Untouched.
749 Words
"I am sorry, Tara." I said softly. "Are you alright?" I was sitting on the bean bag. She on her gaming chair. Swaying left and right.
"You were so rude back then. I know, I also said something wrong." She sniffed. "Dad was really angry. He yelled at me. Vijay is also grounded." My heart was happy to hear that. I looked at the photo frame that she held when I entered the room.
"You miss her?" The evil queen was in that photo.
"Don't you miss your mom?" She scooted her chair towards me. "Mom's are something special...aren't they?"
"Why did you insist on me staying with you tonight?"
"I am....I feel lonely." She said with a teary eyes. Her head down staring at the carpet. "Dad shouted so loud...I was so afraid...."
"Hey...princess!" My hands reached for her rosy cheeks. She buried her face in my palms. I felt her tears. I felt her breath. I felt her pain. My eyes betrayed too. I hadn't cried for a long time now. I had to be strong after my mom died. It felt safe to cry here in front of her. I let my guards down. I cried.
"What ..." Tara lifted her head up. She got hiccups. "What did you call me?" I didn't answer. "I saw you the day I left for the US. I saw you crying. I saw your dad crying. Was it..."
"Mom was in the hospital. We needed money but she couldn't be saved." I mumbled. "I was...."
Tara at once hugged me tight. My face buried in her chest. My neck entangled by her arms. My breath filled with her scent. It felt so warm. We stayed like that for some time. No one spoke. We just cried. I think we finally bonded at that exact moment.
I don't know when I dozed off. The crying, the pain, the painkiller made a good sleepy cocktail, I guess. All I remember was waking up next to Tara. We were sleeping on the carpet, the furry grey blanket covered us, her hand over my stomach and her breath falling on my neck. Tingling my senses. The sunlight entered through the open window, reflected on the mirror and fell on our faces. Probably that's what woke me up. Her hair was falling on her face. I traced my finger along the hair strand and tucked it behind her ear. I played with her earring for some time. I brushed her lips with my thumb softly. She flinched in sleep. Cute. I did that again. She licked her lower lip. Baby pink. Soft. It was a strange feeling, I felt vulnerable and I felt weak yet I wanted to protect her from anything and everything.
I lightly held her hand and removed it to her side. I needed to go to the washroom. As I lifted my body up, I realized my bra was unhooked. The instant thought of Tara touching me had got me wet. I quickly went to the washroom. Did she really...Nah...probably it got unhooked itself, I needed new sets of underwear. But my heart was still racing with the thought. I so wanted to touch her, her to touch me but well...I didn't know a way or if there was any. I got down without waking her up, it was still early in the morning. I limped through the hall when Mr. Malhotra called from behind.
"Thank you.." He uttered. The arrogance on his face was back.
I just nodded. I didn't want to stand there with my restlessness and began walking.
"She is my piece of heart, I appreciate what you did..."
"She is my friend..." I said. "It's not a big..."
"You and Tara can never be friends." Mr. Malhotra retorted. "Know your place." He offered a bundle of cash to me. "Here, take it...your prize."
I was taken aback by the arrogance. Yesterday the same man pleaded to save his daughter and now...That is how rich people are. Bloody privileged and ungrateful.
"Yeah ...I will keep that in mind." I uttered, took the money and stormed out of the mansion. I kept that in mind for a long time. I kept in mind that I would take his 'piece of heart' and 'peace of mind'. I have still kept that bundle of cash in my locker. Untouched. That was the first insult that made me realize how much I hated the king. How much I wanted his territory.
- Writer
