Reunion

Chapter fourteen

Ranveer watched over Deepika. He'd dimmed the lights once she fell asleep, leaving just enough to watch her for signs of distress. The medicine she'd taken had knocked her out but her face was still lined with pain. Every few minutes she'd whimper restlessly. He tried to soothe her, his palms on her stomach and his body wrapped around hers. She stayed asleep though her eyes fluttered a few times and tears slipped out. Every time she tensed he could feel his muscles locking, too, but forced himself to relax so she would.

Three hours passed before she quieted and fell into a deep sleep. He shifted her so she was lying more comfortably against the pillows, no longer curled into a tight ball. She sighed and turned to him, her hand finding its spot over his heart. Guilt tore through him. She looked tiny and fragile in his arms. Her face was streaked with tears and lined with exhaustion. Her hair was a damp mess. That she still clung to him in her sleep broke his heart. He was the one responsible for her pain. He had vowed to himself and to her that he'd do everything in his power to never hurt her, and he'd broken that promise.

He didn't sleep at all that night. Instead, he kept a silent vigil, watching for the slightest hint of discomfort. Twice she woke, asking for water, and he held her up so she could drink and return to sleep. The second time she kissed his cheek in a sloppy gesture and whispered, "Thank you for taking care of me." She was asleep before he could respond. He buried the desire to weep and apologise. She needed rest. Once he had to use the bathroom, and he left the door open so he'd be able to hear her and returned as fast as he could. She stayed asleep. The sun rose and he closed the drapes that he'd forgotten about last night. In the soft light of morning he could see that her expression had turned peaceful at last. He climbed back into bed with her and allowed exhaustion to claim him as well.

He woke to the sound of water running. He sprang out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door. "Deepika? Are you okay? Did you throw up again?"

"I'm fine," she called. "Just needed to change the tampon." She opened the door and came face to face with his panicked gaze. She kissed his cheek. "I'm fine, Ranveer. The cramps and nausea are gone." She could see his eyes searching her face. She wrapped her body around his. "I'm fine," she whispered again and his arms crushed her. She flinched, her body still tender, and he let go at once.

"I'm sorry," he said. She looked up and his face was filled with remorse.

"No, I'm just a bit sore. And exhausted. Come back to bed?" She linked his hand with hers and tugged him towards the bed. Her steps faltered, tiredness making the world sway around her and he caught her with an arm around her waist. She gave him a small smile. "Let's go back to sleep."

He shook his head as he settled her into bed. "You need to eat something, get your strength back. Do you want more of the pain medicine?"

She lay back against the pillows. "No more of the medicine. It makes me sleepy and tired. Nothing's hurting like last night."

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Eggs and toast. Scrambled. And fruit." She lay on her side and watched him make the call to room service. He looked exhausted, as exhausted as she felt. He turned to her when he was done and there was something else in the darkness of his eyes. She tried to read them. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, smiling. The smile didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing, don't worry. Rest now. The food will be here soon."

She pushed herself to sitting, swaying slightly. "Something's wrong, I can see it on your face. I'm not that tired."

"Sorry, I'm just worried. You were really unwell last night." He offered her part of the truth.

"I'm sorry I worried you, baby. I promise, I'm okay now." He was sitting on the edge of the bed and she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. He moved so he was sitting next to her and shifted so she was lying in his arms. She could feel him shaking a bit. She looked up and he had tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful. I should never have put you in this position."

She kissed the tears on his cheek. "Ranveer, like I already said, this is as much my fault as it is yours. Don't worry about it."

"Why aren't you angry at me?" He looked bewildered. "By all rights, you should hate me and never want me to touch you again. I promised I'd never hurt you and I have."

"You didn't hurt me," she said. "We both made a bad decision and now we're facing its consequences."

"No, you're facing its consequences and I'm just sitting here. I can't even do anything," he said, scrubbing his hand over his face.

"What do you mean? You've done everything. You've taken care of me so well. You're still taking care of me." She turned his head toward her when he wouldn't meet her eyes. She kissed his cheek and he looked at her at last. "I know you will always take care of me. I was never afraid last night, never felt like I had to control my reactions, never wished for anything different, you know why?" He shook his head. "Because you were there. I knew whatever happened, you'd still be there." Tears ran freely down his face. She leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back, his lips soft and reverent against hers. She smiled at him when she let go, then settled her head against his chest. She felt him brush his lips against her forehead and sighed.

"I love you," he whispered.

She kissed his chest over his heart. "I love you, too." She settled against him and allowed the rhythm of his heartbeat to lull her to sleep.

He held her close. She was so incredibly precious. He marvelled at the generosity of her spirit. If anything happened to her... His arms tightened involuntarily and she sighed and shifted closer to him. He knew she didn't hold him responsible for what had happened, but he felt responsible. He hadn't even read the warnings on the emergency contraceptive before she'd taken it. He wouldn't be so careless ever again, he vowed. He never wanted to repeat this experience. He never wanted her to feel so much pain again. The memory of her face as it had looked last night still made him want to cry. He looked at her now. She seemed tired but at peace. He sighed and settled against the pillows.

Ranveer had just fallen into a troubled sleep when he heard the doorbell chime. He disentangled himself from Deepika and she murmured in complaint before sinking into the pillows. He opened the door and allowed the server to set up breakfast at the dining table. Then he tipped her and closed the door.

He returned to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was loathe to disturb Deepika. She looked vulnerable, almost child-like, swallowed by his large t-shirt and the rumpled covers. Her skin was pale beneath its natural brown. Her fingers were curled loosely next to her cheek. They looked slim and fragile. He brushed her hair away from her face and saw the dark circles beneath her eyes. Her lips were dry and chapped.

"Deepu, breakfast is here," he whispered, stroking her cheek. Her skin felt rougher than usual. Her eyelids fluttered. Her gaze was full of a heart-breaking trust as she smiled up at him.

"Thanks, help me up," she said, grasping one of his hands with hers. He put the other arm around her and slowly pulled her up to seated. She looked around the room. "Where is it?"

"In the living room. Shall I bring it in here?"

"No, let's sit at the table," she said. "Come on." She leaned on him, steadying herself against the wave of disorientation that standing up brought. When she no longer felt like swaying, she shuffled her way through to the other room. She held onto Ranveer's arm and he took small steps with her until she was sitting again. "Thanks," she said when he pushed her chair closer to the table. He shook his head and smiled.

He watched her carefully as she filled her plate. It worried him that she had taken so much less than usual. She sighed. "Ranveer, I'm fine. Stop looking at me like that. Eat your breakfast." He gave her a rueful smile before tackling his own pile of eggs and bread. He continued to watch her surreptitiously for signs of nausea. When they were done he helped her return to bed. She yawned. "I'm so tired. I know we'd planned to fly to Paris this morning. Can we go in the evening instead?"

"You get better first. We don't have to go to Paris. Like I said yesterday, it's just a place." He tucked her into bed.

"No, I want to go. I think I'll be fine after a few more hours of sleep. You look really tired, too. Did you get any rest last night?" She pulled up a corner of the duvet and patted the bed next to her. He sat down.

"I slept a bit. But yeah, I could do with a few more hours." He lay down next to her and she scooted closer. He put an arm over her. They lay face to face, their heads on the same pillow, their legs entwined and arms over each other's bodies. He brushed her hair away from her face. She smiled. "Sleep now," he whispered. Her eyes closed and he watched as her breathing slowed. The calm rhythm quieted his mind enough for him to fall asleep as well.

She woke a few hours later wrapped in his arms. She'd turned in her sleep so her back was pressed to his front. His palms covered her abdomen again as they had last night. The clock on the bedside table showed that it was three in the afternoon. Behind her he was fast asleep. She debated simply allowing herself to fall asleep again. She was still tired. On the other hand, if she got up and began packing they could leave for Paris soon. And she wanted to go. It had been years since she last visited the city. The pressure on her bladder made the decision for her.

Slowly, being careful not to wake him, she moved out of his arms. He grumbled something and tried to hold her closer. She turned once she'd managed to extricate herself and saw that his face had taken on an unhappy frown. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him. He sighed and turned to sleep on his stomach. His expression lost some of its tension. Now he looked like a sad little boy. She bent and kissed his temple and whispered, "I'll be right back." She didn't know if he heard her.

He blinked his eyes open when she returned. "Time's it?" His voice was rough and slurred with sleep.

"A little after three."

"How you feelin'?"

"Much better. No pain at all. No dizziness, no nausea. Just a bit tired. We can travel to Paris."

He sat up and stretched. "You sure?"

"Yeah, let's go. I haven't been to Paris in ages. I like that city."

He yawned and stretched again. His eyes cleared. "Wait, what about the bleeding?"

"It's not a big deal. It was never a lot, not as much as I have during my periods. It should be fine."

He shook his head. "I don't want to take chances with your health."

She shook her head, as well. "It's fine, really. I'm used to this. The doctor said it should stop in a couple of days. Maybe it's already stopped. It's not a cause for concern." He looked unconvinced. She walked over to the bed and took his hand. "Seriously, Ranveer. It's no different from the lightest day of my period. I don't even feel it. Stop worrying."

He searched her face. "Are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Now come on and pack." She pulled him off the bed. He allowed her to.

They were packing their bags when Ranveer's phone rang. He looked at the screen and picked it up. "Hey, Alia." Deepika smiled at him and indicated that he should put it on speaker.

"Hey Ranveer. How's DP?" Alia's voice sounded worried.

"I'm fine, Alia," Deepika replied. "How are you? How was the concert?"

"Oh hey, DP. The concert was great. We went clubbing after and got back only at seven. I just woke up. What about you? What happened? Just the period?"

"Yeah, it was nothing serious. Just bad cramps," Deepika lied. Some things were private.

Ranveer nodded at her. "We're heading to Paris this evening. What about you?"

"I'm flying back to Spain and then to India. My flight's in two hours, so I'm in a bit of a rush, actually. Just wanted to check in with you guys."

"All right, have a safe journey," Ranveer said.

"Yeah, take care," Deepika added.

"You too!" Alia replied, and cut the call.

Deepika resumed her packing. There wasn't much to do, both of them having opted to leave most of their things in their bags. They headed to a nearby restaurant recommended by the person at the checkout desk and had a very late lunch of sandwiches and soup. Ranveer was pleased to note that Deepika ate with almost her usual appetite. She rolled her eyes at him when she realised he was still worrying.

They got the last couple of seats in first class on an Air France flight from Berlin to Paris scheduled to depart at seven in the evening. The night sky was clear as their plane circled over Paris a couple of hours later. Deepika had the window seat and couldn't contain her excitement. "Look, Ranveer, it's so pretty!" She pulled on his arm as the Champs Elysee and the Eiffel Tower came into view. The streets and monuments were brightly lit. Evening traffic was a moving river of light and the Seine cut across the city like a glistening ribbon threaded with the brighter jewels of the bridges. He leaned over her shoulder and pointed out more of the monuments and museums and the little island on which Notre Dame stood. She leaned into him and sighed. "Thank you for asking me to come."

He kissed her cheek as they continued to watch the city lights. "Thank you for coming with me."

She turned to him. He was looking at her with his heart in his eyes. "Of course. Anywhere." She kissed him. He kissed her back, then linked their hands and kissed her fingers. She smiled at him and turned back to the window as their plane descended into the city.