ETHEREAL

.26.

We were walking and talking to each other in the empty corridors when riya got a call. She look down at the caller ID and turn to me urgently.

"I have to take this call, I hope you don't mind if I .."

"Ofcourse I don't mind. Go on." I told her. Riya smiled at me before excusing herself around the corner.

"What are you doing here in middle of a session on your first day?" A familiar taunting voice came behind me.

"Nothing that concern you." I turn slightly to answer him. He is the one who wanted to stay away from me and now he is starting a very healthy conversation in middle of a corridor.

I was about to turn around towards elevators when out of nowhere I was grabbed harshly by my arm and dragged to his cabin.

"What the... " I started but he shut me up with a hard glare and shuting the door loudly behind me.

He make me stick my back to the door by pressing a palm hard on my waist and other hand was hovering above my head before he slammed it hard on the door. The impact send a vibration through my spine travelled from the door.

"Everything you do, concern me. How you walk, whom do you talk to, who smiled at you or who dragged you to the washroom, it all concerns me." Randhir voice was low but his face was so closer to me that I felt all those words through my skin.

"You don't have to be concerned about me. I'm not somebody's responsibility." I stand my ground and used my hands to push his hand away from my waist.

It enraged him even more.

"The responsibility is always on whom it belongs to." He gritted his teeth hard before bringing his other hand closer to my face. I look at his hand keenly until it rest over my face. Sliding down to my chin. He tilt it up until our breath were mixing into each other.

"You belongs to me from the moment you step inside my house." His breath were minty and his voice was erotic.

"I don't belong to anyone." I came back to my senses. "You don't own me."

He didn't say for a while but then his eyes shine and his lip twitch in smirk.

"Don't I?" With this he slide his hand down on my neck sensually before his fingers went around it and now he was choking me lightly against this door.

I took a deep breath but tried not to show any struggle on my face.

"If I press a little harder...." He lean in until his nose was touching my jaw. "You are at my mercy now.

"Now you tell me, you do you belong to?"

Grip tightens.

"Who has your life, your breath at his mercy?"

It was hard to breathe anymore.

"who owns you?"

I couldn't breathe.

" No wrong answers. " He warned before running his nose along my jaw.

" You.... " I choked. His face looked pleased and his grip stop tightening around my neck. But I couldn't bear that pleasure on his face so I added "don't own me."

His jaw tighten again and eyes closed in annoyance but he left my neck eventually.

"You are insane." I tell him after getting my breaths in control after coughing uncontrollable.

"Just few hours before you were threatening to chop off my legs and now you were choking me to death.." I  clear my throat again while pushing hard on his hand which was on my waist. But it didn't moved.

"Just because of a internship as a favor in disguise." I finally dig my claws into his skin and made him rip his hand away from me.

"If you have that pride in that little internship you have to forcefully gift it to me...." I stood straight. "Then fine, I'm no longer interested in this internship."

"And I better not be mentored by a immature woman who think she had earned her place in society with the money of her father and boyfriend." I bumped into his shoulder when I tried to get away from him.

"And now you will go and cry to Zara and Zayn about it, or Peter maybe. That's what you do..cry. Gain sympathy and make me look bad in their eyes." He chuckled beside me.

"Don't pretend like you know me." I hold the door knob and twist it but the door won't open. Looking up I found him holding the door close.

"Don't make me tie you up so you stop doing things to anger me." He threaten.

"Do you think that would make me stop?" I challenged knowing that I can anger him just by existing.

"Don't make me do something I regret." He warned again.

"Then you don't make me do something that you will regret." I warned back.

Randhir stayed silent for a while as I try to open the door again.

"Go out. Take the session and be back in this cabin when it ends." Randhir commanded.

I look up at him.

"I'm done with this internship." I thought I made it clear. "Now open this door so I can go far away from you and your life."

"And what about Zara and Zayn. You will leave them behind just like that. They would hate you for this." Randhir inform me leaning his shoulder on the door.

I smiled.

"Isn't that's what you would like?"

His eyes twitched at my words.

"You would love to see them hate me. As much as you hate me." I was on verge of giving up but I hold up.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked him, genuinely. "I understand why you don't like me but ..... This hatred.... It's toxic." I told him. "For both of us."

He looked away and didn't say a single word.

"So let me make it easy for both of us. Let me go and I swear you won't see my face ever." I informed him trying to open the door again. But he won't let go.

I waited.

Waited more.

And more.

Finally frustrated by this I turned furiously to him.

"What do you want from me?" I let those tear slip down.

I hold his coat and pull it down to me.

"What do you want from me?" I shouted at him, hit him on his hard chest, pushed him but he didn't make a voice.

"Just tell me what you want from me..?" I asked him for the last time. "Or just let me go away. Far far away." The tears won't stop spilling now.

He must be happy now. He saw me weak. Crying my eyes out.

While he just look down at me waiting me to reach the limit of my strength leaving me slowly second by second.

I let go his coat and slide my hands down. I was crying mess now and only I know how it's going to end now.

I turn to the door and pull it angrily now while chanting "let me go. Just let me go. I need to get out of here. I need to get away from you. Let me go ......"

I keeping saying that while pulling and hitting the door with my hands until I felt two arms wrapped around my waist and pull me back into an embrace. His chest felt warm against my back and only then I realise I was cold. So cold. Then I feel his nose buried in my hair and heard him take a deep breath. Instead of calming down it made me cry more. He let go of the door but I didn't have the energy to pull the door anymore. I covered my crying face as if it would hide me from him and I will just disappear from here.

He was whispering something in my ear but I just couldn't comprehend it anymore. I wanted to struggle but I feel my energy draining out and my eyes fall shut.