Page 127 of One Hellish Love

She gritted her teeth as her patience ran thin.

“Get out of my cubicle and let me work.”

“Watch your tone. I’m still your boss,” he reminded her with a mischievous glint.

“Exactly. Act like one and leave the personal matters outside the office.”

He chuckled, clearly enjoying her irritation.

“Fair enough. In that case, as your boss, I’m ordering you to pack up and finish your work at home. Not here.”

Kashish clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. He always knew how to get under her skin, and once again, she had no choice but to follow his demands. Reluctantly, she shut her laptop and packed her bag. Without saying a word, she left the office, and Rudra followed, pleased that she had complied.

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The next two days followed a similar pattern. Every morning, she cooked pancakes for him, and every morning, he praised her. At the office, they were all business, but Rudra never let her stay late. So, she always ended up finishing her work back at the bungalow, with Rudra sending little reminders to ensure she was taken care of.

Tonight, as she worked late into the night on the summer collection designs for the Mehtas, she noticed it was already past 1:00 a.m. Exhausted, she finally set the sketches aside, ready to sleep. Rudra had been relentless in making sure she didn’t skip meals, and at one point, even sent a maid to check on her, along with a cup of coffee to keep her awake to finish her designs. Despite her protests, his subtle care had become undeniable—there was a connection growing between them, a bond she couldn’t ignore.

But the sketches needed his approval. She hesitated, looking at the time. It was late, but maybe he was still awake. After a moment’s indecision, she put on her slippers, gathered the sketches, and made her way to his room. The door was slightly ajar, so she gently pushed it open.

Rudra was asleep, but he wasn’t at peace. His face was contorted with anguish, his body twitching restlessly.

“No… just go away… no,” he murmured in his sleep, shaking his head violently as if he were trapped in a nightmare.

Kashish’s heart clenched realizing he must be reliving the traumatic memories from the juvenile home. She rushed to his side, her eyes filling with tears as she saw him drenched in sweat, clutching his pillow in distress. Without thinking, she climbed onto the bed beside him, reminding herself that touching his chest might trigger more fear. Instead, she cupped his face, holding it firmly to stop his frantic shaking.

“Ssh… Rudra, it’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe,” she whispered but he remained trapped in his nightmare, shivering violently, even pushing her away in his panic.

“No,” he cried out again, thrashing.

Kashish fought to control him, using all her strength to pin him down.

“Rudra, wake up! It’s just a dream. Please, wake up,” she pleaded oblivious to her tears which had been falling freely now.

His shudders slowly began to subside. Desperate to soothe him, she leaned down and whispered softly into his ear, over and over.

“I’m here… I’m here, Rudra. You’re not alone.”

Finally, his body relaxed, and his breathing steadied. He rolled over, instinctively wrapping his arms around her. Her heart ached as she watched him, his expression softening as he opened his eyes. She wondered how many times had he gone through this, facing these nightmares alone? How much pain had he carried in silence?

Kashish froze, suddenly very aware of how close they were. She stared at him, scared, but he just smiled softly. His finger traced her cheek gently.

She realized he wasn’t really awake - he was somewhere between sleeping and waking. He probably thought he was dreaming her. Her heart raced as his finger moved to her lip, touching it softly. Rudra took a deep breath before pulling her close and shutting his eyes again. Kashish froze as he kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin a bit longer than necessary before drifting back to sleep.

Minutes later when his breathing was even, she let out a quiet breath of relief. But she was still stuck. She couldn’t even push against his chest to get free - she knew his fear of being touched there might scare him awake. All she could do was keep her arms to herself and wait for him to roll over to the other side again inthe middle of the night so that she could crawl out of his bed. Until then she was trapped.In his arms.

CHAPTER 43

She was in his arms. In Rudra Raheja’s arms.

The thought kept flashing in Kashish’s subconscious mind, over and over as she dreamt about Rudra throughout the night. His face was everywhere in her dreams, and surprisingly he was even smiling—a genuine, contented smile. The very idea seemed absurd, yet in her dream, he looked at peace, as though he had won some silent victory. It was disorienting, confusing her more with each passing second. As the fragments of the dream began to fade, she slowly opened her eyes.

But there he was—stillthere, close, too close. She blinked, trying to shake off the haze of sleep and tried to roll away. Maybe that would snap her back to reality. But the second she shifted, Rudra despite still asleep, instinctively pulled her closer.

Her heart pounded. This was real.Hewas real.

Her eyes flew wide open as last night’s events flooded back. Rudra had been having a nightmare, and she’d tried to calm him down, somehow falling asleep next to him. In his arms. The entire night!

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