Smiling with pain, Shanaya nodded to something Vansh said, unaware of the context of it. She was there, physically, mentally but not emotionally.
Within a minute, her eyes had lost the shine they had, her heart had lost the happiness she had felt, for some days, her face had lost the smile and, her body had lost the strength of standing.
Listening partially to what all were talking about, noticing Vansh and Avni's concerned looks, ignoring Vihaan's gaze, nodding to Saaransh, she just wished to be somewhere alone, somewhere she could overcome and can heal herself.
She did not hear Avni asking Saaransh "For how many days you will be here?" or Saaransh answer "For a month" but, her attention shifts to the conversation when she heard Saaransh asking "Are you okay, Shana?".
In haste, she spoke," Ummm? Oh, yes! perfectly fine."
Saaransh nodded his head in understanding and replied:" You seemed to be somewhere away".
Faking a smile, Shanaya lied" Oh yes, my mind is full of things I need to do."
But, she knew Vihaan was not buying it, for, she could feel his eyes all over her in the same way police looks at a thief.
She stole glances of Vansh and Avni, who gave her a tight smile and suddenly Vansh spoke up, " Shana, is your head aching, again? Had you taken medicine when I told you?" and signalled her to understand his excuse.
Shanaya, who was waiting for any reason to arrive to excuse herself, start pressing her forehead on either side with her right-hand index finger and thumb and spoke slowly" You know I do not take any medicine, Vansh. It will be over soon" and kept on massaging her forehead.
"Sweetheart, take rest. We do not know when the party will be over. Till when are you going to wait? hmmm...just go and sleep" urging her to go, Avni too joined Vansh and signalled her to go with her eyes.
Standing opposite of Vansh, Avni, Saaransh and beside Shanaya, Vihaan was observing everything that was going on, how Vansh come up with an excuse suddenly and how Avni signalled her to go.
He need not other evident to know something was fishy when he heard Saaransh " One should take care of oneself, Shana. Meet you later once, you will be fine" and saw him bidding her bye and vice versa and, Shana going away from them in the direction of her room, not before taking gulps of water impatiently.
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Shana was too empty to feel anything, to understand anything or to sense where her legs were taking her.
Her mind was either too full or too empty to understand anything. Passing through the long-wide white marble corridor, her right palm grating against the wall, she felt one of the pillars and supporting her with it, she sat down, pressing her knees to her chest.
She did not cry or weep. She just stared blankly at the flower pot in front of her, but, her daze was blurred and, her mind could not even register what it was seeing.
She did not know how to name the feeling she had at that moment.
But she was sure she was not feeling upset or hurt, she was just shocked, emotionless and, not in the state of understanding what was going on.
She was damn sure she would have reacted like that if everything would have been all normal.
But, she could not deny the uncomfortable she had felt the moment she had heard the name 'Saar'.
The moment she had heard his name, she had felt her world moving, her body shaking, her brain going blank, and her heart pounding against her rib, uncontrollably.
Cursing herself, blaming herself, she could not accept the fact his name had such an effect on her till then. She had always thought she had left the pain behind and all the memories that might haunt her, but she was wrong, just like every time.
But, as strong and determined she was, she was not ready to let that painful feeling erupt again, no matter what, she was not going to allow herself to break again.
She had witnessed and felt how difficult it was for her to leave all her past behind.
To move on in her life.
She knew how much struggle she had to do, for it and, she was not ready to waste, her effort.
She was ready to protect herself from all of it again.
She understood she needs to give time to herself to shield herself from the attack this pain was going to give her.
She stood up with a resolution and moved ahead without looking at the path in front of her.
Walking drunkenly, she felt her heart and mind accepting they had no problem with Saaransh on the issue, for, he only shared the nickname. Why would she hate him or feel discomfort around him?
She had liked him for sure and, she admits to herself her problem was just 'Time', which was not letting her forsake the pain, the memories, the feelings.
Engrossed in her thoughts and her mind recalling all the past, she had only passed through another pillar, when she felt a strong hand covering her mouth and pulling.
In a split of seconds, she came face to face with her captivator, whom she was not interested in meeting for a second in her lifetime.
Standing against the wall, hidden behind the pillar, she saw her capturer looking in her eyes which were glaring at him and, then at his right hand that was covering her mouth with his left hand supporting her head from the back.
In a slow-motion but with great pace, he binds her wrists with his left hand that was supporting her head a few seconds earlier, without freeing her mouth, and placed them at the back of her.
That simple step made the distance between them diminished, and proximity accumulated.
Shanaya, whose mind did not register what happened, tried to back away to ease the awkwardness in their position but was immediately pulled by him and she bumped with his chest.
She was not in the position to hate or dislike the situation they were in, for she was already pressed to him, her every curve fitting perfectly with his hard and masculine body.
Frustrated with it, she glared at him, again, ordering him silently to leave her but to no avail, neither he leaves her nor remove hands from her mouth.
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