Beintehaan (Completed)

42. The frozen night

“One, two three…”

“ one thousand eight hundred twenty one, twenty two….” Counting numbers were the best way to fall asleep, they said. Shivaay was on his way to prove them wrong.

The motel where they had taken a room was decent enough to provide them, with one small bed with moth eaten blankets, broken heaters, so that the cold clung to them like a second skin and lights so dim that they might as well stay in the dark. They had stuffed pillows between them making a long border.

But it was good. A normal person could at least get a one nights rest. A Normal person.

Not Anika. Nope. Anyone but her. Shivaay exhaled sharply the count in his head still ranting.

He had been counting numbers from the second his back had hit the mattress. Not that he wasn’t exhausted beyond words but….it was just that. His darling companion, didn’t seem to get the point in her head that the beds were old and probably aged a century, and managed to make a very disturbing creaking sound even if the person breathed.

So either she was deaf or absolutely pot headed that she had been practicing gymnastics on the bed ever since. And the sound of the creaking, kept him awake.

He wanted to get up. Kill her or kick her out, which ever was easier and faster, or at least tell her to shut up for a GOD.DAMN.SECOND….but his body was too worn out. He couldn’t budge a muscle except for gritting his teeth and keeping up his count.

Everything was still for a split second and he dwelled on the silence like a starved man, his eyes already dropping, when CREAAKKKKKK- and his eyes flew open.

God! He was going to have to shut her up himself. He moved, summoning his body to cope up. He turned to his side, his muscles ached, he grounded his teeth together to keep them from chattering.

Squinting in the dark, he could make out the shape of her thin body balled onto a side. The thin blankets did nothing to hide the shivers that rippled through her body.

Something constricted around his chest. He was the reason why she was sleeping in this state.

He stopped. Focus Shivaay! She wanted to come. You asked her to stay but she was the one who wanted to show off her “kicking ass” skills. Remember?

Right. There was nothing to feel sorry for it. She chose this. He reached out as if to gently touch her shoulder. When she moved. His hand snapped back to his body and he did the stupidest thing he never knew he was capable of. He pretended to sleep!

What’s wrong with you Shivaay?! Whatha hell are you pretending for? Who cares if she knows you are awake or not?!

Stay still… a tiny voice whispered and he listened to it.

There was a heavy silence in the air. He caught his breath. Waiting. What was she doing?

A few seconds passed when he felt the pillows between them shuffle. His breath caught in his throat as he realized what she was doing.

Tell her to stop! This was no way to behave when they both were sharing a bed in middle of an isolated desert. Turn over and tell her to stop. This instant!

The voice ragged in his head, but his body didn’t seem to coordinate with it. His heart thudded unusually fast.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just get up and tell her to get her ass back into her place and if there was another peep out of her, this would be her last night living? Huh? Why couldn’t he? He gripped his thin sheets tighter.

Why did he want  to see what she would do? And why was there a small flicker of hope that she would?

He opened a pinch of his eyes. It was too dark for him to see anything, but he could still make her out in the dark. Sitting up, her head hunched down, like she was deep in thought.