A sudden shout of pain jolted her out of her reverie. She clutched the clothes she had collected and rushed to the room as fast as she could to see him on the floor, his ankle twisted at an awkward angle. "What's all this? I told you to do one thing and that was just dry off. It's a simple task. How hard is it? Now you've gone and injured yourself. You've become very careless. I swear the next time you-" She stopped herself before the next words could slip out of her mouth.
No.
There would be no next time.
Unintentionally, she'd slipped back into her habit of exasperated fretfulness when it came to him. She knew it originated from all the times he'd fought for her and gotten injured saving her from men on the street and even some low-life students who thought that just because she was the new student, she would be an easy target. She'd gotten into a habit of patching him up after falls and fights. Well, that habit would just have to break. He wasn't her concern anymore.
Gathering herself, she helped him up and to the guest room next door and depositing the man on the bed, moving as quickly as possible. His proximity still affected her. Which is why she had made her decision. It had been tough, and she utterly despised that she had to do this. Removing herself from this situation was the only way either of them was going to move on. Taani didn't know if the wheels she'd put in motion to help him move on were right ones, but this was necessary so that he could forget her and continue his life, starting afresh. So, for that, she had to leave.
"Rest here tonight. I'll dress your ankle and Swayam can call the doctor to have a look at it tomorrow. There's a jug of water on the side table" she said to him, eyes averted. She couldn't look in his eyes She wouldn't. If she did, she would lose her nerve.
"Taani- look at me, please. Don't punish me like this. I know what I did was wrong, but please, believe me, I didn't think that it would come to this. I just heard what Sharon was saying and only saw what I wanted to see. But there isn't a justification for what I did and I'm beginning to realize just how stupid I was to push you away. But please Taani. Please give your Rey one chance to fix his mistake." He pleaded with her, but her eyes never met his. She turned away, fists clenched, begging herself not to break, to cry in front of him
"The time for fixing this has passed Rey. You did what you had to. And now I'm going to do what I have to. Yes, you were wrong, and I'm glad you realize that. But Rey-"
She was abruptly cut off. "If you understand, please give me one chance, Taani. I meant it when I said I'll do anything. Anything at all to earn your forgiveness."
Side-stepping his question, she steeled her heart. Turning to face the man she once loved, she asked "If I ask you for something, will you give it freely"?
"Ask me for anything Taani. Take everything."
"I want a promise. I want you to promise me that you will move on after tonight. I want you to promise me that you will smile again, laugh again and become the same Rey I fell in love with. I want you to promise me that you will stop crying. And I want you to promise me that you will never stop dancing. The day I saw you dance; was the day I fell in love with you. Because I saw how in love with dance you were. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I'm asking this because we once shared a connection and a love for each other. Except we were never meant to be Rey and it's time we both understood that."