Chapter Four

He entered her apartment only to find her sprawled on the floor, with her back resting against the bed. The sight in front of him made his heart clench and he swore it ached pretty bad. She wore a slight cut across her jaw and the corner of her mouth bleeding. She had hit hard to sport a swollen ankle.
She vaguely explained that she had slipped across the bathroom floor, while searching for something in the uppermost cabinet which was undoubtedly out of her reach.

Surprisingly her roommate was out of town, so she had reached to her knight in shining armour for help. He was like her personal helpline number, if she didn't know where to reach out for help, he was the only way out for her. When she'd have no one around, the only person she rings up is him.

If this didn't mean anything, he was clueless what did.

He was clueless how one could be careless enough to slip flat on their bathroom floors. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he padded to where she lay. Bending down, he spooned her into his arms and carried her out, directly to hospital, inspite of her protest.

The injuries were minor but he was furious with the mere thought about the injuries being major. His thoughts travelled to the space where his worries multiplied.

She behaved cranky throughout, while he was the one who was supposed to be cranky. She would have now been sporting a fractured leg, had the injury been serious. And if that would have been the case, he would have prepared himself for accusing her of being careless.

Though, her ankle had just sprained, he carried her in his arms. She scrunched her nose in distaste and commented, "You know, it's a minor sprain," not receiving any reply from the concerned person, she poked his shoulder, "Manik," that did the trick. His eyes trailed from the path he was walking on, to hers, "I can walk."

He wasn't going to let her walk, "So?" His concern was that she would stress her ankle and end up hurting it more, while she protested that she would do completely fine. But the question was, whether he really doing this for her hurt ankle?

Somewhere deep down he knew the answer as well, no matter how much his brain chanted that it was just for her well being and not for his selfish heart.

"So?" She yelled throwing her hands up in surrender, "So put me down," she suggested.

Though, her voice held warning, he conveniently ignored it. "I won't."

"You are being bossy," she spat pointedly. A smile crept across his features as her words hit him. Yes, he was bossy; and he'd be for her.

Only for you, he thought.

"If that's what you call being caring, then," he shrugged in fake disappointment. He could change shades with smooth transitions - from being serious to playful, from concerned to mock disappointment - he had mastered it all.

"I wouldn't have to be, if someone wasn't being immature." Her jaws hung open at the insult directed at her, her eyes held his interrogatively as she shook her head at him.
"You just did not call me immature," just like her big round eyes, her words held surprise.

____________

Gently placing her on the bed, he moved back, "Do you want me to stay back?" However, he really wished she allowed. He wasn't willing to leave her alone when she could barely walk with his support. Things were worse with her roommate's absence. For him, choosing to stay back and accompanying her felt like the right thing. Though, no one can ever define what goes through a girl's head, whatever one's intention be.

"Sure," she casually rolled a shoulder into a shrug and added further, "I'd like to have some company when I am bored." Her face broke into a mischievous grin.

A minute later, she turned with a thoughtful expression and said, "Though, you are not going to behave like a bossy jerk who thinks to be in charge of anything and everything?"

His smile widened at her question and he stared into her questioning eyes, "that I can't promise." Before disappearing out of her sight, he playfully winked at her as the pillow she aimed at him went slamming across the adjacent door.