Chapter 29 #4
Instead of answering, he slipped beneath the covers beside her.
Before she could react, he pulled her closer by the waist until she was hovering above him.
"Tiredness will eventually force you to sleep", he whispered near her lips.
Akansha took a shaky breath, trying to control herself.
It had been almost a month since they were this close.
And she wanted him.
Badly.
The same hunger — perhaps even stronger — burned in his eyes too.
Without wasting another second, she crashed her lips against his.
Later, after making love to her, he gently kissed her forehead.
"Sleep now", he whispered softly.
She snuggled closer to him immediately, hugging him tightly, and soon drifted into sleep in his arms.
A few moments later, after pressing another lingering kiss to her head, Shaurya finally fell asleep too.
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"N... No... I'm fine", she stuttered.
The moment he looked at her face, he understood exactly where her thoughts had wandered. Both of them knew he was talking about the foot massage... but their minds had instantly travelled to what happened after that massage in the past, making both of them visibly flustered.
"Tomorrow is going to be exhausting... physically and mentally. You need to stay healthy to handle Siya. What if your migraine gets triggered because of lack of sleep?", he asked softly while searching for the oil bottle.
Akansha sighed in defeat. He was right. She could already feel the faint ache building at the side of her head. It was better to sleep before the migraine escalated further.
Shaurya returned with the oil and stood behind her. She frowned in confusion.
She thought he was going to massage her feet again and despite herself, the mere thought of his skilled hands touching her had already disturbed her senses. She was prepared to stop him this time.
But when he didn't even move toward her feet, her confusion deepened. The very next second, his fingers slid gently into her hair.
"Shaurya...", she protested softly, immediately holding his wrists, but he carefully freed himself from her grip.
"Let me... I know your headache has already started. Before it worsens, let me take care of it."
His voice softened further.
"And I'm doing this for my daughter. I want Siya's mother completely healthy to deal with tomorrow. Moreover, I caused this, so treating it is my responsibility too."
Akansha released a helpless breath.
She simply didn't have the energy to argue anymore. So for tonight... she let him.
Shaurya slowly started massaging her scalp, applying pressure to the exact spots where the pain was strongest. Over the past few months, he had secretly researched migraines and different ways to ease the pain through pressure points and massages.
As his fingers moved gently through her hair, he carefully observed every tiny change in her expression, understanding which areas hurt the most.
Gradually, the tension in her body eased. And slowly, Akansha drifted to sleep.
Once he was sure she was asleep, he carefully untangled her hair and tied it into a loose high bun before lifting her gently into his arms.
He carried her to the bedroom and made her lie down beside Siya.
The familiar ache immediately returned the moment his eyes fell on his daughter. His vision blurred instantly. This time, there was no one around to witness his tears, so he allowed them to fall freely.
After washing the oil off his hands, he quietly settled on the other side of the bed beside Siya.
"Papa is so sorry, my bacha... He is really sorry", he whispered brokenly.
"Dadda...", Siya murmured softly in her sleep.
Shaurya froze.
His daughter's sleepy whisper completely shattered whatever little control he still had left. A trembling smile spread across his face as he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. Somewhere deep inside, he felt Siya had sensed him.
That invisible connection between them gave him enough strength to face whatever awaited him the next day.
The entire night, he remained awake beside his daughter, alternating between staring at her sleeping face and going through her photo albums again and again.
He wanted to see every single album once more with Akansha beside him. He wanted to hear the story behind every photograph. And selfishly... he wanted copies of every single picture. If possible, he would frame all of them in his room.
The next morning, Shaurya freshened up quietly before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his wife and daughter.
Finding the ingredients wasn't difficult because Akansha had labeled every jar neatly with names stuck on them.
A faint smile appeared on his lips. Even after all these years, his wife clearly still wasn't comfortable with kitchen chores.
Instantly, a thought crossed his mind. If she ever gave him another chance.
.. if they ever lived together again... he would gladly take over the entire kitchen department himself.
But the very next second, his mood darkened. Akansha forgiving him still felt like a distant, impossible dream. Because of his own foolishness, their daughter was growing up with separated parents.
If only he had handled things differently back then... Siya could have had the beautiful childhood she deserved, with both parents beside her under one roof.
This guilt was slowly killing him from within.
Meanwhile, Siya slowly woke up.
The moment she saw her mother sleeping with oil in her hair, the little girl instantly understood Akansha had a headache.
Not wanting to disturb her mother, Siya carefully sneaked out of bed. She walked outside and immediately spotted Shaurya in the kitchen.
The little girl's face lit up instantly.
"Sholyaaa!" she squealed excitedly before running toward him, making Shaurya break into an involuntary smile.
Shaurya immediately lifted her into his arms, and Siya nuzzled her sleepy face into his neck while wrapping her tiny arms around his shoulders.
"Awe... My Siya woke up so early? That's great... I made breakfast for you... your favorite pancakes. Will you have them?", Shaurya asked softly.
"Yes... Pal(par/but) no brushy... (I haven't brushed yet)", Siya told him sleepily.
"No problem... Let me help you", he said, and for once, she didn't protest.
Slowly, her mother's words about Shaurya were settling somewhere in her little mind, but she kept pushing them away... just like her father always did whenever something emotionally troubled him.
Usually, Shaurya faced every problem bravely and handled every situation with courage. But when it came to the people he loved the most, he often chose avoidance over confrontation whenever something threatened to distance them from him.
That was exactly what he did with his thoughts of seeking retribution from Akansha.
He behaved like a coward then, and it ended up costing him his wife.
Initially, he had approached Akansha with the intention of taking revenge. But the moment he truly fell in love with her, everything changed completely. He wanted to ask her for an explanation, wanted to hear her side of the story, and also wanted to confess his own initial intentions to her.
But later, situations took such a drastic turn that he simply surrendered to circumstances.
He kept postponing the confrontation with both his emotions and the truth because he only wanted to live in the moment, ignoring the devastating consequences that truth could eventually bring.
This very habit of his had already caused immense pain in his life as well as in the lives of his wife and daughter.
He wouldn't let Siya walk down the same path.
He helped Siya freshen up, and every little moment felt like bliss to him.
After that, he fed her breakfast while she happily relished every bite of the pancakes.
"Sholya... This is more yummy than Licha Aunty food (This is tastier than Richa aunty's handmade food)", Siya said innocently, making Shaurya frown slightly.
When he asked further, he got to know that Siya loved the food cooked by Richa because Akansha was only a moderate cook, so Siya always enjoyed it whenever Richa prepared something for her.
But after tasting Shaurya's cooking, it seemed his daughter wasn't going to praise Richa's food anymore.
"I'm glad you liked it. I'll cook more for you... tell me all your favorites", Shaurya said while feeding her another morsel, making Siya giggle excitedly.
After breakfast, Shaurya decided to give Siya a bath.
Since it was his first time handling her bath routine, his mischievous daughter took full advantage of the situation, knowing very well that he was completely unaware of her usual routine.
Almost half an hour later, the father and daughter finally walked out of the washroom.
Siya was wrapped adorably in her fluffy unicorn towel while Shaurya's clothes were completely drenched from top to bottom.
"What's this?", Akansha questioned with a deep frown while looking at the father-daughter duo.
"You woke up? When?", Shaurya questioned back immediately.
"Just a while ago... But tell me, what happened to you? Is this how you bathe a child?", Akansha asked.
Siya giggled seeing her mother grill Shaurya while Akansha narrowed her eyes at her little monster.
"Siya... What did you do?", Akansha asked knowingly, already aware that her daughter had tricked Shaurya somehow.
"Mamabear...", Siya giggled before innocently explaining how she told Shaurya that Akansha always bathed her under the shower and allowed her to play with water.
Shaurya stared at his daughter with his mouth slightly agape.
His four-year-old daughter had successfully tricked him... something no one had managed to do until now.
Well... except his evil mother, his brain reminded him bitterly.
"I'll dress her up... Go and freshen up", Akansha told Shaurya.
"Yeah", he replied before starting to walk away, but she stopped him midway.
"Where are you going?", Akansha asked with a frown.
"To get my clothes. My bag is in the hall", he replied casually.
"I'll get it. You'll wet the floor", she said, and he silently nodded before walking back into the washroom to take a shower.
Akansha dressed Siya while gently scolding her for tricking Shaurya, though internally she felt relieved seeing how normally Siya behaved around him.
At the same time, Akansha also understood that Siya was consciously avoiding the fact that Shaurya was her father.
"Go play with your toys. I'll give clothes to Shaurya and join you", Akansha told her daughter.
Siya nodded immediately before rushing outside toward her toys.
A few minutes later, Akansha knocked on the bathroom door.
Shaurya opened it shortly after and stepped out with only a towel hanging loosely around his waist, his upper body completely bare.
"What the hell, Shaurya? I was about to give you your clothes", Akansha snapped while glaring at him, trying extremely hard not to look at his chest.
"And that's my towel", she added immediately.
"I know... I recognized it by the scent, and that's exactly why I used it. You know I don't like wearing clothes inside the washroom", he replied casually, making her roll her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I don't have a walk-in closet for you", she taunted, indirectly referring to both his current house and ancestral mansion.
"I would prefer your home any day over those lifeless roofs", he replied quietly, his eyes making it clear that he meant every single word.
Then he stepped closer.
Akansha's heartbeat instantly turned erratic.
For a moment, she realized how wrong she had been to assume his proximity no longer affected her.
Because it still did.
Very much.
Even now, simply looking at him standing there in nothing but a towel completely disturbed her senses.
"Shaurya... Don't forget your limits...", she warned harshly.
But the next second, she paused when he gently took the towel lying in her hands, used it to cover his upper body, and stepped back himself.
"I wouldn't dare to...", he replied with a faint smile.
Akansha quickly dropped his clothes on the bed before walking out of the bedroom and shutting the door behind her, making Shaurya chuckle softly.
She was still affected by him.
And she was absolutely terrible at hiding her crimson cheeks.
After getting dressed, Shaurya walked outside and found his wife and daughter completely immersed in drawing.
He quietly walked toward them and sat in front of Siya, who was busy coloring her book.
"Um... I want to color too", Shaurya said while picking up a crayon.
"No...", Siya refused adamantly before immediately snatching the crayon from his hand.
Shaurya pouted dramatically, making his daughter burst into laughter.
A moment later, Siya adorably handed the crayon back to him before planting a tiny kiss on his cheek.
Akansha smiled softly while watching the two of them.
"Siyabear... Why don't you show Shaurya the drawing you made?", Akansha tried encouraging her daughter to open up.
Siya had drawn a family tree which included Akansha, herself, and a man representing her father. But in the drawing, she had made him stand slightly away from them.
Akansha still wanted her to show it to Shaurya nonetheless, hoping Siya would slowly stop avoiding the truth she was trying so hard to escape from.
Siya's giggles slowly faded away.
Quietly, she picked up her coloring book and crayons before walking toward her drawing table.
Akansha released a deep sigh, leaving Shaurya completely puzzled.
"Okay, baby... You keep coloring. Shaurya and I will have breakfast", Akansha said gently, trying to normalize the situation for her daughter.
But all she received in return was a meek little "okay".
"What was that? Why did she suddenly go quiet again?", Shaurya asked once they settled at the breakfast table.
"Her teacher once asked the kids to draw their family. Siya drew herself and me... but she also drew you standing a little far away from us", Akansha explained softly.
"Me as in Shaurya... or her father?", Shaurya asked, confused by everything.
"Her father. She made that drawing before she met you", Akansha clarified quietly.
Then after a brief pause, she continued.
"I had already told her a little about her father... I told her he would meet her in a few years."
Shaurya remained silent for a moment before asking quietly, "Didn't she ask why I hadn't met her already?"
Akansha immediately looked away.
"She did... but I never answered that question properly. I always avoided it because I didn't have the courage to tell her that it was her mother who kept her father unaware of her existence", Akansha admitted guiltily.
"Shhh... It's okay... Don't bring this topic up again, especially around Siya", Shaurya said softly, immediately stopping her.
Akansha looked at him in surprise.
"Let me handle our daughter", he added quietly.
And for the first time in a long while, Akansha simply nodded, trusting him... even she didn't know why.