NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~Thread 11 - Chapter 16 - UPD 22nd SEP - Page 44

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

A younger looking PS please. Like the one in the aarti.😳 Here she looks like the stranger's aapa.

Originally posted by: -AkDha.Lover-

Aunty,


I know. 😆 It's 4:30 am here and I got up at 3. 😲


Actually exams going on na, so I get up early to revise. The morning revision is the best for me, it stays in mind.

Originally posted by: karkuzhali

Chapter 16.

He sees her..

"Why are you sitting here alone?"

He sees the scorpion...

Moves carefully forward..."Don't move!..." Got it!

Later..." How is his health? Did he get a doctor to treat the scorpion's poison?..."

"What happened to me? Why am I thinking about him?"

"The love sting gives me more pain than the scorpion's..."

"How can I betray my Shezaadi...? "

"Ya Kudha.. give me a solution..."

Karkuzhali.

Originally posted by: lashy

Akbar slowly uncoiled the scarf from his face and took if off his head, his knifelike glares fixed upon the target.

He then wrapped the cloth around his fist as quietly as possible, preparing to strike a blow. With thick overgrowth blocking every other access, the young man took one steady stride after another, headed for the only available approach - the steps she sat on.

And throughout, Heera could do nothing but wait, trapped in her spot - unnerved by the thought of the deadly creature behind her, unnerved by the sight of him advancing towards her. Every ounce of will was what it took to keep up a facade of normalcy, while her erratic beats quickened, and quickened.

Despite all of it, she did manage to preserve some form of composure, till the heavy veil began slipping backwards. Obviously, her first instinct was to preserve modesty, and her hands were about to move up to its borders to try and pull the veil down 'M... maybe I should... move aside... slightly...' she suggested - seeing how the situation was getting terribly awkward.

'DON'T...' he ordered. Of course, he didn't want to go into the alarming details and tell her that the scorpion had now crawled down the railing - only to rehome itself on the tip of her veil, behind her. Instead, he repeated his order through clenched teeth, so she got the point 'DON'T move... if you value your health!'

'Oh alright...' Heera drew in a sharp breath, astonished by the forcefulness in his tone, as she replaced her palm on her lap.

As for the troubling issue of their growing physical proximity - well, Khan Sahib was being his usual dignified self, his attitude unaffected and business-like.

So the only sensible choice was to continue to try and act poised by sitting still - and let him tackle the problem as swiftly as possible.

Unaffected? Business-like? How wrong was she!

Only HIS inner self was aware of how many fights he'd waged to maintain an aura of indifference - and how tough each of those fights had been.

The fighter that he was, Akbar had somehow conquered this hurdle too. Till he heard the silent sounds of her smile - the kind of smile that finally broke his resolve and drew his attention to her.

'Very dangerous... and cunning too?' she murmured 'the enemy that's behind me? I only ask because it seems to be taking you a good while to deal with it, Khan Saib...'

Yes, it was a sly quip. But Heera didn't know what else to do to keep her mind occupied. If she didn't, she was certain HE would soon be able to hear her beats that were now pulsing so hard, they drowned every other sound around her. On most other occasions, she had a convenient excuse that would keep her thoughts diverted - the fact that she couldn't see him so clearly. But now, since that excuse wouldn't work, there was nothing to stop her from observing the angular facets of his features or his intriguing dark eyes. There was nothing to stop her being drawn towards the magnetism of his face - a face that somehow appeared more rugged, more handsome then when she'd met him first. True, she'd only ever met a few men in her life, but she was certain nature could not have gifted many others with such charisma 'You haven't answered me yet, Khan Sahib...' she asked the man who'd returned her quip with nothing but a steady glance 'about the enemy that's behind me...'

Wary, Akbar's glances shuffled between his target, and her face, as he took a moment to read her.

'You've no idea of what's behind you, Sahiba...' he whispered back a retort - but mild enough, so it wouldn't wipe the appealing smile off her lips 'trust me when I say the enemy is as dangerous and cunning as can be...'

'Dangerous AND cunning? Interesting match it'll be then...' her frowns assumed a deceptively questioning look 'well... I do hope I'm not wrong in assuming that you're an expert at this... in assuming that you like playing such deadly games?'

'No you're not wrong...' Akbar replied with the faintest of smirks. Quite refreshing small talk this was turning out to be. And he was aware of how to deflect her inquiry - by giving her a taste of her own medicine - a bittersweet medicine 'I do like playing deadly games, Sahiba... but, I do hope I'm not wrong in assuming that my games have you intrigued... that you're beginning to like playing them too!'

'Intrigued?' Heera managed to stifle a surprised sigh, but she wasn't as successful at stalling the heat from spreading to her cheeks and her neck. How was she to respond to that allegation?

So, she stepped down gracefully - if she said nothing, at least he couldn't corner her further, could he?

She was right. He couldn't corner her further. And while the Sahiba thought she was paying the price of her own brazenness, Akbar thought differently - she wasn't the only 'loser' in this banter. He had lost the moment he'd allowed himself be lured into her mind games and now, he was paying the price of his devilry too. By losing himself. By falling into temptation - at the sight of her partially-lowered eyelids. At the sight of her demure grins. At the sight of her fair skin dipped in red. At the sight of her femininity.