What Dreams Are Made Of: Episode 48

#EPISODE_48

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“She.. the nurse.. she seems to think you are..” Chrissy couldn’t bring her herself to complete when she saw his face.

“I am what?” He persisted while moving in closer to her.

“Nothing. L..let.. us go”, Chrissy stammered with her head bent down.

He kept staring at her bowed head. Chrissy could feel her heart beating fast. They were all alone in the room and in spite of all that had happened between them she could still feel goose bumps on her skin when he was this close. She didn’t know what he would say or do next when suddenly he turned around and said, “Come, let us leave.”

She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. But with what, she couldn’t say. Shrugging it off, she went after him to the hospital parking. Steven was waiting there next to Nikloi’s car.

He was quite happy to see her. Taking both her hands in his hand, he asked her how she was doing. Chrissy smiled warmly and replied she was fine. “You gave us all quite a fright. I am glad you are alright now”, he said happily and kissed her cheeks.

Chrissy was embarrassed by his care but before she could reply, they were interrupted. “Get in the car”, Nikloi said from behind.

His voice was stern and reproachful. Chrissy looked at him puzzlingly and saw him staring at their joined hands. Not sure why he had suddenly turned hostile, she released Steven’s hands but didn’t leave immediately.

Looking upto Steven’s face, she said, “Thank you Steven. For everything.”

Steven smiled back and helped her get in the car. Chrissy sat next to Nikloi him thinking of what all had happened since the time they had been together in a car. She was still wondering how did he come to know about Susan’s plans and how much did he know? How did he know where to find Susan that day? What would have happened if he hadn’t made it in time? A shudder went down her body again with the memory.

Nikloi looked at her and asked “Are you feeling cold?”

She shook her head. There were so many questions to ask but didn’t know where or how to start. As usual, as if he could read her mind, Nikloi said, “We are going to my hotel.”

“Regency Palace”, he added after a pause.

“Regency Palace?” she asked surprised. “Why are we going there? Why aren’t we going to my home? My mother would be worried for me.”

“I have to make sure that you are safe and secure such that you can rest and get well soon. You have stayed there earlier so I know you will be comfortable there. And don’t worry about your mother. I have already informed her. She is staying with Aunt Martha so you will be seeing her soon.”

“Mom is with Mrs Clark!” Chrissy was too surprised.

“Yes, she is at my place. She was with you at the hospital yesterday but she was very worried for you. I couldn’t let her stay at the hospital for long. Nor could I let her go back to your place all by herself. So I thought it was best for her to stay with Aunt Martha. This way she would get some support and in case she needs any help, we’ll be around”, Nikloi explained.

“Oh..” He had thought of everything. Not just for her but for her mother as well. Chrissy couldn’t question his thoughtfulness even though she wasn’t sure about going to the hotel.

All his actions were suggesting that he was really concerned about her. But should she be reading more into it than what he had expressed. Yes, he was concerned but that didn’t mean there was anything deeper. And she still hadn’t forgotten the way they had parted, last time they had met.

Their association, if it could be termed as a relationship, didn’t last very long. In fact it had been astoundingly short, even by Nikloi’s standards.

She didn’t want to hope or think of anything beyond. She didn’t want to fall for him again. She wouldn’t be able to bear to lose him again. So it was better to count her blessings and move on. She thought she should thank him for saving her and taking care of her and her mother. Now that she was alright, she would take her mother an

d go back to their separate lives.

She started, “Thank you for saving me that day. I didn’t know Jake Tilly was working with Susan and I fell for their plan so easily. Susan never liked me but I would have never thought, she would come looking for me here. It was.. terrifying to feel someone hate you so much.”

“Don’t think about it. It’s all over now”, he said in a clipped tone. Chrissy heard his voice and thought he didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t see his hands, crossed at fingers, had turned white.

“uhm.. yes.. thanks to you”, she continued softly. After a pause she added, “Now that I am discharged I would like to go back to my home. I can meet my mother and we can return together.”

“You are not going anywhere till I say so”, Nikloi said empathetically.

“I cannot burden you anymore. What you have done is already..”

“As usual, you don’t listen to me. I am not asking, I am telling you. Don’t you remember what the doctor told you? Your body needs time for full recovery. How

do you plan to do that at your place on your own? And what about your mother? Do you want her to get worried about your health and cause her more anxiety at her age and health condition?” Nikloi questioned her irritatingly.

Not giving her any time to respond, “You are staying at Regency Palace and that’s final”, Nikloi said with authority leaving no room for any further discussion.

Chrissy didn’t want to accept it but she decide to stay quiet at the moment. He was right about her mother. She had to meet her first, see how she was taking this accident and then decide what to do next.

On reaching the hotel, Nikloi took her to his suite. Chrissy could still remember the first time she had come to this room with him. It was such a long ago but she could still remember every word he had said to her. So much had happened since then but nothing had changed in him. He was a bully then and he was a bully now. The moment she stepped in the room, all her senses started screaming about her time with him. But she had to end it before it went beyond her control.

Forgetting her decision to meet her mother first, she quickly jabbered, “I am really thankful to you for everything you have done for me and my family. But I can’t stay here. I will go back to my home. And you need not worry about me. If I need any help, I will call Alice. She can manage few days off. Or else I can manage on my own. It’s not as if I am bed ridden. I have been living on my own for all these years. I can surely manage few days of sickness…”

“What is wrong with you? Why is it so difficult to understand what I am saying?” Nikloi cut her off mid-sentence.

“Oh I can understand it! What I don’t understand is why you are doing it? After all that that has happened between us how can you ask me to come and stay in your hotel? In your room?

“You don’t understand?” Nikloi asked incredulously.

“No, I don’t. How can I understand? What should I understand?

You are doing all this to show you are concerned about me. You care for me but is that enough?

You came to save me. You were with me the whole time in the hospital. You are even concerned how I will manage on my own. But then, you would you do all this for any of your employees, your business partners, your associates. Wouldn’t you? So what am I supposed to make out of it?”

All the pain and suffering for past six months came blurting out of Chrissy’s mouth.

Much against her wishes, she was already beyond control.

“Have you forgotten you had asked me to get out of your life? No, you had thrown me out of your life. And that was after you had shown me how much you had wanted me. You couldn’t keep your hands off me. But then, it had taken just one lie for you to forget it all!”

“So, how do I know it means more than what I see? Especially since I have woken up, you haven’t said a word to me other than necessary. You haven’t looked in my eyes. You haven’t held in my hands. You haven’t taken me in your arms. You haven’t caressed my skin. You haven’t …”

Kissed me, Chrissy had wanted to say but her lips trembled and her voice fail

ed her. It was too much for her to complete her sentence. But she had already said too much. Much more than she had intended to say. Trying miserably to gain control on her emotions, she took a deep sigh and sucked in her lower lip inside. But she didn’t need to complete her words.

Nikloi covered the distance between them in a quick flash and said, “Oh you sure know how to torture a man, Christina. All I have wanted to do since I saw you awake in the hospital was to kiss you like crazy. I have been holding myself back because you have gone through an ordeal and I didn’t want to emotionally load you. But with that look, you make it impossible for me to control any longer”, saying that he pulled her in his arms and covered her lips possessively.

He kissed her with all his passion, sucking her lips softly, making her feel his hunger with his each move, his touch. His hands moved up and were holding her

face for him to devour. “Do you want me to kiss you more?” he said against her lips after an eternity.

Chrissy was drowned in his touch. Her cheeks glowed bright red at his words. She slowly opened her intoxicated eyes and looked into his dark blue eyes.

“Nikloi.. I…”, she twisted herself to create some distance between them. It was difficult to think when he was so close to her.

“You have no idea what I want right now. His hands slid from her face to her shoulders, hands and finally tighten around her waist. “I don’t go kissing around my employees.”

Chrissy lowered her head. She was embarrassed at his gibe. Her heart was already pounding hard in her chest. He said he wanted her. Should she be happy with her fate, accept it as it is or should she push it away? Was she okay with him wanting her body? Was it enough?

She tried to move away from him but he didn’t let her. His hands moved under her shirt to touch her bare skin at her waist. Chrissy’s breath hitched up. “If it weren’t for your hurt, you wouldn’t have been standing here questioning me”, he said softly lowering his head close to her ear.

Chrissy was alarmed. “I… Nikloi, I need to tell you something” Chrissy stammered.

She didn’t have his attention but she needed to get it out of her system before it was too late. “Please listen to me. I know you are different from me. I know it is okay for people in your world to have relationships that aren’t… permanent.. relationships that keep changing with time. But I can’t.. I mean.. I am not used to..” “What are you trying to say?” Nikloi asked still holding her waist.

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To_be_Continued