Chapter 10 The Rules
"No."
The answer came out calmer than Aarohi Mehra actually felt.
For one second, absolute silence filled the room.
Then Ekansh Rathore's expression changed slightly.
Not rage.
Worse.
Disappointment.
Like he genuinely expected her to come.
Vivaan looked ready to celebrate.
"Wonderful," he said quickly. "Healthy boundaries. Love that."
Nobody paid attention to him.
Ekansh's eyes stayed fixed on Aarohi.
"Why?"
"Because you're asking your psychologist to accompany you to a mafia interrogation."
"That sounds reasonable to me."
"It absolutely does not."
A dangerous pause followed.
Then he stepped closer slowly despite the pain clearly pulling at his injuries.
"You said my trauma gets worse when I lose control."
"Yes."
"You calm it."
Aarohi's chest tightened annoyingly.
Because he wasn't manipulating her.
He genuinely believed what he was saying.
And that honesty made him harder to resist psychologically.
"You cannot become dependent on one person for emotional regulation," she explained carefully.
"Why not?"
"Because if they leave, you collapse."
Silence.
Something dark flickered in his gaze.
"Then they shouldn't leave."
The intensity in his voice sent a strange chill down her spine.
Not romantic.
Possessive.
Absolute.
Vivaan immediately stepped between the conversation before things became even more psychologically concerning.
"Okay," he announced nervously, "that sentence definitely belongs in therapy."
Ekansh looked annoyed.
Aarohi, however, stayed focused.
"You need coping mechanisms beyond me."
"No."
"You don't even want to try?"
Another silence.
Then finally—
"I don't want quiet from anyone else."
The room stilled again.
Because that sentence felt too intimate.
Too raw.
Too honest.
Aarohi looked away first this time.
Big mistake.
The second her gaze broke from his, Ekansh's expression darkened slightly.
Like he disliked losing her attention even for a moment.
This was escalating rapidly.
Before anyone could continue, Aarohi's phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
Patient consultation.
"I have to work."
Immediately:
"When will you come back?"
The possessiveness in the question made Vivaan physically tired.
Aarohi exhaled slowly.
"Ekansh."
"What?"
"You cannot ask where I am every second."
"Why?"
Vivaan muttered, "Because society."
Ignored again.
Aarohi stepped closer now, voice calm but firm.
"If this arrangement continues, we need rules."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Rules?"
"Yes."
"I don't like rules."
"That's unfortunate."
Vivaan nearly smiled.
This woman truly feared nothing.
Aarohi continued professionally.
"Rule one — no controlling behavior."
"I don't control you."
"You literally asked me to follow you to a warehouse interrogation."
"Request."
"That wasn't a request."
He thought about it briefly.
"...Fair."
Progress.
Tiny progress.
"Rule two," Aarohi continued, "you don't skip treatment."
"No injections."
"No unnecessary injections."
His jaw tightened.
Trauma response again.
Aarohi softened her tone slightly.
"I'll always tell you before any procedure."
He watched her carefully.
"Promise?"
The single word hit unexpectedly hard.
Because it sounded less like a mafia lord and more like the terrified eighteen-year-old boy from his memories.
Aarohi nodded once.
"I promise."
Something in his expression eased instantly.
Vivaan noticed it too.
Terrifying.
Her words affected him far too deeply already.
"Rule three," Aarohi continued quickly before emotions became dangerous again, "you do not threaten hospital staff."
"They're scared of me anyway."
"That's not an excuse."
Silence.
Then reluctantly—
"Fine."
Vivaan almost applauded.
This was historical.
Nobody negotiated with Ekansh Rathore successfully.
Nobody.
Then Aarohi added the most important rule.
"And rule four..."
His eyes stayed on her.
"You do not make me your entire world."
The room went quiet.
Ekansh stared at her for a very long time.
Expression unreadable.
Then finally—
"Too late."
The words landed softly.
Honestly.
And somehow that made them infinitely more dangerous.
Aarohi felt her heartbeat stutter once unexpectedly.
Because for the first time since meeting him...
She realized something terrifying.
He wasn't exaggerating.
At all.
Before she could respond, another sharp pain hit Ekansh suddenly.
His body tensed.
One hand pressed instinctively against the bandaged wound near his ribs.
Blood slowly began staining through again.
Aarohi's doctor instincts immediately overpowered everything else.
"Sit down."
"I'm fine."
"You are actively bleeding."
"Still fine."
"Ekansh."
Something about her tone finally worked.
He sat.
Reluctantly.
Aarohi moved closer to examine the reopened wound.
The moment her fingers touched his shirt near the bandages, his breathing changed subtly.
Not panic.
Awareness.
His eyes never left her face while she worked.
Intense enough to burn.
Vivaan watched the entire scene with growing concern.
Not because of attraction.
Attraction was manageable.
This?
This looked like a starving man finding oxygen.
Aarohi carefully adjusted the dressing around his ribs.
"You need rest."
"I rested."
"For three hours."
"Enough."
"No."
He looked at her quietly for a moment.
Then unexpectedly—
"Stay tonight again."
The softness of the request caught her off guard.
Not command.
Not demand.
Just... asking.
Like he already knew she was becoming the only thing keeping his nightmares away.
And maybe the scariest part?
A small part of Aarohi already knew she would say yes.