All Strings Attached

Chapter Twelve

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Sita

My toes curl as Dhushyanth works his magic, leaving kisses everywhere, while his hands take care of the parts that crave their attention.

I try to push away the unnecessary, unwanted, intrusive thoughts, but when he pulls away for a second to push the shirt off of my already-bare top-half, I let the meddlesome thinking win.

"Wait, Dhushyanth," I pant, breathless from the heated action. I rest a palm on his chest, to ensure there's distance between the two of us.

"Are you sure you were only with Thathayya today?" I ask him, looking directly into his confused orbs.

Dhushyanth raises one eyebrow, his eyes turning steely as he moves away from me. "What do you mean?" He questions, his deep voice thickly coated with a warning.

I gulp, suddenly intimidated by him for all the wrong reasons. Is he angry at me? Is this turning into a fight?

"I'm only asking," I respond, trying to calm him down. "You were gone a long time."

"I told you where I was and what I did," he says, sternly. "I have no reason to lie to anyone; least of all, you."

"That's not—"

"That's exactly what you meant," he determines, rightly. "If you're worried I'm cheating on you, two days into our marriage, I suggest you get that notion out of your head. I'm a better man than that."

Dhushyanth leaves the bed, harshly taking his t-shirt and throwing it on himself. "You think I would cheat on you?" He asks, clearly aggravated by the implicit context. "You've known me for as long as you've been alive. That's what you think of me? That two days into our marriage I would go out and fuck someone else."

"I didn't think you would," I reply. "But I don't think I'm unreasonable in thinking you might go out and have sex elsewhere, given how everything has turned out between us—"

"How has everything turned out between us?" Dhushyanth questions, staring into my eyes. "You've been a class-A bitch since the engagement, taking every opportunity to pick a fight, have an argument— you constantly have a sorrowful face as if I killed your parents and rampaged your kingdom to marry you. I've been nothing but patient and kind. I left this morning because I didn't want to pick a fight with you. Not because I decided it would be fun to cheat one my wife of two days."

"I know I've been difficult," I scream, my eyes shutting upon themselves from the strain. "I know it's not been easy, I haven't been great. But that is exactly what makes me think you might find something else, somewhere else, with someone else."

Dhushyanth stares at me, unspeaking for a few moments, before letting out a heavy breath through his flared nostrils. "Don't project your insecurities onto me," he says sternly, his tone cold. For the first time, I realise what it means when someone describes a person's manner of speaking as steely.

"I'm not—"

"You needed space and time to get used to this," he says, "and I understand that. I know it wasn't in your plans to get married, you didn't want a politician, you didn't want this life, but we are both in this now.

"I will do what I can to give you your space, time, whatever else you want, but I won't have you even thinking this shit of me."

"Where were you?" I hear my mother ask my father. "You haven't been home all day. Ravi said you had left the party office at noon. Where have you been?"