“I was really scared. I don’t even know what that man wanted,” Priya said as she walked. She had never thought it would feel this overwhelming, but it clearly was.
Priyank smiled, noticing how flustered she was. “Told you we shouldn’t have gone out, but you insisted, and now we’ve got to manage and help with Lucas’s event.”
Priya felt guilty. Somehow, she knew she was partly responsible for the mess. “I’m really sorry. I never thought things would turn out like this.”
“You don’t have to apologise, Angel.” A smile tugged at Priyank’s lips, his tension always melting away when he saw the innocence on her face.
Despite everything on his plate, he knew one thing for sure: he wouldn’t let Priya slip away from him.
His entire life depended on her staying by his side. Maybe his methods were wrong, but that wouldn’t stop him.
“Priyank, I really miss Mother Mary. Don’t you miss your mom?”
Her words pulled him from his thoughts. “Of course, I miss my mom. But with you here, I’m fine.”
“I never thought you could be like this.”
“Like what?”
Priya’s lips curled into a small smile. “Understanding. You always do things that scare me and hurt me.”
It was true, too. From the very beginning, his actions had always been extreme.
“I love when people are afraid of me,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “So, on a scale of 1 to 100, how much do I scare you?”
“1, 000.”
“So, I broke the scale? That’s how much you’re scared of me,” Priyank moved closer to her. “Then why don’t I see it? You always defy me, deny me.”
“I don’t deny you, Priyank,” Priya said, her voice soft, but there was something beneath it-something he couldn’t quite place. She kept walking, her steps slow, thoughtful. “I just… I don’t want to be scared of you.”
Priyank watched her carefully, his eyes darkening. He had always enjoyed the control, the way her fear made him feel powerful. But something about her words tugged at him. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path, forcing her to stop.
“Then why do you act like you are?” His voice was low, almost a growl. His fingers brushed her cheek, and she shivered under his touch, though he wasn’t sure if it was from fear or something else.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Because sometimes, you’re not the person I think you as. You become… someone else.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that. Someone else? He thought he was always the same with her, always the one in control, always the one protecting her in his own way. But her words cut deeper than he expected.
“Who do you think I am, Priya?” His fingers lingered on her jaw, holding her gaze, refusing to let her look away.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her breath hitching. “Sometimes I think you care about me, and other times… I feel like a toy. Something you can control and break when you feel like it.”
His chest tightened at her words. It wasn’t anger that filled him now, but something closer to frustration, maybe even desperation. He hadn’t meant for her to feel like that. He had done everything for her, hadn’t he? Everything to keep her close, to make sure she would never leave.
“I would never break you,” he said, his voice rougher now, almost pained. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her skin. “I need you too much for that.”
She trembled, but it wasn’t from fear this time. His hand slid from her jaw to the back of her neck, pulling her closer until their foreheads almost touched.
“But you hurt me, Priyank,” she breathed, her voice cracking. “You do, even if you don’t mean to.”
Her words hung between them like a thick fog, suffocating. Priyank’s grip tightened slightly, his mind racing. He wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t sure how to make her understand. He wasn’t used to this-wasn’t used to feeling unsure, or vulnerable.
“I… don’t know how to stop,” he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Maybe try not to be angry all the time,” she said, her voice soft, filled with innocence.
Priyank swallowed hard, his gaze lingering on her. She looked so damn tempting right now, he thought, resisting the urge to pull her closer. “Since we got here, you’ve been… different. You act so much more mature.”
But as he watched her, his mind drifted to the past. He could never forget her quirky, often clueless ways. She used to be so carefree, so unpredictable. He missed that side of her, the one that made him laugh. Maybe this place, this new life, had grounded her. Stabilised her in a way. But it wasn’t the same.
“You miss the old me?”
He blinked, startled by how easily she had read his thoughts. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew she was right. There was a part of him that longed for the silly girl who used to make him chase after her, the one who never seemed to take anything too seriously.
“Sometimes,” he confessed, his voice quieter than before. “But I like this side of you too. It’s… different. Stronger.”
Priya tilted her head, watching him closely. “And you? You haven’t changed much at all. Still the same Priyank, always trying to control everything.”
His jaw clenched at her words, though he wasn’t sure if it was out of frustration or something deeper. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I know,” she replied softly, reaching up to touch his arm. “But sometimes it feels like more than that.”
Priyank exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of her words settle heavily between them. He had always been protective, maybe too much. But he wasn’t ready to let go of that control, not yet. Not when the fear of losing her still gnawed at him.
“I’m not trying to stop you from being yourself,” he said, his voice low, the words almost a growl. “I just… I need to make sure you’re safe. That you’re with me.” he stated without any shame in his words.