Chapter 17: The Ghost of a Spark
A month had passed since the rain-slicked metal and the smell of antiseptic. My physical wounds had healed, leaving only a faint, silvery scar near my hairline—a permanent reminder of the night the ice finally cracked.
Life in the mansion had settled into a strange, quiet rhythm. True to his word, Advik was "just a friend." He checked on my recovery, he shared quiet breakfasts with me, and he never once tried to touch me or claim me. But the silence between us wasn't empty; it was heavy with everything we weren't saying.
It was Friday night. Aman was waiting at the end of the driveway. He had been patient, but I could tell he was eager to reclaim the time we had lost.
I found Advik in the library, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows. He wasn't reading. He was just watching the moon reflect off the dark pool outside.
"Advik?" I said softly.
He turned. He looked tired. The sharp edges of his tailored suit seemed to weigh more heavily on his shoulders lately. "You look nice, Ananya."
"Aman is here," I said, twisting the hem of my silk wrap. "I... I wanted to ask if I could go out tonight. We're going to that new exhibit at the museum."
Advik stared at me for a long beat. The "emotionless" mask he had perfected over the last month flickered.
"Mmmm..." He hummed, a low sound that vibrated in the quiet room. He looked away, then back at me. "Okay. Go."
I nodded, turning to leave, but his voice stopped me.
"But come back before 12:00 AM."
I paused, heart skipping a beat. I turned around to see him watching me. For the first time in weeks, the dead, grey look in his eyes was gone. In its place was a sharp, green flash of something raw—something that looked dangerously like the old Advik.
His jaw was clenched tight, and the pulse in his neck was thrumming. He wasn't shouting, but his eyes were screaming. He was jealous. He was fighting every instinct he had to lock the doors and keep me there.
"Twelve?" I whispered. "That's... that's early."
"It's late enough," he snapped, his voice regaining its lethal edge for just a second before he caught himself. He cleared his throat and looked at his watch. "The city isn't safe after midnight. My men will be watching the perimeter. Don't make them wait."
"Are you... are you okay with this, Advik?" I asked, stepping closer.
He turned his back to me again, but I saw the way his fingers gripped the edge of the mahogany desk until the wood groaned.
"I gave you my word, didn't I?" he said, his voice strained. "One year. Just... be back by midnight, Ananya. Please."
I walked out of the room, my skin tingling. Aman was waiting with a smile and a bouquet of lilies, but as I got into his car, I couldn't stop thinking about that look in Advik's eyes.
He was trying so hard to let me go, but the monster was still in there, pacing behind the bars of the "friendship" he had promised me. And for some reason, the thought of him sitting alone in that library, counting the minutes until midnight, made it impossible for me to focus on anything Aman was saying.
The date had barely started, and I was already checking my watch.