Hello Everyone.
Chapter 38
Dilwale Dulhaniya lee jayenge !!
After hours of a drive while the day darkened into a night and suspicions clouding his mind, Karthik got out of the car while looking at the house. His eyes suddenly drew up to the left side room and the balcony. Something pulled at his mind. He glared at the light coming out of the sliding windows. He could feel her now.
He walked faster inside the house as it wasn’t locked. There wasn’t a soul around. He moved up the stairs hard on his feet.
His heart thudded somehow thinking that this might be the room of hers. He hesitated but opened the room. It was dark inside except the yellow light of the table lamp.
But, his eyes fell on the figure sitting on the corner of the bed. He sighed taking a relieved breath looking at her long dark locks and her bent head.
He walked in and made sure to creak his feet on the floor to draw her attention to his presence. Her eyes wary in the dim light caught his, but nothing changed in her face. She looked passive silent, and closed up into a shell. All day, it was since he last saw her, his jaw grinded looking at her unmovable figure.
Had she been expecting him at all ?!! His mind clawed a question. This is how she greets him ?!! With all the hours thinking nonsensical shit that something had happened to her, this is what he gets.
Karthik’s eyes became cold as they drew to the cupboard. He moved towards it angrily.
“You’re coming with me.” He growled.
He opened the cupboard and found it empty. He frowned, his head turned around and his eyes caught hers in irritation.
“Where are your clothes ?!!” He asked her.
Naira still looked back in passive gaze. The light that twinkled around just dimmed out completely. It unsettled him, her sudden silence. He thought, she would be happy here. In her dear father’s house.
“I already packed them.” She murmured in whisper.
His body locked tight and he moved a little to her side. His eyes fell on the suitcase and a bag beside to the bed, closer to her leg. Something pained hit him hard in the chest. She was waiting for him ?!! Doubts started swirling in his mind about everything now.
He moved towards the bed and he caught hold of the suitcase, but her constant silence and lost eagerness annoyed his nerves. She was sitting there like a sacrificed lamb. As if going with him would be the death of her.
“Why are you so silent ?!! Why aren’t you throwing attitude in my face ?!!” He asked.
She blinked down and he could see a sheen of wet in her eyes. A look of pure silent desperation came into her light brown eyes.
What ?!! His breath stuck in his throat. Her eyed were so red. Like she had been crying. The dried trickle of tears on her cheeks proved it that she had cried hard. His fingers automatically slid on her right cheek, but she flinched back.
His fingers froze mid air and he immediately pushed back the heavy curtain of her hair off her face and he held her head to his view. His eyes narrowed at the four angry red finger print marks covered on her whole right cheek. He released a deep hiss of breath. His eyes slid to her hands. There were finger print marks there too, on her arms.
The thundering of his eyes came back to the mark on her cheek. It hurt too much to look. He slid his wounded gaze back to her wary eyes. They swarm and sparkled now with unshed tears. He didn’t realize, he was breathing harshly now. His chest pained with the effort to take in a breath. He was shaking with it. Extreme hate and a deep anger spread and flowed into his veins.
“When ?!!” He asked her slowly .
She stared into his eyes looking for something, but he was sure she only could find a hurt that strangulated his neck.
“When I refused to leave the house.” She whispered quietly.
His hold slackened on her hair with the sweet punch of her words to his very chest. He sucked in a breath.
She didn’t want to leave him ?!! Why ?!!
Her hand caught his in a tight grip.
“I don’t want to stay here.” Naira murmured in a despair filled voice.
It was a sweet call to his senses again, but a doubt still clawed at his mind, but the violent marks on her skin seem to clear the suspicious cloud. Poisonous guilt attacked his heart and plunged a knife deep in his heart.
He trolleyed the suitcase and caught hold of her cold hand and entwined their fingers. She got up and moved closer to his side clutching onto his bicep. He walked them down.
He was wrong. Very very wrong. There was a doubt still, but it vitiated his spirit. He went back in a restrospect and closed his eyes. He acted on impulse and unheard the sane mind’s persistence that it was wrong, but the roar of the hurt that she could betray him grabbled out his control and something snapped thinking about the innocent mask.
He moved forward but felt her draw back in a stop as he felt a tug at his hand. He frowned and turned around, but his eyes locked on her face. It was twisted and scrunched up in a pain looking across the room.
Karthik followed her gaze and froze too. He looked back at her watering eyes and understood well. It was her mother, standing near the stair case, she looked fore lone and thin, but she held a knowing eyes at their joined hands. She seemed exactly like Naira in her appearance. He dropped Naira’s hand abruptly and moved forward.
She had an aura of a loving mother. Her eyes were earnest and swimming. When he moved towards her, she looked up into his eyes surprised. She reminded him of his mother suddenly. Karthik tentatively and slowly bent down to the floor and touched his hand to her feet. She moved back in a surprise but a second or two later, her hand lay over his head in a caress.
Karthik closed his eyes, as his eyes swimmed and a lone tear escaped his eyes and fell on the floor. He wiped it away and got up. Naira’s mother’s face now contorted in a smile.
“Don’t worry. I will always take care of her.” Karthik murmured in a whisper.
“I know.” She smiled in a broken whisper.
Karthik nodded his head and turned around but feeling very uneasy he turned back around.
“You can always come and stay with us.” He said sliding his gaze to her.
Her eyes widened a little in surprise at his understanding, but she still only nodded her head. Karthik moved to turn around but she called him out.
“Wait.” Naira’s mom called out.
He turned around, but saw that she was moving back.
“Don’t go you two. I’ll just come.” She said smiling and wiping her eyes, and hurried inside a room.
Karthik glanced across at his wife’s wide stare at his face. Naira was looking at him in that search of a penetrating gaze. Karthik slid away his gaze. He straightened when his wife’s mother ran back inside the hall. She was carrying something in her hands. She moved towards her daughter and put the large rectangular box in Naira’s hand.
She took both of his hand and her daughter’s hand together and made them stand opposite to each other. Karthik froze and stared at the small silver box filled with red colour. His eyes looked back up into the loving motherly expectant gaze and his resolve broke like damn. He gulped hard and glanced across uneasily at Naira. Her eyes, surprised and pained, grabbed his in a stare.
Naira couldn’t believe her eyes. The red colour glared back at her in a mock, he glanced down her at her in a look of pure loath. She knew he didn’t want to do the ritual. That was visibly apparent. Her mother already connected with him in first glance, and she was surprised by his respect towards her mother and she kept thinking about his life. About his parents. About how he was all alone. It blamed her wary mind looking at him get a loving affection from her mother and she felt her eyes water and flow at how he touched her feet without much thinking.
Her eyes became widened suddenly when his right hand hesitantly drew up and as he pinched the red colour. What is the point of it, when he doesn’t even trust her. It was a mock and an insult. She drew back a little when his hand raised to her head, his eyes turned cold at her step back. He glared down at her and his other hand grabbed her waist tight.
She stayed locked in a freeze when he glared down at her and spread the colour over her parted hair of her forehead.
Her mother smiled at both of them. Blessed and hugged them together and walked them out.
Precap : Tit for Tat !!
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How was this Chapter ?!!
The next Chapter would have the faceoff between Karthik and Mr. Singhania !!
Do comment. Keep smiling. Keep watching Yrkkh !!