Page 25 of Sumanika

"Are you trying to accuse me of something?" she asked, lifting her bold gaze to meet mine, and a smile appeared on my face.

"Like what?" I countered.

She rolled her eyes and fell silent, stepping back and shaking her head.

"I should go," she said, taking a few steps away.

I immediately called out,“Suno,” “Hey,”

She turned back, her striking eyes flashing with anger. "Ji," her voice showed how badly she was affected.

"Come here," I said, but she shook her head. "I will send someone else," and said before walking out of the library.

Suman

I walked out of the library. His words built strange knots in my stomach. The hair on my arms stood straight in shock, and suddenly, I felt my hand being held by a warm, rough, and mighty hand.

He pulled me back into the library. My eyes widened in shock, my breath faltered, and my heartbeats raced.

“Don’t do it ever again,” he said, shaking his head. His gaze was intense and angry, raising the temperature between us.

I bit the inside of my lips in fear, struggling to ask a question.

“What?” I stuttered, dragging my hand from his deadly grip and stepping back as my eyes betrayed my mind, fixating on his neck. A thick mole, slightly to the right of the center of his neck, held my sight.

He pulled me back. I quickly looked away, bumping my shoulder into his warm, bare chest.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and his words, coated in a deep and low voice,“That I am sending another attendee,” twisted my gut.

I blinked nervously. The words hung in my throat as I tried to say.“I did not mean—“

“Do act smart,” he cut me off. His voice had never affected me like this.

"I am sorry," I quickly replied. My voice came out shaky.

I tried to step away from him, but he held my wrist again—gentler this time. The bangles tingled in my wrists as he took his fingers back. I lifted my gaze, staring into his eyes and attentively at my hand.

My throat ran dry. I felt his palm curl around my forearm and glide until it reached my elbow.

A shiver ran through my body when I felt him slip his finger into the hem of my blouse’s sleeve. "Wh...what are you doing?" I fumbled, stepping away, but he hushed me down.“Shhhhh,”

A wave of fright rushed through my body, and I stood frozen under his light grip. As he pulled the half-sleeve of my blouse up to the quarter, he gently brushed his thumb along my arm—slowly yet captivatingly.

“I met a priest, and he suggested I…” he said, taking a few steps away before returning to me with a black thread.

I gulped nervously when he encircled the thread around my left arm thrice while saying.“It will help you with the nightmares and fears.”

I shook my head.“I don’t believe any of this.”

He gazed into my eyes, scanning me to the folds of my former existence, and tied it securely so it would never come off. "You do not believe in God?" He intoned, and I shook my head.

"Why?" He questioned.

“Because he did nothing great in my life for which he could take credit for,” I replied, and he smirked at the end.

“You’re standing here alive in before me. Do you think that happened without God’s help?” he asked, and I shook my head.

No.

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