Hand to Hold

Chapter 7

Somehow, I trusted her... Even as everything screamed she wasn’t trustworthy, my heart told my intuition otherwise.

.

.

Seeing Belle off with Orion, I walked inside and made my way to the gym. Rehaan followed me wordlessly even as I opened the gym’s door and was greeted by other people in there. That was till I headed towards the huge punching bag in the empty corner of the room.

“Heavy exercises soon after eating is unadvised.”

His stern voice stopped me.

Turning around I shrugged, “I am not planning on doing full work out or hand on hand combat with anyone. It will just be you and me on either side of the punching bag. And anyway, due to the guests and early video conference with our ambassador in Quarster I missed the morning exercise.”

I swung around again, and walked over to the corner ignoring his next argument, “Your Majesty’s evening routine has been rescheduled for that purpose.”

Taking my place, I waited for Rehaan who was making his way over to me. The huge punch bag hid our faces from one-other but his glare still reached my side.

He punched first, and I held the bag ere giving the ball in his court, “You want to say something to me?”

Rehaan didn’t speak, just punched the bag swinging it in my direction. I punched back, not holding the punch bag and neither did I force him to open his mouth.

The punching bag swung back and forth for a while in utmost silence between us, with buzzing murmurings of others in the room.

“I don’t want you to be associated with Belle Verona.” All of sudden, he punched with a high intensity almost pushing me back.

Soaking the intensity of his punch, I stopped for a while to catch a breath and then punched the bag back in his direction. Not responding I waited for him to continue.

The member of royal force held the punch bag, and left a breath filled with dejection, “I am worried because her background is sketchy. And you are already treating her specially, so different from others. You even asked a member from your security circle to drop her home.”

Letting go of the bag, Rehaan punched it again and the bag greeted me, “It is just not about her background there is just something about her... It isn't necessary that that something is wrong.”

I punched back, taking in his perspective, “Then unlike Nim and Will, she glances at you like Ben, Rick even Alice. And she has been around you since ages. It is like Belle is a honey trap.”

...No.

Not at all.

“Ash!”

I glanced up at Rehaan’s low voice. Holding the punch back he craned his neck to come face to face with me, “What are you thinking about?”

Rehaan wasn’t easily troubled, because he trusted himself to protect me. The security in charge was already concerned over my behaviour with strangers, and there were things I didn’t know about her.

Sighing internally, I grabbed the punching bag from his hand ere hitting it, “Elaborate sketchy background.”

Rehaan reciprocated by hitting the sack back, “After her parents’ death, currently her biological Aunt has custody of Belle Verona and her younger sibling, Blake Verona. Our database provides that her Aunt have a biological sister who seems to Belle’s mother. But strangely any information related to Belle’s possible parents is wiped out.”

I hit the bag when and he punched it back with ease, “And I am unable to figure out who erased her root. More importantly why? From what is happening, maybe to approach you without her background in check.”

He continued, as the punch bag kept swinging back and forth, “Her form of San High says she was homeschooled. Surprisingly she is one of the best. And there is no record of the exams she is supposed to give as a homeschooler from time to time.”

Sketchy? Indeed.

“Then why did you allow me to invite her?”

“Because her Aunt is May Verona, a confidential high profile personality as she re-designed the interior of Royal Palace.” He replied punching the sack.

Then after a while of silence spoke again, “I don’t trust this girl.”

I pursed my lips, forgetting everything I heard about Belle in the past fifteen minutes except one fact, “I trust her.”

He held the bag again, and craning stared at me from the side with narrowed eyes, “You are attracted to her, aren’t you? She is appealing and you are a teenager.”

His voice had ‘matter of fact’ tone as if he was putting two and two together.

I stared gravely, “Attraction is a strong word rather she intrigues me.”

He hummed, unconvinced and letting punching bag go took a step back, “I suppose both of us should take a shower. The sky is stormy and one shouldn’t shower during thunderstorms.”

I followed his glance to the ventilator and hummed back in response. Walking out, he said abruptly, “Black Hood can go to any extent to harm you and you trust too easily.”

Then turning to his room didn’t even give me a chance to come up with a reply.

Sigh.

These security in-charges... Couldn’t they be less eccentric? Earlier it was Sir Blair and now Rehaan.