SWNOVELS Chapter 20: Possessive of You
Mikalya's P.O.V
"Wow, this place is bigger than I expected it to be." I looked around in wonder.
My words echoed through the ruins and I suddenly had a thought that I most definitely didn't want to share with Abhay.
Since this place was used by young lovers to 'frolic' was the echo one of the main reasons they came here? So they could listen to their moans echo through the ruins as they made sweet love in the shadows of this palace.
But despite the naughty thought, I was enjoying the place very much. The tall ornate pillars suggested that this was carved from a single stone, and the designs, or whatever was left of it, was made by skillful hands that loved their craft. The sun filtered in through the numerous cracks on the ceiling and the huge chunks that had collapsed a long time ago. Despite the dangerous appearance to the place, it still looked sturdy and peaceful.
We walked in deeper and deeper, looking at all the places that once held relics and decorations that the modern world may never get to see.
"Oh look, come and stand in front of this boulder, i think it'll be a good spot to take pictures," Abhay stopped suddenly, fumbling with the strap of his bag as he tried to get his camera.
It was indeed a picturesque area and as I walked towards where he pointed, trying to strike a pose that I thought would be 'cute', Abhay shook his head and told me how to pose, and in which direction to look as I heard the shutter going off continuously.
As we continued walking further, laughing at the several things we saw, I realized that for the first time in decades, I could actually breathe easily. There were no restrictions holding me back, no more worries or memories hunting my mind. My laugh was free, without any reservations and I started to enjoy myself as I posed for Abhay.
I twirled under the sunlight coming in from one of the cracks in the ceiling and the resulting picture that Abhay showed me was absolutely stunning. The sunlight had caught onto the glass work in my ghagra and scattered it in all directions, illuminating the small room that we had decided to stop by.
I couldn't deny the fact that I was having the time of my life with Abhay, here in these derelict ruins of a forgotten palace. I loved seeing random names of couples on the pillars, there seemed to be more names as we walked further into the ruins, suggesting that this was a true lover's nest and no stone had been left unturned in such an area.
"As much as I love this place, I could surely use some food right about now," I chuckled.
I hadn't had a really big lunch and I hadn't thought that we'd be going out of town. But now that it was almost evening, the sun was starting to set and I was starting to feel my stomach protest and it was about time we headed back to town. Once it was dark, it would be difficult for him to navigate the direction. After all, there weren't any street lamps in the desert.
"Oh! Hold on a bit!" Abhay looked up from his camera to point towards the exit. "Do you want to eat here or in the car?"
"Don't tell me you brought food?" I raised my eyebrows at him.
"I might... have..." he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and I knew he had prepared ahead for this date.
"You know what? Let's eat here." I shrugged. "It's cool and shaded, it'll be a lot better than eating out in the car when the sun is still up and that metal can had been sitting out there for hours already."
I didn't want to insult the car, but as a wolf, I did find them to be a hindrance more often than not. I preferred to run on my own feet, to feel the air against my fur as the wind gushed past me.
"Okay...give me a second, I will just-"
"No, let's go back together," I told him before he could finish his sentence. "I'll help you bring out whatever food you have."
He tried to protest, but when I walked past him in the direction of the exit, he had no choice but to follow me like a lost puppy.
On getting to the car, I popped the trunk, grinning from ear to ear when I found out that in fact, Abhay hadn't only brought food, but he had even brought a picnic basket for us so that we could have our food together.
I couldn't even remember the last time I had had a picnic. Was I getting so engrossed in my past that I had almost forgotten to live my life in the now?
"You are a lifesaver, you know that right?" I grinned, taking out the basket from the trunk.
We set it out, finding a clearing close to the edge of the cliff where the ruins sat. As we dug in, enjoying the meal, a question popped up in my head.
"Abhay, what are you going to do with the photos that you took? Are you going to publish them in some kind of magazine?" I asked curiously.
Swallowing, he took another bite of his food before downing it with some of the local palm wine he had brought along.
"Well, these photos...they aren't for publishing," he admitted, lowering his eyes as I saw him hesitate before answering. "They're for my...umm...personal collection."
I almost spit out the sip of my own drink that I had just taken. Abhay's sudden boldness caught me off guard, but then I did remember him becoming more courageous when drunk. He wasn't drunk yet today, but the alcohol was surely making itself known.
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"Wow, I knew you were kinky, but...damn!" I smirked, teasing him a bit just to see him fumble. "This is a whole new level."
But instead of his usual shy, stuttering demeanor, he looked up into my eyes, holding my gaze as he spoke next.
"It's not kinky, it's called being possessive." He said fearlessly. "I don't want to share your laughter, you happiness with anyone else. If they see it, they will want to be with you...and I don't want that to happen." Something inside me just...stilled.
I stared at Abhay, taken aback by the possessiveness in his eyes as he continued to hold my gaze. My wolf liked it, because that gaze wasn't a challenge...it was a way for it to know that its mate wasn't a coward who would run at the first sight of danger.
"Mikalya, I might be new to flirting but that doesn't mean I'm new to being possessive." He added. "It's why I don't want anyone to see your pictures, because I'm afraid that if more people know about you...they'll try to take you away from me."
I felt a pang of guilt wash over me as I realized that after tomorrow...I will never see him again. Was it really alright to leave without saying a proper goodbye? Was it really alright to let him keep guessing that what we had or what we felt wasn't genuine?
But my hands were tied. And time was definitely not on my side. So the best thing I could do, was give him tonight. It was all we had left.
"Abhay," I sighed. "It's not easy for people or anyone for that matter to take me away because I don't belong to anyone. I'm a free person who can choose who I want to be with and once I've chosen, I cannot be taken away."
As I said each word, I stared deep into his eyes so he would understand what I was saying. He seemed awestruck by me, which wasn't uncommon, people usually had that reaction towards me. But with Abhay, everything felt different. "How did your previous relationship end?" he asked out of the blue, startling me yet again.
Blinking at the complete randomness of the question, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. He went from being all possessive one minute to being concerned about my previous relationship. The switch was crazy, albeit spontaneous and I couldn't help but find it funny.
"Will you feel possessive of me if I tell you?" I asked, taking a bite from my food.
"I guess?" He looked confused himself, like he too was just realizing the randomness of his question. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries. I'm just curious about everything related to you and I want to know more because you are a very intriguing woman."
I debated for a second as to how much I should tell him, but then decided to go with half truths, since it was the best way to keep him away from uncharted territories.
"Well, my previous boyfriend got possessive as well and he couldn't watch me succeed, couldn't believe that I could live independently without being dependent on him; so he started being abusive that's why I had to leave." I shrugged. What I left out was that when that jerk had tried to hit me, hating the fact that I didn't need his 'permission' to do shit, I hadn't just hit back. I had made sure that he would never be able to use that hand again. Not to hurt another woman, or to do anything else with it. My only regret was that I had to work with only broken bones, instead of ripping his hands clean off of him.
"Why the hell would he do that?" Abhay barked out.
I started at him with raised eyebrows, amused yet touched that he would feel defensive of me upon hearing the story of my past.
"Who is this person? Give me a name so I can take care of him," he growled.
I couldn't help but smile at his cuteness and his courage in wanting to defend me but I didn't want him to worry about me. I was the big bad wolf that he needed to be worried about.
"Don't worry about me Abhay, I am perfectly capable of taking care of things myself and besides, it all happened a long time ago so I'm definitely over that," I smiled.
He didn't seem satisfied with my answer but he nodded anyway. After all it was all in the past and there wasn't any need to dwell on it.
"I just...want to be there for you," he sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
I placed my hand on his, feeling the warmth of his body seep into mine, warming the parts of my heart that I had long thought frozen. But I didn't pull away from him.
"I know. The only way you can be there for me is to stop worrying about me okay? I am totally fine and nothing would ever take me away...."
I couldn't bring myself to complete the statement because I didn't want to make a promise I wouldn't be able to keep.
He picked up my hand, kissed my palm gently, before he looked up into my eyes. And in the depts of that golden-brown that I had come to like so much...I saw an emotion that scared the hell out of me... Love...