******

My heart loathed me.

I crushed our budding feelings at that very moment.

She moved back with tears-filled eyes, unable to believe my word.

"Bela" I whispered, trying to hold her.

She stepped back, showing her palm. " It... It's fine M...Mahir Ji. I don't even know why I said this. Just forget it...it was out of extreme emotions. I am sorry", she roughly wiped her tears.

"Bela... It's... "

"I am fine Mahir Ji. Let's go " She almost ran past me.

And that was the last time she talked to me because after that she avoided me like a plague.

She acted as if I didn't exist. She would walk before me, we fought with enemies together but she didn't even look at me.

When I was hurt, she came near me, healed me but didn't talk to me.

Talk? Hell, she didn't even properly glance at me.

~ yes of course she should kiss you for hurting her feelings.

Stop being sarcastic. I didn't want to hurt her.

Her tears made my heart ache. Her sad eyes pricked my heart every second. And I was the reason for her being upset disappointed me to the core.

I sighed, looking down I found Gracious gracious sitting on my shoulder, facing another side.

She too didn't glance at me. She scoffed at me instead.

I was sure, she wanted to bite me but controlled herself.

This time, the ground split into two and sharp nails came up from it. They looked deadly. It was haunting to move even an inch but we did, we did and managed to rotate the 22nd wheel.

Only I know how frightened I was while crossing them with high and long jumps. Even a slight mistake and the nails would have split me into multiple pieces.

Cheerful giggling broke my chain of thoughts, I looked in the direction to find Bela and gracious sitting ten feet away from me, giggling at something looking at the waterfall.

When did gracious went to her?

Gracious waved her tail to which Bela kissed her forehead.

She didn't kiss me since then.

~let's pretend you didn't destroy it all with your tongue.

Shut up.

~whatever

She glanced at me for merely a second and turned her head to another side when she found me already looking at her.

I sighed.

I deliberately fell down a few times, hurting my limbs but she just healed them.

JUST HEALED THEM WITHOUT LOOKING AT ME.

Huh!

I couldn't take her silence.

I crawled to her side quickly, tapped her shoulder but she and gracious, both didn't respond.

Bela tried to get up but I caught her wrist.

"I am hurt. Treat me"

~and that was the best you could come up with? I am going to hide. I am not a part of you.

"P... Please treat me " I smiled awkwardly at her.

She sat beside me, I forwarded my hand which got just a scratch.

She was about to keep her palm on the scratch but I moved my palm a little away.

She again tried to hold my hand and I again moved it.

I thought she will get irritated and shout at me, but she didn't.

She calmly sat there.

"Bela" I called her but she was looking at gracious, pretending as if she didn't heard me.

" Bela, please talk to me. It's been so long you are not talking to me. I can't take your silence " I pleaded but all my pleading fell on deaf ears.

"Gracious tell 'an unknown guy ' to show me his hand so that I can treat his hand" She said to gracious.

Of course, the message was directed to me.

Indirect talking it is then.

Gracious looked at me, closed her eyes, and started her gibberish.

I chuckled at her and fortunately, Bela too smiled.

~sadly you are not the reason for that smile.

Rolling my eyes at my conscience, "gracious tell ' a sweet someone ' to talk to me. I know I have hurt her but at least she can give me a chance to explain" I said looking at Bela.

Gracious looked at Bela.

"Gracious tell him, I don't want an explanation. Just two wheels are left and then we both will be on our separate ways." Bela turned away. Her voice was hardly audible.

"Gracious tell her, if only two wheels are left then we should talk nicely. And maybe we can find a middle way ."

"Gracious. . . . " She was about to say but gracious screamed loudly.

We both looked at her to find her angrily glaring at us.

She said something in her gibberish and sat down, turning around.

Did we just got scolded by a squirrel?

Bela and I looked at each other.

She tried to get up again but I caught her wrist quickly pulling her to me.

I lied down on the grass with her above me.

Her eyes widened in shock. She tried to get up, I flipped us, caging her beneath me.

Her lips curved in a perfect O, her eyes widened further in surprise.

Our hearts were beating loudly, I looked at her pretty face, my eyes traveled down from her luminous eyes to button nose and finally settled on her luscious pink lips.

What a fascinating beauty!

"M... Mahir Ji... L...Leave me " I never realized I was staring at her for long.

"No, finally you are talking to me" I whispered, putting her hair strand behind her ear.

"My heart tingles every time you say my name" I said, rubbing my nose on her cheek.

Her cheeks started getting red, and finally, I did for which I was craving for a long time.

I kissed her soft cheek, she visibly shivered at our intimate contact. She was continuously battling her eyes in nervousness, her mouth was opening and closing but words didn't leave her lips.

I smiled at her, before angling my face to kiss her another cheek.

My heart fluttered as my lips touched her cotton skin.

I could feel the heat crawling behind my ears.

"W... Why are you making me feel like this when you don't feel the same, Mahir Ji? " She said with glassy eyes.

"Bela...

" Don't play with me mahir ji. Please. " She tried to push my hand away.

"Because I feel much more than that" I blurted out urgently which made her stop her actions.

"I feel like I want to hide you away from all the miseries, keep you protected in my arms. I want to keep you close to me. Very close.
When you don't talk to me, I feel like some useless shit. I get scared when you get even a scratch. I can't see you in tears especially when I am the reason, it just pierces my heart. I want you to be an addiction to my family. I always want to see you happy. I always want to see you smiling, it gives me tingles. I feel more... But I just don't know how to put it in words"

I said before hiding my face in her neck.

"Mahir Ji " She wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Bela, what will happen on the last wheel? Did your parents tell you? Are we going to get separated? If that's the case is there any middle way? " I asked desperately.

She didn't say anything.

"Bela " I shook her.

"How do I tell you, Mahir Ji? Just like you, I don't know anything. I just know you are here because of the ring, which belongs to me. My parents just tell me about wheel location. Just like you, I am clueless.

And I kept saying that I will tell you everything when the right time will come just to keep you sane. Otherwise, you must have blasted me with your anger" She said sadly.

I smiled at her.

"I would have never scolded you"

"Lier"

"Whatever" I rolled my eyes at her to which she showed me her tongue.

"Wait! You said what? the ring belongs to you? "

"Yes, that's my ring. Now don't ask me how you got here with a mere ring and all that because I don't know" She rolled her eyes at me.

"Fine. I won't ask you" I chuckled at her.

"Now get off " She said turning her head away.

"Why? I don't have any problem " I nuzzled in her neck.

She got more red.

Nervously meeting my intense gaze, she pointed towards Gracious, who still sat facing another side.

Obedient much

I got off Bela, Not before kissing her cheek again.

I clicked my fingers on Gracious's tail, she jumped in fear. She turned around only to glare at me.

I picked her up, kissed her forehead, and like every time she melted.

We both chuckled at her cute antics.

But not for long, as we heard a loud sound...
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Please ignore grammatical mistakes.

Thanks for reading❤.