Ch31The Beginning of Rudravanya #4
Rudraksh immediately thought that perhaps she had felt uncomfortable because of how close he had pulled her earlier. He instantly removed his hand from her back and said softly, "Sorry. If you felt bad, I didn't mean it that way. I had no such intention."
Hearing that, Rivanya broke down and shook her head. "That's not it..."
Rudraksh frowned and asked worriedly, "Then what is it, Sugarplum? Why are you crying? Did someone say something to you?"
Rivanya shook her head. "No." Rudraksh asked again, "Did you get hurt somewhere?"
Once more she shook her head. Now genuinely concerned, Rudraksh held both her shoulders and said, "Then tell me what happened, Rivanya."
Rivanya could no longer stop herself. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered, "Rudra... seeing you in that condition... I was terrified. I thought... I thought you might leave me too..."
The fear and pain in her voice shattered whatever restraint Rudraksh had left.
Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest.
Wrapping his arms around her as much as his injuries allowed, he said softly, "Nothing happened to me, Rivanya. Look at me. I'm alright now. You don't need to worry. I'm right here with you."
Rivanya remained in his embrace, finding comfort in his warmth and heartbeat.
After a few moments she slowly lifted her head and looked at him.
Rudraksh was about to say something when she gently placed her small palm over his lips and whispered, "Can we forget everything for a little while? Don't think about anything. Just you and me... nothing else."
Hearing her words, Rudraksh simply nodded.
He didn't argue. He didn't question her.
For once, he was content just being with her.
Rivanya picked up the glass of water beside the bed and carefully helped him drink.
Even while drinking, Rudraksh couldn't stop looking at her.
Never before had he felt this way about anyone.
In fact, no one had ever managed to get this close to him.
Yet Rivanya was slowly breaking down the walls he had spent years building around his heart, and the truth was that those walls had already begun crumbling long before he realized it.
After helping him drink, Rivanya placed the glass aside and noticed a single droplet of water slipping from the corner of his lips, trailing down his neck toward his chest.
Without even realizing what she was doing, she raised her hand and gently wiped the droplet away with her fingertip.
Rudraksh simply stared at her. He had always been a master of self-control, but today something felt different.
Something was slipping beyond his control.
Completely unaware of the effect she was having on him, Rivanya used the edge of her saree pallu to wipe away the remaining trace of water from his chest.
The moment she looked up and met his gaze, her eyes immediately dropped.
Her cheeks turned red and she suddenly became conscious of how close they were.
Rudraksh noticed every detail. A smile tugged at his lips. Leaning slightly closer to her, he lowered his voice and whispered near her ear, "And that's exactly why I call you a tomato, my Sugarplum."
The instant those words reached her ears, her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. Seeing her blush like that, Rudraksh couldn't help smiling, and for the first time since waking up, the room felt lighter, warmer, and strangely peaceful.
The two were completely lost in each other when, without knocking, Vyom, Dev, and Raaj walked into the room to check on Rudraksh. Seeing them so close, all three immediately turned around and said, "We didn't see anything..."
Hearing their voices, Rivanya and Rudraksh quickly moved away from each other. Rivanya stood up at once and said, "It's not what you're thinking. Come in..."
Rudraksh cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, and have you all sold your manners somewhere? Couldn't you knock before entering? You scared your Bhabhi."
The three turned back and walked inside.
"Wow," Dev said. "Brother is no longer a brother, friend is no longer a friend."
Vyom smirked and said, "You've changed, idiot. Marriage finally got to you too, huh?"
Meanwhile, Rivanya was dying of embarrassment. She felt as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
Rudraksh rolled his eyes and said, "Done with your nonsense?"
Rivanya quickly adjusted the pillow behind Rudraksh's back and helped him sit comfortably.
Vyom's expression turned serious. "Leave all that. Are you okay now?"
Raaj nodded. "Yeah, Bhaisa. Is the pain still bad?"
Rudraksh replied, "Don't worry. I'm fine."
Dev immediately said, "Bhaisa, you missed something yesterday. You should've seen how Bhabhisa saved you. She literally took down one of your enemies."
Rudraksh looked at Rivanya and said, "Really? I had no idea my wife was the Queen of Jhansi."
The moment that incident was mentioned again, everything flashed before Rivanya's eyes. The blood. The trident. The terror. The fear of losing Rudraksh.
Her face instantly lost color.
Not wanting anyone to notice, she forced a small smile and said, "I'll just go outside for a minute."
Before anyone could stop her, she quickly left the room.
Everyone noticed the change in her behavior.
Rudraksh frowned and asked, "What happened? Did something happen to Rivanya? Tell me the truth. Don't hide anything from me."
Vyom remained silent for a moment before saying, "You should focus on recovering first. We'll talk about it later."
Rudraksh's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not. When it comes to Rivanya, I don't get to be irresponsible. Tell me what happened, Vyom."
The room fell silent.
------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for today! I hope you're enjoying this story.
If you are, please don't forget to vote and leave a comment-it truly motivates me to post new chapters faster.
And to all the silent readers, it's time to show your support-vote, share your love for the story, and add it to your reading list.
Keep reading Rudravanya, and let's continue this journey together!"
-Lime
Stay tuned ??
Happy reading ??