Chapter 58: chapter 58

SRUTHIMy palms are sweaty as I run through the corridor. The sound of footsteps follows me. I don't dare to turn back. I am afraid of the assassin on my trail. My foot makes contact with something hard and I trip on the floor. The floor is dusty and my white top becomes dirty with the dust. I try to get up from the floor but something stops me. It is like invisible hands are clutching my body and not allowing me to get up. My body doesn't cooperate with me. A black figure comes into my vision. I struggle against the invisible forces. But no amount of struggling releases me from the invisible clutch. The black figure comes near me. Ice spreads in veins. A chilling fear grips me at his cruel laughter. He takes something out of his pocket. It is a knife. The sharp blade glints in light as he slowly slits my throat. I can feel the knife cut my skin and the blood ooze from it. I wake up with a heavy gasp. I put my palms on my throat to find it dry with no blood. There is no blood flow or any wound on it.Relax! It was just a nightmare. The room is dark and the only sound is the AC running. I wipe away the sweat from my forehead. The AC is kept at a low temperature, so why am I sweating? My ears pick up even the slightest of sounds in the quiet house. As I sit listening in the dark room, my thoughts reel on the dream I had. What if there is an assassin hiding in here? What if he is waiting for an opportunity to kill me? What if I am stabbed to death in sleep?I turn on the night lamp and the room is flooded with warm light. I scan the room for anything suspicious. There is nothing unusual. I turn off the light but as soon the lights go off, the stark fear grips me. I had no trouble falling asleep in the hospital because Madhav was there with me in my room. His presence reassured me that I was safe. I fall on the bed and try sleeping. I count numbers in my head. Fifty-fiveFifty-sixFifty-sevenFifty-eightFifty-nineSixt—THUD!My heart stops for a moment and a scream is on my tongue. I quickly grab my phone and switch on the flash. I point it in the direction of the sound. A book is lying on the floor near my study table.It should have been placed carelessly. Nothing to worry! Don’t be silly. There is no one in this room.I try to reassure myself but the fear's grip is stronger. I know it is all a figment of my imagination. No one is in my room except for me but I can't convince my subconscious mind about it. It keeps making nothing out of something.Squaring my shoulders, I grab my blankets and my mobile phone. I need to rest to recover. Only if I recover, can I learn to protect myself. But to rest, I need to sleep without any nightmares or fear. I don't think I will be able to fall asleep in my room alone.I stand before Madhav's room rehearsing what I should tell him once I knock on the door. It takes me a solid ten minutes to prepare the speech. I even know what to tell him if he refuses me. I hope he won’t refuse me. He might get angry at me for disturbing his sleep this late at night. But, I need his help and I am not going to shy away from asking him.“Do you need something, Sruthi?” a voice asks from behind me. I let out a gasp in shock and turned to find Madhav standing near the couch with dishevelled hair and sleepy eyes. I look behind him to see a blanket on the couch. Don’t tell me he was sleeping on the couch in the living room.“Why are you sleeping on the couch?” I ask pointing to the blankets and his phone on the coffee table.“I won’t hear you calling me for help from my room. So, I am sleeping here.”My heart flutters because he is nothing but sweet to me from the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital. He cares for me and does everything to make my recovery a smooth and easy one. Never once have I seen him flinch or sigh in tiredness for taking care of me.   “You still haven’t answered my question. Do you need something?”“Yes,” I answer thinking again about how to phrase the words. How to tell him that I need him to be with me for a peaceful sleep.“What do you need?”“You,” I answer ditching all tactics of subtility. Madhav’s eyes darken and flash with some emotions that I can’t name. His Adam apple bobs as he swallows. When he talks again, his voice is thick and deep, “I am sorry, but I think that I misheard you. Can you please repeat it?”“What did you hear?” I ask walking towards him. He stands frozen in the same place with his eyes pinned on me.“I heard you utter a single word ‘you’,” he replies.“You heard me all right,” I say closing the last step between us. I am standing right in front of him with a little space between us. Up closer, I find his eyes’ shade to be a stormy grey. I am captivated by the colour of his eyes. They say grey is a rare shade in eye colours. “Sruthi,” Madhav’s voice is frustrated. “Be clear. I don’t understand.”“There is nothing to misunderstand in this Madhav. I can’t sleep alone in my room. I am still scared of an intruder hiding in there. I think I can sleep better with you in there. So, can you sleep in my room?”Madhav looks speechless for a few moments, “You want me to share a room with you?”I shake my head, “No. I want you to share a bed with me.”❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥