“Where is your mind, sweetheart?” Priyank asked, looking at her as if their earlier exchange hadn’t happened, trying to act normal now.
He didn’t even know why he felt the sudden urge to warn her, he just felt the need to show her he didn’t want to reveal his darker side.
Even if she thought he was already bad, she didn’t know that the other side, he is way softer than he could ever be with anyone.
She was everything he hated, despised, even loathed, but with her, he couldn’t maintain that facade; it made him feel vulnerable, wondering what she might be thinking.
And what she might do – that thought just ruined everything for him. Never had he thought a woman could weaken him.
But not only did she weaken him, she froze his mind, made his heart beat faster – she just did everything to him without even knowing it, and then she tried to push him away.
Her eyes showed how much she hated him – he wasn’t dumb not to notice. Being in the Mafia, he could read people’s faces perfectly.
He could see it in her eyes – the hatred, the fear, maybe to a certain extent. But there was something else, something he couldn’t quite explain.
It was those thoughts that made him even sadder.
It was those thoughts that made him even sadder. He couldn’t shake the feeling that despite her disdain, there was a flicker of something else in her eyes, something he couldn’t quite grasp.
He tried to push those thoughts away, but they lingered, haunting him. It was like a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
Priyank sighed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He knew he had to keep his guard up, especially around someone like her.
But at the same time, he couldn’t deny the strange pull she had on him. It was infuriating and confusing all at once.
“Nothing, I am thinking nothing,” Priya replied.
Priyank snapped back from his thoughts as he heard her voice.
“Then why are you looking so lost, sweetheart? Whatever’s running in your head, just stop it right there if it’s something that might get you under my eyes,” Priyank stated.
“I said I am thinking nothing, that means I am not,” Priya tried her best not to fumble or show any emotions at his words.
He was already threatening her; she didn’t want to slip up and reveal her plan of running.
She held her composure, her expression remaining neutral despite the tension in the air.
Priyank scrutinised her for a moment, his gaze sharp and penetrating.
“Now don’t look at me like I stole something from you,” Priya sarcastically commented.
“Who said you didn’t steal?” Priyank replied with a lopsided grin.
“What did I steal? I’m not a thief.”
“You stole my heart, sweetheart. You can’t just behave like it’s nothing. My heart goes wild whenever I see you, it flips left and right.”
“You should see a doctor. How can a heart flip left or right? There’s something wrong with your heart for sure.”
Priyank chuckled, a warmth in his eyes that softened . “Maybe I should. But I think it’s just you driving me crazy.”
“Not maybe, you should totally go to the doctor, not just for your heart, but for your head too. It seems like you have some issues with your head as well, that’s why you behave like this,” Priya blurted out, allowing herself to speak more freely than she should have.
The way he softly talked to her made her speak without thinking, something she did often, but since she met Priyank, she had learned to stop speaking whatever came to mind.
She immediately bit her tongue and closed her mouth when she realised what she had said.
It’s not like she thought she said anything wrong, but she remembered how he got angry when she previously told him that he should go to the doctor, and she had just done the same thing now.
Priya’s heart raced as she waited for Priyank’s response. She hoped he wouldn’t react like he did last time she mentioned seeing a doctor.
To her surprise, Priyank didn’t explode in anger. Instead, he chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “You’re right, maybe I should get my head checked out. But only if you promise to be my nurse,” he teased, flashing her a playful grin.
Priya’s cheeks flushed at his comment, caught off guard by his lighthearted response.
“Huh?”
She didn’t know how he could even suggest that. How could she be his nurse? She wasn’t studying to be one, and even if she were, she couldn’t be his nurse. She didn’t want to be close and care for him, she didn’t.
“Yes, sweetheart, how can I see the doctor without a good nurse? What if my heart and head both have issues? I should have a nurse, right?” Priyank teased, playing with his words.
“Then the doctor will provide you with a nurse,” Priya replied, her forehead creasing with concern.
“Hardly, sweetheart, because you are soon to be my wife. That means you have to care for me. Why should any other woman do it?”
She tried to hide her unease with a forced smile. “You can’t just expect me to be your nurse, I don’t even know anything about it”
Priyank’s expression softened, his eyes searching hers. “I will teach you,” he said gently, reaching out to touch her hand.
But Priya pulled away, a wall of defence rising within her. “I don’t want to be taught,” she replied.
“Then you are wrong because it’s not like I am asking. If I go to the doctor because you told me to, then I for sure will have you as my nurse. It’s not going to be your way all around,” Priyank stated, stopping his massage of her feet.
He definitely wasn’t going to any doctor because she took his love filled words in the wrong way.
This was exactly what he expected from her, but he could at least tease her.
However, he didn’t like how she just dismissed the idea of being his nurse, even though he was joking. Her words clearly made him feel bad.
It’s as if she didn’t even care about him, which was true, but she was too nonchalant about it.