The room was quiet except for the faint, uneven sound of Aavya's breathing.
She sat at the edge of the bed like someone who didn't belong there—shoulders trembling, head lowered, fingers clutching the fabric of her dress so tightly that her knuckles had turned pale.
It looked as if letting go of that cloth would make her fall apart. "I'm ugly," she whispered.
The words were barely audible, dissolving into the silence before they could fully exist.
For a moment he didn't respond. He simply watched her.
Her lashes were wet, cheeks flushed from crying, lips trembling like she was still fighting the urge to break down completely.
I frowned slightly.
"Who told you that?"
She let out a hollow laugh.
It wasn't a happy sound.
It sounded like something that had been broken too many times.
"Everyone."
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, but the tears kept falling as if her body had decided to betray her.
"When I look in the mirror…" she murmured, her voice shaking, "I see exactly what they see."
Her fingers tightened around the dress.
"Dark skin. Fat cheeks. A stupid girl who thought someone like you would ever look at her."
For a second the room felt colder.
Akshat stepped forward slowly until he stood in front of her.
"You think I care about that?" He asked quietly.
"You should," she muttered without looking up. "Girls around you look like models."
"Aavya."
Akshat's voice came out firmer than before. She hesitated.
Then she slowly raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, but they still held that stubborn spark he had noticed from the very beginning.
"You really don't understand anything, do you?" He said. Her brows furrowed.
Before she could look away again, he reached down and lifted her chin with two fingers. He forced her to meet his gaze.
"You're not ugly."
Her eyes widened immediately.
"You're insecure."
Her lips parted as if she wanted to argue, but no sound came out.
Akshat studied her face carefully.
The soft curve of her cheeks.
The way her lashes trembled. The warmth of her skin under the dim light.
"And those cheeks you hate so much," I added quietly, my thumb brushing against one of them, "aren't a flaw."
She blinked.
"They make you look cute."
Her entire expression froze. "You're lying."
"I don't lie about things I don't care about."
The room fell silent again. A heavy, suffocating kind of silence.
"But I'm still nothing compared to the girls who chase you," she said eventually.
"That's true."
Her face fell instantly.
For a moment he thought she might cry again.
"No one chase me," he continued calmly.
He leaned slightly closer until he could see the confusion in her eyes. "You do." Her lips parted.
"You look at me like I'm something you're not supposed to have." The air between them thickened.
Her breathing became slower, uneven.
"And that," he said quietly, "is what makes you different."
"Akshat…"
Her voice was fragile now.
She leaned forward suddenly and rested her forehead against his chest. Her hands clutched the front of his shirt carefully, almost hesitantly, like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to touch me. For a moment Akshat didn't move. He could feel her warmth through the thin fabric.Her breath brushing faintly against his neck.Her body trembling slightly.
And that was exactly why he stepped back.
Aavya looked up at me immediately.
Confusion flashed across her face.
"What happened?"
Akshat ran a hand through her hair and turned slightly away from her. "This isn't a good idea."
Her expression tightened. "Why?"
He looked at her again. Because the truth was simple. If he crossed this line, there was no returning from it.
"You're emotional right now," he said calmly "You'll regret it tomorrow."
"I won't."
"You will."
She stood up from the bed abruptly.
Now she was right in front of me, her eyes burning with a mixture of anger and desperation.
"You always do this," she said.
"Do what?"
"You act like nothing affects you."
"It doesn't."
"That's a lie!"
Her voice cracked. "You came here tonight. You comforted me. You touched me… and now you're acting like none of it matters?"
He watched her quietly.
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Her hands were shaking again and yet she didn't step back.
He sighed softly.
"You want honesty?"
"Yes." she said.
"Fine."
He stepped closer again until the distance between us almost disappeared. "If I let myself get involved with you physically… things will change."
Her breathing slowed.
"And I don't want that."
Pain flashed across her face which is Sharp and obvious.
"But if you still want to stay by my side," I
Akshat continued, his voice turning colder, darker, "there's only one way."
She frowned. "What way?"
Aether looked straight into her eyes. And this time he didn't soften the words. "Become my propert entirely."
The words settled heavily in the room.
Her eyes widened in disbelief."What…?"
"You heard me." He didn't break eye contact.
"If you stay with me, you follow my rules, that's my true nature.. as a fu*king animal." His voice was calm and controlled.
"No expectations. No complaints."
Her hands trembled slightly. "You're joking. Right?"
"I never joke about things like this."The silence stretched between them.
Long.
Heavy.
Then Aavya did something he didn't expect.
She stepped closer."So that's your condition?"
"Yes."
Her eyes searched mine as if trying to see something hidden behind them. "And if I accept?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was simple.
He had already lost control the moment he stepped into this room tonight.
Finally, Aether spoke quietly.
"Then you won't be able to run away later."
Aavya took another step closer.
Now we were only inches apart. He could feel her breath.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I wasn't planning to."
And for the first time that night… Aether realized she might be far more dangerous to me than he had expected.
Then he lick her cheeks and said "Be ready, the first time, it may be painfull to you".
"Yes.... Fu*k me all night, master."
End of ch 29
To be continue...
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