Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a golden hue across the room. Rishi stirred slightly but remained asleep, his arm resting lazily over Aisha's waist. The night had been long, filled with too many moments he wasn't ready to unpack yet. But for now, there was peace....a fragile, delicate peace.
Until Aisha's phone rang.
She groggily reached for it from the nightstand, careful not to disturb Rishi. Squinting at the screen, she saw Ranvir's name flashing. Sighing, she answered, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Aisha, my love," Ranvir's voice oozed affection, deep and smooth as honey. "I missed you so much last night. You looked absolutely breathtaking at the gala. It was painful not being by your side."
Aisha blinked, sitting up slightly. "Good morning, Ranvir."
He chuckled. "That's all I get? Just a 'good morning' after I spent the entire night thinking about you?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "What else do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me you missed me too. That you wished I was there, holding your hand, standing beside you," he said, his voice dipping into something more possessive.
Aisha hesitated. She knew how to navigate Ranvir's moods, but something about the night before had shifted her patience. "I was handling things fine on my own."
Silence stretched between them before he let out a sharp breath. "Fine on your own?" he repeated, his tone laced with irritation. "You barely even care that I wasn't there, do you? Tell me something, Aisha....if I don't run after you, if I don't shower you with affection, will you even notice my absence?"
Her fingers tightened around the phone. "Ranvir, don't be dramatic. It's too early for this."
"Too early?" he snapped. "Too early for what? For me to remind you that I'm your fiancé? That I F*cking love you?"
Aisha inhaled deeply, willing herself to stay calm. "Lower your voice."
"Lower my...." He let out a dry, bitter laugh. "You have the audacity to talk to me like this after ignoring me the entire night? Do you know how pathetic I felt watching you waltz in with another man?"
She closed her eyes. "You were the one who made excuses not to come, Ranvir."
"And now you're punishing me for it?" His voice was venomous. "You enjoy this, don't you? Making me chase after you, making me feel like I'm the one lacking."
"That's not what I'm doing," she replied evenly.
"Then what the hell are you doing?" he snarled. "Because from where I stand, it looks like you're playing house with another man while treating me like I'm disposable."
Aisha's jaw clenched. "Ranvir, you need to stop this nonsense."
"Nonsense?" he barked. "You think my love for you is nonsense?"
"I think your obsession with control is," she shot back.
There was a brief silence, then a sharp inhale from his end. "You ungrateful b*tch," he spat. "I should've known better than to expect loyalty from you. Enjoy your time with your new pet." Ranvir didn't even see who was with her at the gala. He didn't even notice that it was Rishi.
Click.
The line went dead.
Aisha exhaled slowly, gripping the phone in her lap. A heavy silence settled over the room. Her mind raced....had she hurt him? Is that why he reacted like this? Maybe she should have been softer with her words. Maybe she was the reason he felt insecure. She was so focused on the fact that maybe Ranvir was hurt that she totally forgot how much he hurt her . That's how much love she still had for Ranvir.
Behind her, she felt the bed shift. A deep voice, laced with sleep yet undeniably sharp, broke through the quiet.
"What the hell was that?"
She turned slightly to see Rishi, now awake, his gaze fixed on her with quiet intensity. His brows were furrowed, a storm brewing in his eyes. "Aisha," he said, voice low and rough from sleep, "was that Ranvir?"
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Yeah."
Rishi sat up fully, his jaw tightening. "And he thinks he can talk to you like that?"
Aisha shrugged. "It's not the first time. But I think I triggered it , maybe I should just call him and say sorry.."
His fingers twitched at his sides, his expression darkening. "It should be the last." He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before turning to face her fully. "Aisha, are you seriously thinking of apologizing to him? After the way he just spoke to you?"
She looked away, biting her lip. "I don't know. Maybe I hurt him. Maybe I...."
"No. Don't do that." His voice was firm, almost commanding. "You didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who crossed the line. And if you think for a second that you need to say sorry to him, then you really don't understand just how badly he's manipulating you."
Aisha hesitated. "I just... I don't want to make things worse."
Rishi let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "Things are already worse, Aisha. The only thing left is for you to decide whether you're going to keep letting him treat you like this....or if you're finally going to start standing up for yourself. Because if you don't, he's just going to keep walking all over you, thinking he can say whatever the hell he wants without consequences."
Just then, her phone buzzed again.
Ranvir:Sorry, I got angry.
Aisha stared at the message for a long moment, her emotions tangled. She typed back: It's okay.
A few seconds later, she added: I just got worked up. I have a lot on my mind.
She started explaining like she always did, fingers moving over the keyboard, trying to smooth things over. But before she could finish, another message from Ranvir popped up.
Ranvir:Stop blabbering.
Her breath hitched. And then another message followed.
Ranvir:You F*cking irritate me sometimes, Aisha.
Rishi, who had been silently watching, snatched the phone from her hands before she could reply.
His face was unreadable, but his grip on the phone was tight, knuckles white. His entire body stiffening as his eyes scanned the screen. Then, with a sharp exhale, he muttered under his breath, "Unbelievable."
Aisha reached for the phone, but Rishi held it away. "Are you seriously still making excuses for this asshole?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
"Rishi...."
He shot her a look, eyes blazing. "Don't. Don't defend him. Not after this."
His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles white with fury. The next thing she knew, a loud crack echoed through the room....the phone screen had shattered under the force of his hold. Shards of glass bit into his palm, but he didn't flinch. His entire body radiated anger, his chest rising and falling with barely restrained rage.
Aisha gasped. "Rishi....your hand!"
He ignored the blood trickling from his palm, his dark eyes locked onto hers. "I don't care," he growled. "But if he ever talks to you like that again, I swear to god, Aisha, I won't just break a phone." He exhaled sharply, realizing what he had done, and looked at the shattered device in his grip. "Shit… I'm sorry about your phone."
Aisha, however, wasn't looking at the shattered device....her focus was entirely on him. Without a second thought, she grabbed his uninjured wrist and tugged him toward the bed. "F*ck the phone," she muttered. "Come sit here."
Rishi resisted for a moment, his body still tense with anger, but her insistence won. He let her pull him down onto the bed. She reached for the nightstand, grabbing the medikit with swift precision. "Give me your hand," she demanded softly, her voice leaving no room for argument.
He sighed but obeyed, watching as she carefully wiped away the blood, her fingers cool against his heated skin. "You don't have to...."
"Shut up and let me help," she cut him off, focusing intently on dressing his wound. For a moment, neither of them spoke. When she finished bandaging, he let out a chuckle. The band-aid had cartoon figures on it. "Really?" he smirked.
Aisha rolled her eyes. "Shut up. It's all I had." she glanced up at him. "Better?"
Rishi swallowed, he blushed at the sight of her. "Yeah… better."