Warrior Hearts

All For Your Sake

"No!" Malhotra yells in denial, reaching out towards me. Amused, I watch as his arm awkwardly hangs in the space between our bodies.

"No?" I repeat, as Malhotra once again combs his fingers through his hair.

"I mean to say, y-yes." He stutters, nodding at a spot on the ground near his feet. Unable to exercise self control for another second, my shoulders begin to shake with mirth, as I release a bout of laughter at Malhotra's struggle.

"Malhotra, I can tell that you really don't do this everyday." I say, shaking my head in disbelief at the poor man in front of me. Eyes wide, Malhotra looks at me helplessly.

"I don't," he confirms once again. "T-That's why I've made a list." Raising his index finger, Malhotra reaches into the pocket of his kameez with his free hand. Furrowing my brows, I watch as he pulls out a folded piece of parchment. "You see, Princess, this'll help." A permanent smile lingers across my face as Malhotra unfolds the parchment, his brows knitted together in deep concentration, almost as if he's attempting to fulfil a near impossible task.

"What's the list about?" I ask, curiously, as I try to sneak a quick peek into what the parchment bears on its flip side. However, my efforts are in vain.

"Of all that I must thank you for, of course," Malhotra explains. "And for an apology, too." Lord, did Malhotra actually write the reasons down? A scoff of disbelief escapes my lips, as I stare at the back of the parchment. This man is unbelievable! More importantly, however, I'd like to hear these reasons out loud. Once the parchment is fully unfolded in Malhotra's palms, he smiles down at it, quite evidently satisfied. However, the second his gaze meets mine, the smile gets wiped off his face.

"So the list fit?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "In that single parchment?" Nodding towards the square paper, I fold my arms in front of my chest. "Truth be told, I find that quite hard to believe, Malhotra." For the first time, I don't see Malhotra's expression gear up for a battle of wits. On the contrary, he releases a sigh of resignation.

"Tonight you can say whatever to me, Princess," Malhotra says. "As long as you hear me out, and let me fulfil the purpose for calling you out here tonight." Pursing my lips, I frown at Malhotra. What game is he playing? The last time Malhotra was honey sweet to me, he fooled me into marrying him, and so what's his purpose tonight? I square my shoulders, as if to physically portray to Malhotra that my guard is very much intact. 

"Let's get straight to the point, Malhotra." I say, as I unfold my arms. Purposefully, I begin to rotate my knife in the middle of my palms. "What do you want from me this time? You and I both know that this is all a sham." Spreading my arms out on either side of my body, I gesture at our surroundings. "So let's just talk business instead of wasting each other's time."

"Maybe I should've begun by showing you this." Malhotra says, making his way towards the curtain. "I know that my words aren't enough to express my gratitude, or apology, so I'm hoping this will suffice."

Confused, I watch as Malhotra grabs a golden tassel at the extreme left of the curtain. As if to confirm I'm still with him, Malhotra glances over in my direction just before his fingers tug at the tassel. In one swift motion, either side of the curtain spreads open to reveal an outhouse of some sort. However, it's unlike any I've ever seen before. The entirety of this structure has been constructed from wood, which is gleaming as if it were coated in the finest oil. Truth be told, I wouldn't be surprised if the wood of this structure could quite easily pose as a makeshift mirror. Complementing the wooden pillars, and columns of this outhouse are glass panels, which have been neatly fitted throughout the sides of the structure, and along the length of its ceiling as well. Truth be told, I can imagine that standing in this outhouse wouldn't make one feel as if they're indoors at all.