Narration (Ishana):
As we stepped out of our room and took the elevator down to the lobby, I saw my brother waiting for us. Without thinking, I walked toward him. When he noticed me, he looked up and smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He must've been waiting for a while. As I reached him, he pulled me into a hug.
Mark:
"Hey, looks like you two woke up late this morning! So, how was the night? I mean, I did set everything up pretty perfectly, right? Hope you enjoyed all my awesome arrangements!"
Abhi:
"Oh yeah, they were so good I almost lost all my patience. Seriously, a true masterpiece!"
I just have to ask—how do you come up with this stuff? It's impressive how you can push someone so far they almost break. Even when I try not to react, I can't help but fall for it.
Mark:
"Almost lost it? So you still had some control left? Come on, tell me—what happened that nearly pushed you over the edge?"
Khushi:
"Mark, stop! Clearly, they don't want to spill the details, so let them keep their secret. Why do you always have to tease?"
Ishana:
"Exactly, sister-in-law! Look at him, still going on. But while we're at it—how was your night? Care to share some juicy bits since we're all in such a talkative mood?"
Mark (raising an eyebrow):
"Well, since my little sister is so curious about my night, I guess I could share a few spicy details. What do you think, Abhi?"
Honestly, I think your night was missing some heat. The way your wife's asking about mine, I expected more fire from your end. Kinda disappointed, to be honest.
Khushi:
"Abhi, let's go grab some coffee and breakfast from the counter while they continue their little teasing session. And Mark—cut it out!"
Abhi:
"Yeah, let's go."
Narration (Abhi):
As we walked toward the counter, I glanced back. Ishana and her brother were still deep in conversation, lost in their own little world.
Mark:
"You look really beautiful today,"
(He casually rested his arm on my shoulder, but then paused. His eyes locked on something near my neck. Slowly, he reached up and gently rubbed the area. The foundation smeared slightly, revealing darker, reddish marks.)
Narration (Mark):
What the hell…? Are these hickeys? My heart started racing. How could Abhi do this to her?
Ishana:
"Bro? What's wrong? Why do you look so shocked?"
Mark (his voice shaking with anger):
"Did Abhi do this to you?!"
(He glared at me, disbelief and rage filling his eyes.)
"How could you let him? Ishana, are you out of your mind? How could you let him leave marks like this on you?"
Narration (Mark):
This wasn't the Abhi I thought I knew. I always saw him as calm, respectful, and considerate. But this? This didn't fit.
Ishana:
"Bro, it's not what you're thinking. Please, calm down. He didn't do anything wrong."
Mark (continued):
"Have you even thought about what kind of person does this? Someone who enjoys hurting others? How can you brush this off like it's nothing?! This is serious!"
"I'm seriously reconsidering this marriage. This is not okay."
Narration (Abhi):
Just as we were heading back with breakfast, I could hear raised voices. I looked over and saw Ishana's brother—furious.
Mark:
(As Abhi got closer, I lost it. I stormed up and grabbed him by the collar.)
Khushi:
(Shocked, I quickly set down the tray and rushed over.)
"Mark, stop! What are you doing? Let him go!"
Ishana:
"Bro, I said it's not what you think! Just stop it, please!"
Khushi:
"Mark! Calm down and tell me what's going on!"
Mark:
"You want to know what's going on? Just look at what he did to her!"
Khushi: (looking at Ishana in confusion)
"What is he talking about?"
Ishana:
"It's nothing. Really. He saw the marks on my neck and jumped to the wrong conclusion. I already told him—it's not Abhi's fault."
Abhi (narration):
Of course... it was the marks. I should've remembered—Ishana recently found out she's allergic to touch in certain areas. Especially from anyone other than close family. Even something as gentle as a kiss can leave a reaction on her skin.
Khushi:
"Okay, enough. We're not going to cause a scene in the lobby. Let's go to the room and talk there."
Scene: In the Room – The Truth
Narration (Khushi):
We entered the room, still tense. As Mark opened his mouth to speak, I cut him off.
Khushi:
"Ishana, I need the truth. No more dodging. I know this is personal, but I won't stand by and watch something like this go unexplained."
Ishana:
"I get it. And I'm trying to explain. This really isn't Abhi's fault. I only just found out that I have a skin allergy to unfamiliar physical contact. Even a soft kiss or touch on certain areas—like my neck—causes these red marks.
Abhi was gentle. He didn't know it would happen either. He was concerned when he saw the marks this morning. Nothing bad happened."
Mark:
"You're telling me you've got a condition like that and I didn't know? Ishana, are you serious? When did you even find out? Is there treatment? Why didn't you tell me?"
Ishana:
"Bro, calm down. It's not life-threatening or anything. I'm still learning how to manage it. You can touch me—it's just with strangers or people I'm not fully comfortable with that it triggers a reaction. That's all."
Mark:
"Oh… so that's it,"
(He paused, processing it all.)
"But then why are the marks only on your neck? Your waist or back look fine. Shouldn't there be more if it's an allergy?"
Khushi:
"Mark! That's enough!"