Riyansh's POV

Her delicate body was swaying with the dirge like a white feather dancing on the tip of air. And my eyes were following her every movement, every expression, every twirl  like she had put some secret spell on my eyes for them to always follow her captivating yet bitter dance steps.

Her eyes were clouded by tears pricking like hundred needles, threatening to fall. But she still had debarred them to flow down from her eyes. Then out of a sudden she fell on the floor. And my heart anxiously trembled in trepidation. My eyes widened, and I had a sudden rush of adrenaline.

Without thinking a second thought I ran to her. The melancholy music was making everything seem more gloomy. My heart never throbbed in pain like this. I bent down and got on my knees beside her while she was lying on the floor to her face. I reached out my hand to hold her and lift her.

I heard her breathy snivels mixed with painful moans and my heart cracking from inside both at the same time. “Sir, Will you please trust me for this time, just for this time?” She murmured in a shaky voice, being utterly helpless. Her face wasn’t facing me it was still facing the other side. She did not have the courage to look at me.

“I will always trust you, Arya.” I replied in assuring voice trying to force a kind smile on my face. But only I knew how hurt I was.

“Then will you please not avert your eyes from me? Please keep your eyes on me.” She pleaded to me, her voice was hoarse and broken.

I clasped her shoulders steadily to console her.

“Why would I avert my eyes from you ever? I can never avert my eyes from you. And I will really never avert my eyes from you even if you’re standing in the brightest lights.” I assured her. My words sharply stinging in my throat.

She glanced at me from the other side. Her tresses were dangling on her forehead like a wild mess. Her breaths were erratic from dancing. She didn’t look anywhere else except my eyes with a tired and lost look. She looked fatigued, worn out and pathetic. Her soul needed some type of rest from everything.

“Now, I am going to reveal everything to you that I have always hide from the whole world, Sir.” She mumbled with all the strength she had in her. Fear flashed in her eyes but it wasn't as adamant as her determination was.

And with that she started unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt exposing her skin.

My eyeballs popped out of my skull in shock. I didn't have any words to utter. I was bewildered and numb and anxious. I wanted to stop her but my mind was ceased at nothing.

Still, I managed to speak, “What are you doing Arya? Why are you unbuttoning your clothes?” I clutched her wrist firmly and stopped her from stripping her clothes.

But her eyes pleaded me to not stop her today as the tears were gushed down like flood waves from her eyes with accompanied with a needy sob. And I gulped down my emotions and took my hand back. My eyes blinked in gesturing her to continue the process of her cloth abandonment.

I promised her to not avert my eyes, So, I was just glancing in her eyes and not seeing anywhere on her body. Gradually, she stripped her pants as well. Now, she was in her undergarments only. But, I opposed to look at anywhere lower than her eyes.

My tears were spilling from my cheeks and my eyes were all red. I felt like all my blood had glistened from my eyes becoming tears today.

I swept my tears through my palms. And She put her hand on my cheeks and softly stroked her thumb over my cheeks. Her eyes were swollen, puffy, empty of emotions but not tears and all her energy was spent. Breaths were hard to come out of her mouth. It was too much labour for her. Still she managed to put a curve on her lips glancing at me to give me hope or perhaps thanking me for staying with her.

“Sir, you told me that nothing is wrong when it is done with good intentions. Therefore, today I have unclothed myself in front of you for the right intention. I... who never even had the courage to talk to someone. Today, became half naked in front of her professor because of a very specific reason, Sir. I want to show you my biggest secret which I have never showed to anyone. I always lived in fear. I never shared my secret. But, today I want to do that so, I can be free from my fears. So, please look at me. Don’t just look in my eyes.” She requested me with sincerity teaching me a lesson that I forgot.

It was the time when I realized that I had to trust her. She must have had a purpose, without it she would not have done something like this. She trusted me so, this time I had to trust her as well. She was pure and her intentions were sacred as well. So, I wiped her tears and showed her a smile of trust then tried to look at her body.

My heart was banging my chest in suspense and nervousness. I moved my eyes lower from her eyes to her nose then to her nose to her lips then to her lips to her neck and then to her neck to her chest in slow motion.

Because I was feeling really uncomfortable yet I trusted her.

The lower my eyes went the intense my breaths became. When my eyes finally reached down. I saw something that horrified me. Something that shattered me completely from inside. My eyes instantly went to her and she just hid them away from me. As, the gaze of my eyes touched her skin, her body shivered perhaps in fear or in the vulnerability of her being half-clothed.

And my thoughts stayed froze, witnessing the view of her body. Her small body was all adorned with wounds. The ugly slits on her stomach in various patterns. Up and down and left and right beaded with her tear drops and dried blood. My fingers went to touch those on their own and as my fingers brushed over them carefully. She flinched in pain closing her eyes tightly for a second.

And I felt scared to my soul and hated myself for giving her pain therefore, I pulled my hand back in an instant. I wanted to say something to her but I couldn’t because my grief took hold of me. Before my words, my pain came out of me.

But, I somehow controlled myself because I had so many questions whom answers would be increasing this affliction only. But still, I wanted my answers.

She knew I had questions therefore, before I could ask she intruded, “I know you wanted to know the mystery behind these wounds. You must be wondering how I got them? Who gave them to me? So, the truth is...” She took a pause before her next words, licked her lips anxiously and lowered her voice and continued, “I gifted them to myself.” She stated wiping her tears unable to say her next words but said them somehow, “This is one of my secret, Sir. I have a habit of self harming myself." Her words dropped on me like a millions of bricks and stabbed my heart ruthlessly and I didn’t even flinch because I was too shocked to even do that.

She didn’t look at me because of the burden of the guilt. She avoided my gaze. I couldn’t even see her properly. My vision was blurry with tears. But, I held her chin in mine hand and lifted it up.

To be continued...

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇Author's Note◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

❖So, how was today's chapter📖? Did you enjoy it? Well, I hope you did. I tried my best to make it as good as possible.😁

❖Have you ever self-harmed yourself? If you have then please seek some help. It's not good. Hurting yourself is a bad thing😕. You can share your problems with me if you want to. I am a good👍🏻 listener👂🏼.

❖If you like the chapter then please give it a star⭐. Make a comment💬. I am happy to hear your thoughts 🤔💭.

❖Constructive criticism is welcomed. Find any grammatical error then let me know. 😁😁😁