With You Until The End ✔️

Bonus Chapter - 3

Aarav's POV

With a loud cough, I made my way down the stairs, feeling the scratchiness in my throat. I headed into the kitchen, hoping to soothe it with some hot water or a ginger tea.

But as soon as I stepped in, I froze.

There was Rhea, trying to chop something on the kitchen island, wearing headphones.

I blinked a few times, wondering if I was seeing things.

Rhea, in the kitchen? I glanced around, making sure I hadn't stumbled into a different house.

"What are you doing?" I tried to ask, but my throat protested with pain.

Before I could try again, I realized she couldn't hear me. With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed a kitchen cloth and tossed it her way. It landed near her face, making her jump.

"What on earth?" she exclaimed, tossing the cloth back at me. I smirked, then approached her. "What's going on? In the kitchen," I asked, eyeing the ginger on the cutting board and the knife in her hand.

"None of your business," she snapped, annoyed, focusing on her task. I shrugged off her attitude, grabbing a pot from the cabinet and boiling some water.

"I'm here," Rhea declared, maybe she was on a call with someone and I turned to see her struggling with the ginger. I leaned beside the stove, arms crossed, amused by her efforts.

Wow. A good entertainment after keeping myself locked up in the room all Sunday.

"Will you stop staring?" Rhea snapped, shooting me a glare, but I couldn't help being entertained by her struggle.

Ignoring her warning, I continued watching, intrigued. A faint voice came from Rhea's headphones before she turned towards me. "A asshole," she muttered, then returned to chopping. Her insult caught me off guard, and I straightened up, taken aback. But she just smirked and kept at it.

As the water started to boil, I turned off the stove and glanced back at Rhea. She was still having a tough time with the ginger.

Against my own rules, I decided to lend a hand. I couldn't stand by and watch her waste that ginger, especially when I was planning to make myself some ginger tea.

As I approached, she straightened up, clearly surprised to see me closing in on her.

"What-" Rhea started, but she stopped when I took the knife from her hand. She recovered quickly, removing her headphones and speaking into them, "I'll call you right back," she said, leaving them on the island.

"Move. Can't stand by and watch you murder the ginger," I told her, taking her place. She gasped in protest before reluctantly standing beside me. "I was not!" she protested, but a glance at the poor, disintegrated ginger on the cutting board made her cheeks redden, and she backed up.

I started peeling the ginger, a task she hadn't bothered with. "How do you want it?" I asked, still working. She looked at the ginger and then at me. "Chopped," she said finally.

I began chopping it finely, and she watched intently. "You don't know how to use a knife, do you?" I teased, glancing at her. She looked offended. "How dare you? I use knives—well, scalpels and lancets—on people to save their lives," she retorted, crossing her arms.

Though I felt a mix of fascination and pride at the idea of her saving lives, I didn't show it. "Clearly, not this big one," I scoffed, silencing her.

We stayed quiet until I finished chopping the ginger. I took some for myself before offering her some. "Why do you want it again?" I asked, holding some in my hands.