faked it all

Nayera winched as she stood on her feet. They looked at her feet for a second. They were starting to turn a bit red.

She bit her lip as she closed her eyes for a second. ‘I deserve this pain for making you cry Nihalika, I deserve this for hurting you,’ she said to herself, but not even a single tear slid down her eyes.

“What happened?” Kush asked when he saw her distracted. They were standing outside against the bowknot of the car.

“Hmm?” Nayera did not hear what he said. She faked a smile on her lips as she turned her gaze at him.

“You look distracted, what happened?” He asked, folding his arms in front of his chest as he gave all his attention to her.

“Nothing, just thinking about the next step of this plan,” She replied with a lie as he looked into her eyes.

“Has anyone ever told you your eyes don’t lie while your lips do,” he said as her lips parted and her eyes stared back at him. She could not believe he could read her eyes. No one has ever been able to read her eyes.

“Wh—what?” She uttered as she looked at him.

“Tell me the truth,” he demanded; for a second Nayera’s body obliged his order, her eyes moistened without her knowledge.

“See your eyes do not lie to me,” he said as he hunched his back a little and put himself down at her eye level.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Nayear said as she looked away. Her toe started burning in pain as she winched again.

“Era—“ Kush was about to ask her when his eyes fell on her bleeding toe.

“What the fuck!” He said as he looked at her. Nayera held his hand as she stood up straight, the last guy on the team who was directly going to raise the demand walked towards them.

“Half of the work is done, mam,” he said as he stood in front of Nayera.

Nayera nodded and opened her clutch and gave him the card of the account of his name.

“Your amount and nothing of this should reach anyone’s ears,” She ordered before she put the card back in his hands.

“My lips are sealed mam,” he said before she walked off.

Kush did not waste any more time as he put one arm beneath her legs and another on her back to support her.

“What are you doing Kush!” She asked as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. He made her sit on the bonnet of the car and touched her legs.

“Kush!” she warned him as he took off her heels.

“Are you stupid or what?” he asked when he saw her feet bathed in blood.

“That is nothing,” Nayera said but closed her eyes as soon as he tried to pull the bandage off her toe.

“Fuck!” he cursed before walking back to the car. “Does this car have a first-aid kit or not?” he asked, looking everywhere in the car.

“Yeah,“ She said as he came out with a first-aid kit in his hands. He put the other heel of her foot before keeping her legs on the bowknot.

“Are you an idiot or what Era? This has become infected!” He said as he looked at the blue hue on her toe.

“Kush, it's nothing serious!” She said, but as soon as he tried to pull off the bandage a hiss escaped her lips.

“It's nothing,” He copied her tone and then her winch as she glared at him.

“Stop it's hurting!” She said as she slapped his hand as soon as he pulled off the bandage again, this time it was completely off her skin.

Her toe was bleeding because of the pressure she had put on it for the last 4 hours. “Look how bad the bleeding is,” he said before picking her back in his arms as she encircled her arms around his neck again.

“Kush, I am not the gym equipment that you are carrying me again and again,” she said as he put her in the passenger seat.

“You shut up okay, “he said, closing the door on her before he got into the driver’s side and drove away.

“At least tell me where you are driving me to. I should know if you are going to be all serial killer on me,” She said, but Kush replied with just a glare.

Nayera bit her lower lip before she silently stood on the seat, winching whenever the car shook a little. Her toe was aching really badly now.

Kush stopped in front of a fancy-looking house as Nayera frowned, “Kush, don’t you think you should be dropping me back to my apartment rather than taking me to this fancy building?” She asked as he drove through the metal doors and stopped the car.

“Shut up Era,” he said, before walking to the other side and opening the door to her side, and picking her up in his arms again.

“Kurwar sa,” an attendee greeted them as Nayera looked at Kush, “don’t tell them this is your palace!” she whispered and yelled at him as he nodded his head.

“You can all leave,” he said to the staff, who nodded and retired to their quarters.

“Kush, are you going to reply to anything I ask or should I walk away from here?” she asked as she tried to stand up but her injured foot did not let her. Instead, some more blood drops escaped her toe.

“Are you an idiot or what?” he asked before helping her place her leg on the couch and keeping a cushion under her feet?

“Kush my feet are dirty!” she said, but he did not bother.

“Doctor uncle? Yeah, can you please come home with your kit?” he said over the phone before there was a pause of a second.

“Okay, I am waiting,” he hung up the call before he looked at Nayera.

“Who asked you to wear heels when your toenail is broken and struck? And on top of that you did not even bandage it carefully let alone you were roaming with a bloodied toe!” he said in anger.

“My work is important to me, Kush,” She defended herself as he shook his head, taking off his blazer, he threw it on the couch before he rolled the sleeves of his shirt up.

“Don't tell me your mother is going to come downgrade any second?” she asked, looking around the lavish place.

“No, this is kind of my place, the palace is much more lavish and is my home,” he said with a soft look on his face as she stared at him.

“This is your place?” She asked again, looking around.

“Yes,” he said as he looked at the door again and again.

“Why did you hire me then? I mean this place must cost around 100 crores if not less. I can identify the curtains, they cost 8 lakhs per piece,” she said as he looked at her.

“You girls are seriously so weird, I am worried about your infected feet, and here are you noticing stupid curtains?” He asked as the doorbell rang a second later.

Nayera and Kush stopped their argument before they looked at the door. Kush went ahead and opened it. A guy who looked to be in his fifties came in wearing brown-colored cotton Kurta Pajamas.

“Kurwar sa,” he greeted Kush, and Kush did the same.

“Please look at her infected toe, uncle, she is not even listening to me and saying it's nothing, it's nothing he again and again,” he said as the doctor's uncle nodded his head and sat beside Nayera.

“Namaste uncle,” Nayera said, joining her hands in the Namaste position. Her nervous eyes went to Kush’s but he was busy glaring at her. She made a pout of her lips as he glared at her again.

“It is not a big issue but it looks like your nail was stuck there till a few minutes ago,” the doctor said.

“No it is still struck—“ Nayera was about to say when the doctor pulled the struck nail, at the next second.

“Ouchhhh!” Nayera cried as Kush hurriedly held her hand.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” She cried, holding his hand. Her nails were digging into his skin but he did not even winch and kept rubbing her back as the doctor cleaned the wound and applied antiseptic cream to it.

“Kuwar sa, hold her,” The doctor said to Kush as he nodded.

“what's happening? What's happening?” Nayera asked, but Kush hid her face in his chest as the doctor gave her a tetanus injection.

“Keep it away from water and change the bandage every evening, okay?” the doctor ordered as Kush nodded.

“I hate you!” Nayera said, rubbing the spot she had been injected a few moments ago.

“If you had taken the goddamn injection a few hours ago, this would not have been so bad,” he said, glaring at her.

“I should take my leave,” the doctor said.

“Uncle, how can you leave without my famous coffee?” Kush said as Veerendra smiled.

“Kuwar sa, it's nighttime,” he reasoned.

“Then tea will do,” he said and moved towards the kitchen, but not before changing the cushion under Nayera’s feet because the other one was messed up.

“Umm thank you, uncle,” Nayera said when the awkward silence resided in the air.

“It's okay beta, I see you are the mystery girl of Kuwar sa,” Veerendra said as Nayera awkwardly smiled.

“Here is the tea,” Kush came back with a teacup. He handed one to Nayera and then to Veerendra.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Uncle,” Kush said, as they took a sip of their tea.

“Walking next door is nothing,” Veerendra said, chucking. He lived next door, he just picked up his bag and walked out of his house.

The rest of the time flew away in sips of tea and small talk. Kush tried his best to include Nayera in all talks.

“I must say you made yourself a nice girl, Kumar sa,” Veerendra said as Kush walked him to the door. Kush just nodded with a small smile. He could not say no but could not say yes either.

This was all fake.