“You never listen to what I tell you, so of course I need someone else. We’re not close enough, no need to behave like we are,” Priya grumbled, seeing how he was trying to guilt-trip her just because she shared a few things with Levi and Rish.
Priyank’s focus was entirely on the road, but he gave her a side look. He hated when she said they weren’t close. She was engraved in his skin, and he wanted to crawl into hers.
He wanted to fill himself into her so she could never drive him away. It was as if he wanted to mix into her bloodstream, to be everywhere in her body.
A psychopathic thought, but when it came to her, it wasn’t enough, not enough to live, not enough to breathe. After knowing what his bastard father did, the desperate need to tie Priya to him, to keep her from figuring out the truth, overwhelmed him. He wanted her to remain unaware of everything for his own good.
The need to cage her and turn her deaf to everything but him was so great that he was scared of himself.
And in some aspects, why did he have to suffer? The things that man did, he had never been a part of his life, couldn’t be considered a father, so why did the truth have to spoil things for him?
“Priya, do you hate me this much?” Pushing back his thoughts, Priyank asked, wondering how, even after such a long time staying with him and sleeping in the same bed, she couldn’t consider him close to her.
“Not hate, but I don’t like you too much either. It’s neutral for me,” she answered, lying a little in between.
For the major reason, she didn’t like him at all, but nowadays, his presence wasn’t as hateful as before. He was bearable now, but she couldn’t say that to his face.
“What will it take for you to like me? I can die for that in a moment if that’s what it takes for you to like me,” he said seriously, looking at her face and feeling a heaviness in his words, his heart drooping with the lingering feeling.
“Huh?” Priya’s face filled with horrified looks as she processed his words, clearly scared out of her wits.
What was it with killing or dying? He always made it so scary. She was scared for her own life rather than his, that’s how much he scared her.
“Yes, you heard me correctly.”
“Don’t say such things,” Priya said, her voice trembling slightly. She couldn’t fathom why he always resorted to such extreme statements. His intensity both entranced and terrified her.
Priyank’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I’m serious, Priya. I’d do anything for you to like me.”
The desperation in his tone pierced her heart. She knew their relationship, if it could be called that, was unconventional and complicated. But she had never imagined such words from his mouth.
“I…” she began, unsure of how to respond. Part of her wanted to soothe his anguish, to assure him that she didn’t despise him. Yet another part remained guarded, wary of the intensity that simmered beneath his surface.
“Don’t say anything,” he cut her off abruptly. “I’ve made you uncomfortable again. Just… think about what I said.”
Priya sighed. “You know that your words make me scared, still you never back down. How about starting to think before you speak those words? They make me irritated.”
“If that’s what you want, I have no issue in doing so,” Priyank commented, smiling. “And to be honest, I always think before speaking. So it’s just me who makes you irritated. It doesn’t matter if it’s my words or my presence.”
“Hmmmm,” Priya hummed, not knowing how to respond to this. “Focus on driving, rather than glancing at my face from time to time. You wouldn’t want to lose Maya’s car because we don’t know the direction, so it’s better if you focus on following.”
‘How much I want to lose them. I don’t even want their presence in my life or yours, but that’s the thing I can’t say,’ Priyank thought.
“Are you listening?” Priya grimancly asked.
Priyank gave a terse nod, his jaw tightening. He wanted to argue, to tell her that every glance he stole was worth more than any direction they could follow. But he stayed silent, his mind churning with frustration.
The silence in the car grew thick, charged with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Priya shifted in her seat, stealing a glance at Priyank. His face was a mask of concentration, but she could see the frustration in his eyes.
She didn’t even know why he always had three moods-either he was happy, angry, or emotionless. Other types of emotions were hard to read on his face.
“Now you’re burning a hole in my face. How about not distracting me and staying focused on the view outside the window? If you keep looking at me like this, how will I be able to concentrate?”
Priya immediately diverted her eyes and looked outside the window. She hadn’t even noticed when she started looking at him with such intensity; it was a lapse on her part.
The view outside blurred into greens and browns as Priya tried to calm her racing thoughts. She could still feel the weight of Priyank’s words pressing on her chest.
Minutes passed in silence, the hum of the car the only sound. Priya couldn’t help but replay their conversation in her mind, searching for some understanding of their tangled relationship.
“Priya,” Priyank’s voice broke the silence, softer now, almost hesitant. “I know I can be difficult. But I need you to know that I care about you more than anything.”
She turned to him, surprised by the vulnerability in his voice. “I know you care, Priyank. It’s just… sometimes it feels like too much. Like you’re suffocating me with it.”
He nodded, his eyes still on the road. “I get that. I don’t want to push you away. I just… I don’t know how to show it differently.”
“Then how about just trying not to go overboard? I’m doing my part to handle this whole scenario. You have to understand I can’t leave anything now; it’s the truth of my life. If you want to be part of it, then you have to accept being in this situation.”