"What!?" Ashok's jaw dropped.
"Do you have any idea anout what you are saying? Do you know Adi will murder that stupid if he ever gets to know how you got hurt? " He asked  worriedly.
"I know dada, but it was not his fault. He is not at all like anything even close to our imaginations. He is a nice person." Ambika said while applying medicine on her wounds.
"Whatever, does that even matter? I am only concerned about Adi. If he gets to know.." Ashok was trying to say something but she interrupted.
"I think we shouldn't make it a big deal. If he asks tell him I broke the lamp and stepped on the pieces mistakenly. I think we should not drag Chhoto babu into this."

"BUT HE HAS TO BE DRAGGED INTO THIS NOW!" Said the other voice through gritted teeth.