What can I do so you trust me?

The next morning, he knocked on Shreya’s, his feet tapping excitedly. With his insides giddy, he couldn’t stop moving. He had freed Shreya. He had freed her from the false accusations. He was so bloody proud of himself.

The door opened and Shreya appeared. With the sun falling on her face, she looked like the goddess of sun. Her face was bare of anything and he loved the little pimples on her forehead. He loved how her brownish pink lips parted when she saw him at the door. She was dressed in a silk nightdress that fell down just below her butt.

The temptation was the true devil.

She smiled as she welcomed him in, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. They didn’t wrinkle like they always did and he hated this with every part of his body.

He loved Shreya and every genuine smile from her was a reward to his heart, but they weren’t together now. He had overreacted. He expected too much, too soon (probably because he was spoiled).

She was pushing him away, building walls around her but Shreya was his, and soon he would get her. She would be his again, he promised himself as he sat down on the sofa.

He was dressed in a light blue suit and with light stubble on his face, he looked ever the professional.

He told her all of what happened last night, except his dad of course. He told her of the memories he had with Pooja, he told her of the reasons, and he told Shreya how Pooja only had good intentions behind what she did.

“but a crime is a crime and she has to face the result of her actions” he said and pulled out the letter that charged Pooja for framing Shreya and stealing an important document from the company.

“Her next hearing will be the next month, and they’ll move further from there. You don’t have to worry about anything though. All the charges against you have been dropped and removed.” He grinned proudly as he said these words.

“Thanks Vansh” she said, void of any real emotion.

“Um.. are you not happy?” he asked, scratching his head.

“Not really. Pooja wasn’t all that wrong, was she? In her reasoning, I mean.” She said, stuttering and looking down at the end.

“Is your mom home?” he asked, looking left and right.

“No?” she said looking up into his grey blue eyes and her brows scrunching together in confusion.

He stood up from his seat and pulled her roughly towards his chest. When she started squirming and pushing him away, he pushed her wrists together and held them in a firm grip behind her.

With his other hand he tilted her head upwards and said, “Shreya. I don’t know what you think of yourself but you will listen to me as I tell you what I think of you, and in no way are you going argue with it; even in your head. Got it?”

She squirmed in his hold, pushing herself deeper into his muscular chest. She looked into his eyes and saw his determination shine through them. He would tell what he wanted to, no matter what I do. I might as well comply, she thought and stopped squirming. She nodded her head and the grip on her hands loosened slightly.

“You are beautiful, sexy, seductive and all other adjectives a man can use to describe a female body but you are also kind, quirky, smart, silly, curious, confident and kinky.

You are a masterpiece, not just because you look like one but because you act like one.

You like reading, you like the quite but love going out when you have the right company.

You get awkward when you are in a social group with people you previously knew, but are amazing with complete strangers.

You love helping others, but your social anxiety 9 out of 10 times prevents you from doing it, but even then you are doing more than a normal person.

You love writing but you don’t write very often.

You love trying new things and learn new topics; your curiosity can never be tamed.

You can’t hold a conversation but you can give a powerful speech in front of a large audience.

And do you know what the best part of you is?” he asked at the end, as he stared into her eyes, though it felt to her like he was staring right into her soul.

“That I’m clumsy?” she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.

“No” he chuckled, confused but then he started laughing, “of course not”

“The best part of you is that you are ‘you’ – the unique and amazing you. And though I have discovered so many things about you, there are many yet hidden. The only flaws I could find were your self-depreciating head and your inability to trust someone to love you. You doubt and overthink a lot, questioning your worth everywhere.” He said softly.

He brought both of his hands towards her chin, and holding her captive with his eyes and his body, he declared, “But I love you! I love you for everything you are and everything you’ll become. You are amazing and the one I want to spend my life with.

Do you remember when I proposed you and you said that I wouldn’t want you in a month’s time, but guess what? I still do. I still love you and I still want to marry you”

“You did break up” she mumbled softly, her words so light they were hard to hear.

“I over reacted, I know and I’m sorry. I did not mean to break up with you but you wouldn’t trust me, and I thought maybe the threat of us not together would help you trust me. But I know I was wrong, and I am extremely sorry for it, please forgive me?”

“um… okay” she said weakly.

He spoke as if she didn’t speak at all, “Even if you don’t, you cannot deny that I still want you, I still love you, even after a month. I still want to marry you.

I agree that I first like you because of your looks, your delicious body and innocent face, but now, I love you. I love you because you are ‘you’” he said and pulled her tighter and closer to him.

She stayed silent. She didn’t know what to say. She was alone and physically still under his control and she was afraid of what would happen if her answer wasn’t desirable.

His fingers caressed her cheek and asked, “What can I do so you trust me?”

His voice was gentle, loving and trusting. She wanted to trust him but his control over her frightened her so she said the first thing she could think of, “You can start with leaving me some space to breathe”

His hands immediately loosened and she took a couple steps back. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to get out of his arms but she knew she had to, and she also knew that she had to at least try trusting him.

Trust - that has always been a big issue in her life. She couldn’t connect with anyone nor could she build any friendships, only because she couldn’t trust. Trusting someone has always come hard to her, but after what happened it was even harder.

Her mother always said, stay away from boys. They will only use, abuse and hurt you. When the time is right, we’ll find a good husband for you and you’ll not have to worry about anything and she had made it her rule. It wasn’t a very big deal since she never had any proposals but Vansh changed all that.

For some weird reason, she said ‘yes’ for a date and from then, she knew she’d have to share a part of her heart with him. She didn’t really believe he would stick with her for so long but he had and she had to take a step towards trusting him.

The first step to trust is to share and she’d tell him.

She wasn’t ready to relieve the memories but she was ready to trust.

She sat down on the floor and looked up towards him, into his eyes. He slid down on the floor as well and she said, “You asked me what you can do so that I trust you, I’ll tell you why I don’t. It’s not a story I’ve ever shared before but please, I beg you, do not tell anybody else. Do not touch me, do not come near me, and do not interrupt me. Please. This is hard for me”

She saw him nod his head and then she began, reliving her memories as words flowed out of her lips.