HEARTLESS PRINCE

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It was early in the morning when the first ray of sunshine touched Arnav's face and awoke him from his deep sleep. He lifted his head up from his pillow and looked on his watch that he left on the small nightstand. Six o'clock in the morning and he didn't opened once his tiered eyes because of bad dreams. It was unusual for him to sleep this much, but to his surprise he did. Normally he awaked always in the middle of the night, not able to find sleep again after the horrible pictured his dreams produced, but today for the first time after three years, he got few hours more sleep.

*

And something else was different last night too. His dreams.

This time, Khushi wasn't full of blood. There were hands which held her, she asked him again where his heart was, but she wasn't drenched in blood like he usually dreamed. Not her and not the room in which she stood. He could still not enter the house and the door got closed when he tried, but there was nowhere blood anymore.

*

Arnav realized one thing. His dreams were horrible and he hated to never be able to control them. But they were just dreams and his reality, right now, was so much better because she was here. Close to him and he could make sure she was finally safe. He took her hand in his and remarked that her head was turned to other side so he couldn't see her face. His other hand moved and he touched her hair with his fingertips just to make sure this wasn't still some cruel dream. He remembered how he used to touch it when they lay on the couch in the living room, in Aman's house, three years ago. He could even remember how he looked at her and observed her face while he rolled one strand of her hair around his finger. Khushi didn't remark this because her eyes were glued to the screen.

He wished he could relive this moment once again, without the weight of the past on his shoulders. In the next second Khushi awaked, turned her head to Arnav and looked straight into his eyes. He didn't know what to say but to say nothing was not an option, so he spoke the first thought out what came into his mind.

>>Good morning, Khushi.<<

Khushi didn't respond, just turned to the other side and closed her eyes again.

He leaned down to her hand to kiss it, even he couldn't really understand why he did it. It was just the following of his instinct. Something deep inside him that called for connection with her. The own want which took the power over his body and all he knew in this moment, he was too weak to fight against this feeling.

He touched her skin with his lips and then leaned back to look at her thin fingers. His eyes remarked the stiches and bruises on them. She was working hard this was obvious for him. He didn't fight against the anger which arouse in his body. He didn't fight against his eyes which formed to slits. He didn't fight against the curse which left his mouth.

The bruises on her hands were something he didn't like to see. He didn't like the stiches on her hand and fingers and he became angry on himself for her state. He knew what he read three years ago on her phone. He even remembered every word, every name in the messages. Yes, he didn't like it, but he knew now, he shouldn't have left her behind like he did. His mother taught him something better then what he did to Khushi and he failed to be a good son, like he promise himself after his mother's death, to be.

Arnav didn't really look after Khushi in all this years, but now that he found her, he knew, he couldn't send her away or let her go again. After his dreams haunted him for three long years, he was convinced that he needed to keep her close and protect her.