Page 42 of Born in Sin (Phoenix #3)

Celina leaned back on her hands, her legs stretched out in front of her, her head tilted back as she studied the stars.

It was an exceptionally beautiful night, not a cloud in sight.

Virat had his head in her lap, his eyes closed, his face for once relaxed and devoid of the permanent stress lines he seemed to sport like a wizened old man.

She stifled a smile, running her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp.

Always so serious, so stressed.

One good thing she’d noticed was that he wasn’t being hurt anymore.

She’d pestered him for years to tell her who was doing it but he hadn’t.

Virat never told her the bad stuff. It hurt.

The fact that he kept hiding things from her, protecting her.

She didn’t want to be the fragile one, the one he kept safe.

She wanted to be the one who stood by his side and helped fight his battles.

But Virat wouldn’t even tell her what the battle was or where it was being fought.

Her fingers clenched in his hair and his eyes opened immediately, searching hers for the source of her anguish.

“What’s wrong?” He sat up, her fingers slipping from his hair with the abrupt movement.

“It’s nothing,” she shrugged, smiling sadly. “I’m fine.”

His gaze raked over her face, taking in every minute change in expression. “If you tell me, I can help.”

Of course. Her smile grew tight, her face flushing. “You know,” she said softly. “I am capable of taking care of things too.”

Virat reached for her hand, clasping it between his big ones. “I just want to help you Celi.”

She tilted her head to one side, her braid slipping over her shoulder, her eyes searching his face now. “But you won’t let me help you.”

His face tightened, those stress lines reappearing like they’d just been lying in wait for their moment.

“Celi.” He sighed.

“No.” She jumped to her feet. “Don’t Celi me. Why won’t you confide in me?”

He dropped his head in his hands, not meeting her gaze.

“I can help. I want to help. But I can’t do that if you won’t let me in.”

Virat’s hands lowered. He looked away from her, his shoulders tight and tense. “When I try to tell you something, you’re not willing to listen.”

Celina made a screeching noise that would have frightened any birds in the vicinity. “This is about Majid again? Why can’t you let that go?”

“Why can’t you hear what I’m trying to tell you?”

Chest heaving with indignation, Celina prodded him in the ribs with one finger.

“I can’t hear what you’re saying because you say nothing.

Vague comments about him not being a nice person or bullying other kids doesn’t mean anything to me.

Not when he has been nothing but a good friend. Who has he bullied anyway?”

“All of us,” Virat snapped.

Celina rolled her eyes at him. “Your gang and his gang have some kind of boy testosterone thing going on. I know you guys, Amay, Ishaan, and you do just as much shit to them as they do to you. Does that make you all bullies too? For that matter, my mother is constantly telling me what a bad boy you are. Should I listen to her?”

He fell silent, a muscle in his jaw ticking.

“Well?” Celina threw her hands up in the air. “If I should listen to your vague comments about him, then I should listen to hers about you. Right?”

For a second of charged silence, she thought he wouldn’t say anything. And then he snapped, “Right. That’s exactly what you should do. Listen to me and listen to her. Stop talking to both of us.”

For a long moment Celina stared at him, hurt and anger making it hard to form an argument.

“Are you breaking up with me?” she asked, the words coming out strangled and hoarse.

“No.” Virat clasped his hands at the back of his neck, a defeated sigh escaping him. “I’m telling you to break up with me.”

Celina was speechless. How had they gone from his head in her lap to this?

“No,” she said, her voice low and hard. “I won’t listen to my mother and I won’t listen to you. I am my own person with a functioning brain. I choose who I want in my life. And I choose you dammit.”

She stepped forward, slamming her palms into his chest and giving him a hard shove. She took him by surprise and had him stumbling back.

“I. Choose. You.”

Virat closed his eyes, his face a pained mask. She saw his hands clench into fists at his side.

“I will always choose you,” she said now, her voice softer. “I’ve told you a million times but I will say it again so it gets into your thick skull. I will never leave you, Virat Jha. You want to be rid of me? You’ll have to leave me then. Because I will never leave you.”

She threw herself at him, arms going around him, her face burrowing into his chest and holding on tight. “I will never leave you,” she whispered again.

For a long second, his hands hung at his side and then they came around her, holding on to her like his life depended on it.

“Celi,” he whispered. “I-“

A laugh floated over on the breeze. There was someone in the grove at the far end of the field. The trees grew too thick over there for whoever was hiding out to be visible but Virat glanced that way anyway. The lines in his face deepened, a tortured expression darkening it.

“What is it?” she asked. When he didn’t reply, she added, “Who is it?”

She didn’t think he’d answer but he did.

“I’ve been told it’s a ghost.”