Page 26 of Fixation

She froze, and then quickly tied her hair into a knot at her nape. Bloody hell, what was he thinking? He never spoke his thoughts out loud, but with her, it was becoming so common.

He made a face when she once again donned her glasses. He noted how she still held the book upside down, staring mindlessly into it. Her chest heaved, and her lips parted as if she, too, was coming to terms with whatever the hell was happening between them. And somethingwashappening.

Finally, straightening her book, she began to read it again. A few seconds later, she looked up.

“You really ought to sleep, Mr. Oshnov,” she told him.

He let out a weary sigh. “Are you ever going to say my name?”

She focused on her book instead.

“Damn, you’re so stubborn,” he said.

Still, she ignored him.

“I can’t sleep,” he finally said.

“Are you in pain?”

He shook his head. By now, it was clear to him that he tended to forget his pain when she was around. Whether he was arguing with her or simply chatting with her, just being around her made him easily dismiss his aches and pains. Although, off late, he was feeling much better.

“Can I get you something?” she checked. “Some herbal tea or some warm milk to help you?”

He shook his head, still watching her. It was clear she wasn’t going to talk unless he forced her to. So, he gave her a bit of himself.

“My brothers left today, and I woke up feeling anxious about them. I saw my ring and then… Well, you know the rest.”

“Do you need me to get Tyrion for you? Do you want to speak to your brothers?” she asked.

“No, I’m sure they’re safe. He would have informed me if something had happened. I suppose I was just being paranoid.I…” He shut his mouth. Already, he’d said too much. Exposed his inner conflict more than he wanted to.

“You miss them, and you are worried for them,” she finished for him.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “But…”

He went silent again. Worry for his family had settled in the pit of his stomach. Now that Armaan and Mihir had left, he felt burdened by the fear of them getting hurt, of Karina being hurt because of the wrong people finding out that they were looking for her, all while he sat here helpless, disabled, and weakened.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

He remained silent, staring at his hands, his chest filled with anguish.

He finally looked at her. “If I ask you a question, will you give me an honest reply?”

She nodded, and moved her armchair closer to him.

“Do you think I’ll be able to walk again? Do you think I will be myself again? I mean the way I was before my attack.”

Fear and vulnerability had settled deep inside him. He needed to get better for the sake of his family. Only then could he protect them.

“Hey, you’re going to be fine, I promise,” she reassured him.

“How can you say that when I cannot even walk yet?”

“You will,” she replied confidently. “I mentioned that I was planning to remove your cast tomorrow. If all is well, we can thoroughly check on your movements. If I’m satisfied, then we will start with making you stand, and then begin your physiotherapy sessions. A few days into that and you will start regaining your strength. It will take some time and hard work on your part, but you will be back to how you were earlier.”

He swallowed thickly. “What if you’re wrong, and I can’t do any of that?”

“What if I’m right, and you become stronger than ever?”

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