FF : Curiouser and Curiouser!(Ch17pg104)DISCONTINED.See Pg106 - Page 70

Are you going to update today ?

Originally posted by: Paint.It.BlacK.

Are you going to update today ?

Originally posted by: bookworm-ALS--

Probably tomorrow. I have to write 40% more, and I do hate sending PMs😆 so will finish the update today then update it tomorrow.

hm. Ok. 😳

Originally posted by: bookworm-ALS--

^I guess you went through that too often 🤣

Originally posted by: bookworm-ALS--

Chapter 15 : Scrambled Brain Cells

Abhay was patrolling the perimeters of the castle when he saw a lone figure walk out. The moon came out from under a cloud, and then he saw her - the princess. She walked steadily down to the gardens, but then he noticed. Her feet were shuffling, she had stumbled more than once.

She moved into the darkness, where he could only smell her scent. She smelled something of a mixture between orange and strawberry mixed with something else : the combination was potent and very, very heady.

And he could hear her, hear her soft gasps, sense that her hands were pressed to her throat as she leaned against a marble statue.

She was thirsty.

For a second, he wanted to ask her if she remembered him from the last time they'd spoken to each other. This was only the third time he had seen her, after all : the first when she had healed him, the second when she had spoken to him in the secluded garden.

But he was a Mutant : if she knew, she would spit at him. So he did what a Mutant would do. "Princess," he said, quietly. "Do you thirst?"

She started : he heard the hitch in her breath. "Are you-"

He turned away before her eyes fell on him. "I can bring you some blood," he said with his back to her. "If you have need of it."

"I- I do, but who are-"

"Wait here," he told her.

Walking to a safe distance away, he took out the flask he kept water in. Mutants didn't need water, weren't allowed it, but he didn't want to forget the taste of it.

He upturned it, letting the water fall onto the ground, then he let his fangs enlarge. Biting into a vein on his wrist, he punctured it, then held his wrist over the flask, letting the liquid drop into it, applying pressure so it would fill quicker.

Once it was done, he retraced his steps back to her. "Close your eyes, Princess," he said from behind her, hoping she would do as he said.

"You're back," she whispered. "You came back."

"Princess, close your eyes," he repeated. She exhaled and then - she did what he said. He was so close, he could hear the soft sound of her eyelids closing.

A moment of bitterness swept through him. If only he wasn't a mutant. She'd never even speak to him if she knew what he was.

Moving swiftly, he took one of her hands and closed it around the flask, then retreated to the other side of the statue.

He heard her intake of breath when she realized he'd got her blood. Why was she surprised? Wasn't she used to people doing what she wanted?

He listened to her drink it, wondering what had possessed him now. He'd always hated being forced to bear being brunk from - as though he were an object. The humiliation of it had always stung him, and yet... Tonight, he hadn't felt any of it. He'd only wanted to help her...as she'd helped him once.

"Thank you," he heard her say when she had finished. "Whoever you are."

She hadn't recognised him, he thought, disappointment like acid in his stomach.

"Why do you do this, stranger?" she said quietly in the darkness. "Why do you always help?"

Something in his chest leaped. "Always?" He repeated.

"I met you two weeks ago," she said, certainity in her voice. "I know your voice. It is unique."

"I..You have helped people, too," he said. It wasn't actually a wild guess : if she could help a Mutant, she would have helped other people.

"You're the first person who doesn't mind that I'm a Healer," she whispered. "Why?"

"You're the Princess. You can be anything you want to be."

"What do you want to be?"

What made him want to tell her everything? "Free," he said at last. "I want to be free."

"And you...aren't allowed to be?"

He couldn't answer.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That was...personal."

"You mustn't apologize," he said. "Please, Princess."

"Sometimes," she said, "Sometimes I want to just turn and see who you are. But...you don't want that, do you?"

"I want it," he said. "But you mustn't. It would ruin so many things, and... I have no friend, apart from you."

There was a silence. "I have none either, stranger," whispered Princess Piyashree. He could hear her voice shake. "You are the only one."

"I am honoured," he said. "Honoured, Princess."

"Thank you," she said. "For being my friend...for the blood. You...can we...meet again?"

"Yes," he found himself saying. "Here?"

"Yes," she said. "Yes. Thank you, stranger."

"I should leave," he murmured.

"Fare well, stranger."

He kept her words to himself, a glowing talisman that would keep him going on, till the next time he saw her. Princess Piyashree. She of the angelic soul, she who would help a Mutant. She who made him say things he would never tell anyone else. She who must never know what he was.

*****************************

Abhay broke out of his musings to brake the car to a stop. The evening was over, and he'd got back home.

He made his way upstairs to check on her Piya. Her door was ajar and he could hear music.

He looked inside.

Piya was dancing.

Or at least, she was attempting to dance a waltz minus a partner, and flubbing the steps repeatedly. She was watching the dance steps on her laptop - presumably a tutorial , he thought.

But she was adorable. Her hair was pinned up loosely with the clip he'd taken from her before... She turned, tried to do a twirl, lost her balance and clutched the desk to steady herself, panting.

And then, as if sensing something, she turned to the door and froze, seeing him there.

But Abhay was staring at her, simply smiling. And not in a bad way either, not as though he thought she was ridiculous.

"Hi," she said, flushing anyway. "When did you come back?"

"A few minutes ago." He came inside, switched off the music system. "Nice try. Why are you learning to dance?"

Piya blinked. "Because... I saw it in a movie. It looked nice."

"The waltz?"

"Yes, the waltz," she said. "So I did some searching-" she shrugged. "Found out what it was called. So I wanted to try it."

"You can't learn it without a partner, you know," he said, amused.

"What, are you offering?" she tossed back.

It was never meant to be serious, yet the air thickened around them, and the amusement left Abhay's face. "If you like."

"You, um..." She cleared her throat. "You know how to do it?"

"I learnt it a long time ago, but...yes."

He switched on the music.

She came forward gingerly, let him put his hand on her waist, placed hers on his shoulder lightly.

His other hand covered hers.

The music was soothing, but it did nothing to calm her frazzled nerves. "Calm down," Abhay mumured after she stepped on his foot for the third time. "Relax. Let go."

She gritted her teeth as she twirled, his hand feeling as though he had branded her.

She misstepped again, stepping on his foot. "My toes will be swollen, Piya," Abhay teased. "Some mercy?"

"Sorry," she muttered, flushing. "What are you so afraid of?" He asked, skilfully evading her foot this time. "What's bothering you? You were better before."

"I'm not afraid," she snapped. "I'm just nervous."

"Like leaf green and sea green are both shades are green," he noted. "Which you look likely to turn, by the way-"

He stopped talking when she thumped his shoulder. "Shut up."

"It's the truth."

She thumped him again, though interestingly, her foot didn't connect with his again. "You're an arrogant jerk."

"Red looks better than green on you," he commented. "Keep that up."

She twirled - this time perfectly.

"How was the movie?"

He steered her past the desk. There wasn't a lot of space, after all.

"It was fine," he answered. "But I'm taking you next time."

"Really?" she said in delighted surprise. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," he told her. "Were you practising this all evening?"

She was moving much more smoothly now, but he didn't want to let go of her just yet.

"Not all evening," she said. "I did some work. Watched a TV show. Then my eyes started hurting."

Her openness disturbed him sometimes, making him want to share his own thoughts with her.

"What show?"

She shook her head. "A human show on vampires. It's really quite interesting, you know, if you treat it as fictitious-you wouldn't like it," she added.

"Right," he said. "I see."

She scowled. "You better."

His lips twitched, and suddenly Piya was grinning too.

He let go of her completely, caught, as he always was, by the brilliance of her smile.

The music stopped, and Piya caught sight of them in the square-cut mirror behind. Abhay in a dark purple shirt and jeans, she in a tank top and shorts.

Completely mismatched, she thought.

"You should go change," she found herself saying. "Thanks for the dance. And, um- the invite."

He frowned slightly, then tapped her chin. "Don't thank me, Piya. I did it as a favour to myself and no one else, yeah?"

When she nodded, he tipped his head and left, leaving Piya staring after him in confused hope.

As a favour to himself? Did that mean... He wanted her around his friends?

A smile began to spread on her face. Abhay cared for her. He liked her enough to invite her on their outings. She wouldn't be alone again.

Funny how that reminded her of the first time they'd spoken to each other, when she didn't even know him, hadn't even seen his face. And yet his words had still given her the assurance that she was not alone.

She turned to open the window, staring out into the cool night. She'd missed him so much when he'd stopped visiting her. Kabir had been nice, but...

There had always been something missing, but she had been too naive to realize it then. She'd clung on to whatever she could find to replace the stranger who'd stopped being her friend.

**********************************************************************************

Abhay stood under the shower, letting the arrows of hot water hit his skin. Stupid. So stupid.

After one near miss, how could he have risked another, that same evening? What if Piya started suspecting the depth of what he felt for her?

He could explain a kiss on the forehead. Affection was more common among humans than vampires - she'd likely taken it as a friendly thing anyway.

He could cross the line, an insidious voice whispered. He'd seen glimpses of an answering attraction in Piya's eyes, too.

Which was making him make mistake after mistake.

Vulnerable, whispered that voice. She's vulnerable. He could seduce her. He could.

For several moments, he actually considered it - before the vacant face of a fallen man flashed through him, slicing through him like concentrated acid.

Vikrant. She had loved him so much. So much that she hadn't been able to bear being parted from him. Had given up fighting. Had given up his memories.

He remembered her, wildly insane as she faced down the werewolves in her grief over losing her betrothed.

Of course she's vulnerable, you fool, he thought. She'd once hinted to him that she hadn't loved Kabir the way she had loved Vikrant. A pale shadow of it, he would bet - then where did that leave him, if a pale shadow was all that Kabir got after years of courting her?

He knew it was selfish and probably arrogant, but he wanted to come first. Not be a replacement for someone. Not even for Piya - she wasn't a replacement for him.

Attraction meant nothing. It happened all the time - and if T's behaviour that evening was any indication, she seemed to be attracted to him, too. It didn't mean anything, would fade and leave him with more bruises than before.

No, he thought. If he crossed the line now, there would be no turning back, not for him.

There were so many things that stood between them still. They would have to return to her own world someday, and where would he stand then? The most he could hope for was that he would be allowed to live - to protect her. That she would forgive him when she learnt how much he had hidden from her.

And there were people after her even now. He needed his head screwed on straight.

He took a deep breath, locking down his mind with iron control. No more slip ups. He would never cross the line with her.

He could get her killed.

And on the heels of those morbid thoughts, he almost didn't notice when the door swung open and Piya barged in, then stopped short. Her eyes grew round with horror.

***************************

Abhay would have finished by now, thought Piya as she looked at the clock. It still took her a few seconds to decipher the time. Fifteen minutes had passed - he was usually done in five.

She needed to go wash her face. Her eyes were feeling itchy again.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face, but only then did she realise that the water was still running.

She stopped short, staring at the male silhouette visible through the steamed glass that barricaded the bathing area.

A very undignified squawk emitted from her mouth as she closed her eyes in horror and ran out of the bathroom.

Shit, crap, damn,and all the unholy words humans could use!

Idiot! When would she learn to check the bathroom before she strolled in? Was she mad?

Oh, god. What would he think of her?

Piya closed her eyes in humiliation and horror. But all she saw was the indistinct cut of him, blurry through the steamed glass, and the moment she knew he had seen her.

She sank down on the bed and covered her head in her hands. "Go away!" she hissed to the image in her head. The horrible thing wouldn't leave. It stayed there, taunting her with what she shouldn't even be wanting to touch.

"Oh, go away," she moaned, rocking herself.

"I will," answered a voice. "I just came to say sorry. I forgot to lock the other side."

She peeked out through her fingers. "Oh, god, no," she said. "I'm having hallucinations now. You can't be here."

"Look, I said I was sorry, all right?" came Abhay's clearly impatient voice now. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

Oh, blast. He really was here.

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her hands, taking care to gaze at a stop ten inches to his left so she could keep down the blush that would cover her if she looked at his shirtless self.

Thankfully, he was wearing pants, but still...

"It's fine," she said, though she sounded awkward even to herself. "It's just - I should have called before I entered. I didn't mean to embarass you - I didn't even see anything - I swear! I'm so sorry, Abhay, mumph-"

Her last words were cut off when he put his hand over her mouth.

Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't look at him, she chanted in her head.

And of course she looked at him, because obviously, her brain cells had all been scrambled.

He was staring at her, no resentment in his face. "It's fine, Piya. Okay? No harm done."

"Mumph," she said, but nodded.

He removed his hand. "Okay, then."

"Okay."

She waited, but Abhay still remained, looking at her in concern. "Piya, are you all right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

He continued to scrutinize her face, looking troubled. "I'm sorry if-"

"Oh for God's sake," she blurted out. "Go get a towel. And wear a shirt!"

Abhay blinked. "Right. Sorry."

He moved away from her and left the room. She watched him go, curling her hands into fists. Shouldn't even be thinking about it.

Piya sighed and fell back on her pillow. It wasn't fair. This whole situation wasn't fair.

***************************

Abhay leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed.

He didn't know whether to feel angry at himself or at her. How did she keep doing this so easily? Breaking all his barriers?

Poor Piya. She must have got a shock. Why had he been so stupid? Moron, he thought. What a moron.

*********************

Misha flung herself down on the bed as soon as they returned. "Tanu, what on earth are you trying to do?" She snapped at the other woman. "You know he's off the shelves. You know that."

"Yes, Mish, I do know that," said Tanu calmly as she set her handbag on the dresser and began to take off her earrings, one by one. Then she moved to the many clips in her hair. "Then what was that?" Misha demanded. "Why were you flirting with him?"

Tanu shrugged. "Curiosity. You know I've been curious about him since that night...and more so because I drew this. Yesterday night."

Hair now loose and falling around her shoulders, Tanu pulled out a sheet of paper, folded over many times, and handed it to Misha.

"They've changed places," Tanu said in satisfaction. "See?"

"But this means..." Misha's eyes darted from one square to another. "We have to keep her from him. When did this happen? When did they start interconnecting?"

Tanu shrugged. "I'm not sure, Mish. I saw it yesterday. We have to stop it before it gets more tangled."

Misha looked up. "Keep him from her?"

Tanu shrugged. "It was worth a try. I'll do my best, obviously, but..."

She trailed off as Misha nodded. "Yeah. Not happening."

Tanu nodded, looking grim.

She went to wash the makeup off her face. When she came back, Misha had finished drawing something on the other side of the paper.

"Look at this, Tanu," she said, her voice shaking. "Look."

She took the paper. "Shit! What the hell!"

Misha nodded grimly. "Yeah. But if only I knew more... We could stop this. Tanu, I don't want to be involved in killing him!"

Tanu studied the paper again. Misha wouldn't be killing him, she realized suddenly. Aloud, she simply said, "Well, I'll just try harder."

The two women looked at each other, their faces youthful, their eyes old with everything they had already endured in life.

***************************

She was screaming again. Abhay rushed to Piya's room the second he heard her. In the darkness, he could barely see, but as usual, he let his other senses predominate, and immediately bundled her unconscious form into his lap, holding her to him.

The screams had quieted, but she sobbed now, openly, as if her heart was breaking.

"It's all right," Abhay said again and again, as he held her against his chest and stroked her hair. "I'm here..."

"Don't leave me," she sobbed, her fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. "Please, please don't leave me. I'll do anything-"

"I'm not leaving you, Piya," he soothed, though her words made his chest hurt. Would she ever move on from Vikrant?

"Don't go," she mumbled, whether asleep or awake, he hardly knew any longer, but her words were jumbled.

"I'm here...shh, Piya, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

He held her till her sobs quieted, then lowered her onto the pillows again. Her hands fisted over his shirt and she gave a little scream. "Don't leave me!"

"I won't leave you," he promised. "I promise. I'll never leave you."

He didn't know if she heard him, but Piya quieted, but her hand didn't let go of his shirt.

Carefully, he pried her fingers off, then let her snag his hand instead. Her palms were moist, and she held on tightly, even as Abhay arranged her into a comfortable position.

Once he was satisfied she was sleeping, he knelt on the ground and let his head rest on the side of her bed, their fingers still tightly laced together.

*****************************

When Piya awoke the next day, she automatically began to stretch...then realised that only one of her hands was free.

And that was when her eyes went wide open as she stared at the dark head resting on the bed, his hand entwined with hers.

Bits and snippets began coming back to her of the night before. She'd had a nightmare about Abhay walking out on her. And then he really had come, and her face heated up in the memory of how she had pasted herself to him like a limpet.

And when had she started holding his hands?

Very carefully, she tried to pull her hand away without waking him. Of course, she was unsuccessful and Abhay woke up at once, his blue eyes meeting hers.

"Hi," he said quietly. "Everything all right?"

He'd just woken up, and yet his hair wasn't standing up, he looked as though he'd be ready to go out in a minute.

Whereas she, with her birds' nest and her bleary eyes, probably resembled a hag.

"Yeah- um-" She gave a little tug : he let go of her hand instantly. "Sorry," she mumbled. "About last night-"

"Last night wasn't something you should apologize for," he said, standing up. "All right? I don't mind. What are friends for?"

It eased something in her heart, yet something tightened in her gut. Friends. It was a bittersweet emotion.

She managed a smile. "Yeah. Thanks- um, do you want the bathroom first or-?"

He smiled indulgently. "Do you want to lie in for a few minutes?"

The thought was tempting. "All right," said Abhay. "I'll be back in ten to wake you up again."

"Thanks," she said, and promptly slid under the bedclothes, covering her face so that her blush would be hidden from his view.

She'd never be able to go to the bathroom without thinking of that again. Piya groaned.

Wonderful.

*****************************

Later that day, Piya was correcting assignments during one of her free periods in an empty classroom when the door opened, and she saw Arjun standing there.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. "Sorry - I thought there was no one here. I'll leave you alone, then?"

"Oh, no," Piya told him. "You can stay."

He looked confused for a moment, then brightened. "Thanks. I won't bother you at all."

She smiled and nodded, and went back to her work. Arjun went to stare out the window in silence.

She appreciated it - Piya wasn't in a chatty mood that day.

Nevertheless, he did speak after a while. "Did you always want to teach?"

She looked up. Arjun had turned to her, was looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry, I didn't get you..?"

He repeated it obligingly.

"Oh!" said Piya. "No... I- er- not really. But I like doing it. What about you?"

Arjun smiled, but he didn't seem happy. "I wanted to be one," he said, "But I couldn't."

"Why not?"

He shrugged, looking down at his shoes.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Yes, I know. I am trying to improve," he said, sounding a little defensive.

"I wasn't criticising you," said Piya. "I just wondered."

He shrugged again, then, clearly with some effort, he said, "It's a habit."

"Talking too little?" Piya asked, briefly glancing down to sign the last assignment.

"Yes. I... I didn't have any friends when I was young."

Piya looked at him, wondering about him, this quiet, shy human who didn't have friends.

"But all hu-" She corrected herself. "All people have friends."

His lips curved slightly. "I like to think of myself as unique."

Piya smiled.

She could understand that , for a long time, she had tried to believe the same thing.

"Well...you know, if you need someone to talk to..." She cleared her throat. "You can talk to me. As a friend?"

He looked up, looking as hopeful as a little boy gazing at candy. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Thank you..."

There was silence then, and Piya began gathering up the assignments into a neat pile.

"Uh- Piya?" He said suddenly, as she was walking out. She stopped. "Yes?"

"Would you...that is, I mean to say... Will you..will you come with me to, uh...a movie tomorrow? As a friend?" He added hurriedly.

Piya nodded. "Of course, Arjun."

She turned to go out of the door and almost collided with six feet of male. Abhay's face looked as if it was carved out of granite.

And Piya felt a strange sensation. Something like...guilt. But she had done nothing wrong... Had she?

A/N : I had a lot of fun writing this update. I hope I didn't go over the top. Tell me if I did?😛

Edited by bookworm-ALS-- - 8 years ago

It was fun treat for us too...abhay piya danced on the tunes... Abhay is slowly slowly loosing control of his patience... Ohh myy... They would be looking cute ... Abhay asked for a movie to her which she happily accepted...OMG..bathroom scene was so much so much making me blush too.. Poor girl.. Trying to dismiss the figure..lolxx... Abhay what ever u try and how much hard u try u can't stop urself from piya's sweet torture.. Isnt it??.. Misha and T is really up to something seriously now... T WAS FLIRTING WITH HIM TO KNOW more about him .. But why are they behind to know it..??.. Are they vampire slayer.. I think soo.. At start their past scene was nice .. At that time too abhay can't ignore her... Arjun again came..urrgg.. Maybe he is just a human boy u have added him to ur story so that their love story can gain some more speed.. Right??.. Piya accepted his offer for a movie which was witnessed by abhay.. Which isn't a good sign.. Ohh ohh.. What will happen now.??.. Abhay will be angry and piya is guilty for something which she have to realize soon..update soon dear