Part 6~
A shadow of a smile lit up Rishabhâs face, the sound of the ticking clock only made him reminisce the time he continued to waste remembering things he was best off forgetting. Having her so close to him and yet so far away had struck his heart in a way nothing had, the tumbler of scotch having been refilled a multitude of times in the early hours of the morning as he scrolled through pictures on his phone.
âOh, itâs you againâ placing her hands on her hips, she tapped the heel of her shoe against the table leg. âAre you following me?â
He spluttered âYou really think a lot of yourself, hmm? There are no spare seats, soâ he pulled the chair out and plopped into it, âIâm your new dateâ.
Prerna allowed her gaze to run across the busying cafĂŠ âAnd you couldnât have found anywhere else to sit other than beside me?â Shaking her head, she began to collect her laptop and files âIâm not in the mood for company, thanks thoughâ she nodded, shoved her work in her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
âI get this funny feelingâ he waited for her to stop, then sipped his scolding coffee. âThat you donât really like my presenceâ.
Scoffing, she stomped back to the table âYou are inconsiderate, rude and I donât even think you know the meaning of manners, regardless of how much I try I canât seem to go anywhere where youâre not, I donât care that youâre amazing at your job and new in this city, I have no interest in being your friend or spending any more time around you then I have toâ.
Rising slowly, he smirked âIf not my friend, then how about a date? If you still hate me as much as you do now, Iâll never bother you againâ.
Hiding her chest with her bag, she pursed her lips âYouâll leave me alone after?â
âIf thatâs what you wantâ he shrugged. Truth be told he was taken in by her, she was stunning and her bold attitude had been something he wasnât used to, no one ever really spoke back at him and sheâd done so fearlessly and so many times, he wasnât about to just let that go without seeing if it could go anywhere.
âFine, one date, you can meet me here at eightâ then she was walking away, annoyance clinging to her at even having to spend any more time with him, but if it meant him leaving her alone in the future then sheâd make this one sacrifice, no matter how much sheâd rather gauge her own eyes out.
âYou know, they say that if someone is awake at this time theyâre either in love, lonely or both, which one are you?â Prerna was now leaning against the door frame, a hot mug of tea in her hands as she looked at him patiently.
âCouldnât I ask you the same thing?â He wasnât in the mood to be spending time with her right now, all he wanted to do was bask in old memories and just for a little while pretend that nothing had changed, that she had loved him like she said she did and that none of it was a ploy to take him down.
âYou couldâ she moved to sit on the chair next to his. âLonelyâ.
âWhat?â His eyes held her in place, gaze so penetrating she could no longer move.
âIâm lonely, thatâs why Iâm awake, when Iâm home I go down to the library and read to help me sleepâ she kept her hand around the cup, using it as a crutch to just hold her in place. Unsure of why sheâd even told him in the first place, she threw her head back and sighed, had she really felt that alone that confiding to the man whoâd taken her away from all she knew seemed like a good idea? Clearly. âAnd I think you are too, you spend so much time chasing people only to end their lives, you come back to an empty house and by the job you do, I donât think you have many friendsâ.
Slamming his fist on the table, he rose, shoving a hand messily through his greying hair âI am not one of your books that you can read in hopes of it sending you to sleepâ. Rishabh massaged his forehead as he turned to face away from her âYou donât know me and Iâd appreciate you not pretending you doâ.
âIf Iâm going to be staying with you untilâ she paused, suddenly making sense of the whole situation. âOh, wowâ her face paled, hands shaking and her heart thumping.
âWhat?â He bit out, turning to watch her. Heâd be lying if he said he wasnât worried about her sudden reaction.
âYou havenât just taken me to keep me for a while, have you?â Prerna wanted to stand, to run, but she didnât expect her legs to have the strength to hold her. âYouâre either going to pass me off to someone else or kill me, right? No one ever gets kidnapped for a short while with the intention of returning them, itâs not like youâre holding me for ransom, you have enough money yourself and I have no one that cares for me enough to payâ she began to laugh, tears burning her eyes. âI guess keeping myself holed up in that library all alone has really come back to bite me on the assâ sheâd always been the type of person to make light of a shit situation, but the ever-looming fear that she truly was alone and no one would even miss her if she was gone hurt more than the threat of death or worse. She felt stupid, how hadnât she seen it before?
âPrernaâ his voice was softer now as he knelt before her. âMy intention isnât to kill you, you have my word that when I have figured all of this out you can go back to living your lifeâ.
âYou donât get it, thatâs the problem, I have no life to go back to, no one to return to, no one will even care that Iâm gone, the issue isnât that you have taken me, itâs that nothing is waiting for me, you know the best thing for me is to develop Stockholm Syndrome, at least then Iâll have someone I actually feel something forâ dropping her head to allow her hair to hide the tears on her cheeks, she jumped when he tipped her chin up.
âTrust me, having feelings for me may be the worst thing you ever doâ he cupped her cheek. âPeople care for you, love you, you just donât see them, everyone has touched lives, even the librarian who reads people like she reads booksâ.
âThank youâ she coughed to clear her throat. âAt a guess, how long will you have me for?â
âA few months at the mostâ Rishabhâs brows furrowed at the way she almost fell back. âHey, you okay?â Heâd think later about the effects of him being so kind to her, but right now she needed someone and he wanted nothing more than to be that someone.
Prerna placed her hand on his cheek âI donât know if a few months is something I can give youâ she whispered, but in the time she could give him she would ensure to remind this man how to live, as, by the looks of it, it would be the last thing she ever did.
âWhy not? Prerna, is there something youâre not telling me?â
She smiled âYes, just like there are things you arenât telling me, maybe Iâll tell you someday, someday when Iâm sure weâre at least friends, not just abductor and abducteeâ walking around him, she returned to her room, pulled the blanket over her head and tried to imagine what life would be like if sheâd just made more effort to live rather than just exist.
Hello to fast updates! All I will say about this is assumptions may lead you down the wrong pathway, not everything is as it seems!
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