Page 82 of Every Move You Make
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Shauna focused on the road ahead as she pulled the car out of Janak’s building. Beside her, Akash shifted in his seat.
“I could have driven,” he grumbled.
She shot him a sideways glare. “You’ve had two drinks.”
“Only two. I’m perfectly capable of driving.” He exhaled sharply, clearly annoyed. “I would have managed.”
She pressed the accelerator, speeding up the car. “It’s not just the drinks. You’re stressed and distracted. I wasn’t going to let you drive in that condition.”
He turned his head toward her. “I’m fine, Shauna.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not.”
For a moment, he looked like he might argue again. Then he slumped back into the seat, shutting his eyes. Silence settled between them, broken only by the low hum of traffic. In the soft glow of the passing streetlights, she studied him. He looked exhausted.
Her chest tightened unexpectedly. It confused her that she cared so much. But tonight, something had shifted between them. Hearing him speak about his father and watching himhold himself together for Keya… all of it had affected her more than she wanted to admit.
And later, as the night had continued, he’d grown quieter, speaking only when someone addressed him. She’d watched him closely. Akash looked as though something heavy had settled on his shoulders, and it stirred a protectiveness in her she hadn’t expected. She hated seeing him like that.
Even now, she was itching to reach across the console and smooth her fingers through his hair. To tell him that he didn’t always have to be the one in control. That he could lean on someone. On her.
The thought startled her.
She turned her attention back to the road, trying to steady the unfamiliar pull inside her. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience. Yes, they had agreed to make it real over time, but it was already beginning to feel far too real.
Ignoring her churning thoughts, she focused on Akash.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, his eyes still shut.
“What happens to you when you’re stressed?”
His eyes opened slowly, and he turned his head toward her. “What do you mean?”
“Keya mentioned that she worries about you when you’re stressed. That something happens to you. You didn’t let her finish.”
He straightened in his seat. “You noticed that?”
“Of course.” She paused. “I heard that Keya gets nightmares when she’s anxious. Will you tell me what happens to you?”
He was quiet for a moment before answering.
“I don’t sleep very well on some nights,” he said finally.
“Like tonight?”
He nodded. “It’s a childhood thing. Our father was heavily into drinking and gambling. Every time he lost a lot of money,he’d come home angry and take it out on my mother. And if Keya or I intervened, then one of us would become a target too. Soon after, he’d shift us to a new place to escape his creditors. Sometimes without warning. We kept changing houses, neighborhoods, and schools. I got used to never really settling and always staying awake, wondering if tonight would be the night he’d come and hurt our mother or one of us again.
Even now, when I’m anxious or stressed, or when I travel, I don’t sleep properly. And when I come back home after a trip, it takes me a few days before I can sleep through the night.”
Shauna felt her grip on the steering wheel tighten. He’d spoken of his past so calmly, as if he were describing someone else’s life. A deep ache spread through her chest. She felt sorrow for the boy he had been and compassion for the man who had learned to function despite his trauma. And she felt something else too. Something warmer and more frightening… something she didn’t yet dare to name.
Akash had built himself into someone strong, controlled, and successful. But parts of him were still bracing for doors to slam. For anger to walk through them. The thought made her want to reach for him again. Instead, she drove on in silence, her heart heavier and fuller than it had been before.
“Where are we going?” Akash suddenly asked a few minutes later. “This is not the way to your house.”
