Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

2.16 | Awake + Time To Live

Posted on June 11th, 2017 | Edited on November 9th, 2018

| . . . C H A P T E R - 2.16.1 : A W A K E . . . |

The next morning, I woke up earlier. Or, it was the fact that I barely slept. The previous night when Arnav had been by my side, despite being disturbed, I had found it easier to fall asleep with him holding my hand. Tonight, I couldn't. I felt restless being in a strange bed by myself.

When it was six, I got up and decided to just take a shower instead of staying in bed longer and staring at the empty ceiling. I decided to go down to get something to eat. Anjali was already in there preparing breakfast with Hari Prakash.

"Good morning." She greeted.

I greeted back, "Morning. Anything I can help you with?"

She dismissed, "Thanks, but I'm almost done." An alarm went off on her phone and seeing that her hands were dirty from the flour she was using to fry pakoras, she asked, "Could you?" I nodded, walked over to her phone, and silenced the alarm. In the process I read the name the alarm was saved as.

I smiled and started to walk out. She stopped me, "Where are you going? Don't you want breakfast?"

"I do, but I figured I'd help you out today and go wake up your chote."

She laughed at the word I used to refer to Arnav. No one else but Anjali used that word for him, and it was obvious. He was her little brother. Who else would call him that? "Thank you."

"No problem!" I spoke over my shoulder, making my way up the stairs towards his room. I also realized this was Anjali's phone, which meant it was there yesterday morning. I had thought Arnav was turning off the alarm on his phone, but it had been Anjali's.

Did that mean Anjali had come into the room sometime during the night, and seeing Arnav there, had left her phone in there so he would wake up by himself and she wouldn't have to come in to wake him up in the morning and make it awkward for us? If that was the case, I somewhere appreciated the gesture. I wasn't mortified learning she had seen us. I honestly didn't know how I would have reacted if I had woken up to Anjali waking us up.

As I walked to his room, I remembered a few things Anjali and Arnav had said. It had to do not only with my dad getting me married, but also the person he was going to get me married to.

"He was going to get you married to...!"

"After knowing the guy your father had picked for you to marry... after learning who that was, even I wouldn't have let you marry him."

"I help you and in return, I marry whoever I want to without your interference."

I figured one thing out. Arnav was not my father's original choice. Arnav was the one who had approached him after finding out, but... who was the guy? And Anjali's words... she herself said she knew the guy. Did the knowledge of the guy's identity prompted Arnav into making this deal with my father?

Why? What was about this guy that Anjali was displeased, the one female I have met in my life who always has a smile on her face, is kind to everyone, and holds favorable thoughts for all around her?

I had to ask Arnav.

Entering his room, I saw him sleeping on his stomach. The blanket pooled by his waist, leaving an exposed bare back. His face was partially hidden by his arms. "Arnav?" I called out, breaking the silence in the room. He didn't respond and seemed to be in deep sleep.

Something compelled me to sit at the edge of the bed. For a second, I simply watched him. He didn't move at all. He seemed to be at peace, his breathing even spaced. I recalled the faint smile on his face last night when I had replied to Armaan, confirming I would stay here and that the interaction with his uncle wasn't going to scare me away. I had made a vow to myself to get things back in order with Arnav and me. I had promised myself that this time, I would stick by him and give him as many chances as he needed, no matter how many arguments we had along the way.