Her question seared through his heart, rendering it all numb.

Even though that entire place was bustling with people and their chatter, all that Dr. Nelson could hear was a deafening silence. It took him a while to gather himself up and he said,

"I will get some ice for your ankle. It will help to reduce your pain. Just stay still till I come back."

"Jaby !!! Can you at least look at me when you are speaking?"

She looked at him getting even more uncomfortable, but the only answer that she got was silence.

"Fine, if you don't want to address the elephant in the room, then I will also not bring it up, but at least stop looking so miserable. I don't know what is going on in your head, but you know that you can share it with me."

He heard his words, but he didn't want to decipher it. He didn't want to get lost in her voice and neither did he want the blanket of past dictate the thoughts of his present. Something weird was happening to him and it was slowly getting out of his control.

The sight of Vikram kissing her forehead was still piercing him, enraging every single fiber of his body and he had no clue how to calm that rage down when all his might was going in avoiding her questions and her gaze.

So, taking a deep breath, he got up to get some ice, but he could feel that his hands were locked in hers.

"Stop running away Jaby !!!"

"I have no other choice."

Saying that he gave her a cold and distant look and went towards the bar counter to get some ice.

"I hope one day you can open up your heart in front of me Jaby…"

Her words trailed away unheard and all that she could do was look at his figure disappearing amidst the crowd. Taking a deep breath she looked up and she could see Vikram approaching Mr. Sebastian and having a talk with him. But she could clearly see that half of his attention was still on her.

A shiver ran down her spine as she dreaded the thought of him coming down again. She didn't want his attention or care. She wanted him to disappear from her life and she knew that it was going to happen. Raymond was going to make it happen.

Her eyes once again scanned the entire place in search of him while she muttered under her breath,

"Where are you, Raymond? How much more do I have to endure him?"

Saying that she tried to move her leg for a moment.

"Which part of staying still, you didn't understand?"

Saying that Dr. Nelson knelt in front of her and applied the ice cubes which he had wrapped in a couple of tissue papers.

"Ouch !!! It's cold."

"It's ice Akira. It's meant to be cold."

Dr. Nelson replied in a distant tone with no hint of sarcasm and hearing which Akira snatched the icepack from his hand and started applying it herself.

"At least it's not as cold as you."

He wanted to take the pack back into his hands, but he was scared even to touch her hands at that moment. So he silently sat next to her looking at her hands which were almost on the verge of giving up. She was unable to handle that extreme low temperature.

He got irritated for a moment and looked all around helplessly in search of Raymond. He was his only savior because he was the only person in whose hands he could entrust Akira. And right now his absence was pinching him like anything.

He looked at her struggling with the ice pack over and over again and when he just couldn't bear it, he snatched it from her hands and placed it on her ankle.

His hand was steady. His fingers didn't even tremble once. A weird calmness and determination were spread on his face which Akira couldn't understand. But she could understand only one thing - that she affected him. In what way, she had no idea, but somehow the woman inside her knew that something was going on inside his head.

She was repulsed when Vikram kissed her, but she knew that he was affected even more.

She wanted to know why. She wanted him to be honest with her feelings. But she knew that today was not the day to poke. Today was meant for only one thing - for Raymond to come back into the world, back from hiding behind the mask.

So she took a deep breath and locked all the questions that she had in her mind inside her heart.

"I feel much better now. Thanks. You can keep the pack down. Your hands must be freezing."

Saying that she tried to pull her leg away, but she failed.

"Jaby, your hands must be freezing. Just let it go."

Saying that she finally managed to pull her leg away by exerting all the force that she could.

"I am fine. Really, I am," and saying that she took away the ice pack from his hands and placed it on the carpet next to her.

His hands looked all numb, so she immediately took his palm in her hands and yelled while rubbing them,

"I told you not to hold it for too long. Now, look at what you have done. You are a surgeon Jaby. Your hands are your most valuable asset. Why do you keep risking them for me? First a cut and now this."

"I am fine Akira. You are overdoing it."

Saying that he withdrew his hands, but Akira could see the hint of moisture building up in his eyes.

For a moment she had thought that she knew what he felt about her, but right now, she had no idea.

Turning towards her Dr. Nelson said,

"I don't care what battles and what enemies you have. Just promise me one thing, that you will always stay safe. Can you promise me that Akira?"