Chapter 53

A few days passed by and functions for Nitesh and ruchi's wedding had started. Sameer with his staff reached the hall to make preparations for haldi ceremony. 

Sid came to dwivedi house to pick roli up. He was waiting in the hall alone while Roli was getting ready in her room. She didn't come out of her room even after an hour of his arrival. Pissed off with the waiting, Sid got up and headed to her room. 

"How much time will you take?" Sid pushed open the door, impatiently. 

"Done" roli turned to him, standing near the mirror. While Sid's heart skipped a few beats looking at her. 

Wearing a yellow colour lehenga, following the theme of ceremony, roli looked stunned. Slightly done make up complimenting her already beautiful face. Her hair was kept in front at her left shoulder, while her deep blouse revealed her bear back.

Walking near to her, Sid glanced at the mirror, which was showing her bear back as she stood before it turning against it. While his attention caught by the loosely tied dori of her blouse.

Sid wrapped his arms around her and started tying the dori, caging her in between his arms. Roli closed her eyes as his warm breath hit near her ears. 

After tying the dori, Sid looked at her and found her gazing at him. He slowly brushed off her hair to back from her shoulder as if he was protectively covering her bear back. 

"Now it's done" Sid whispered, caressing her cheek with his thumb while Roli smiled with blush. 

"Btw, stay away from kids. They will be scared seeing you" uttering those words, Sid turned around with a giggle and left the room. Glaring at his back, roli followed him with a huff. 

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The hall was decorated with yellow flowers as per the theme of haldi ceremony and all got dressed up in yellow colour clothes following the theme. 

Nitesh and Ruchi were seated in the middle of the hall as elders started applying haldi to them. While standing at either sides of the couple, Roli and Sid kept bickering through eyes. Sid was giggling looking at her, making her annoyed and glare at him. 

After elders were done applying haldi to the couple, it's time for young people. Roli applied haldi on Ruchi and she was about to leave to wash her hands when she got a crazy idea while walking past Sid. Turning to him, she applied the haldi on Sid's face.

"What the....?" Sid was bewildered and before he could realize, roli quickly started running from that place. 

"ROLI" Sid yelled and started chasing her, making everybody else in the hall laugh. 

After running in to distance, roli was faced by a wall before her. Turning around to run in another direction, she was shocked to find Sid standing before her. At her behind was the wall and before was Sid, roli was in dilemma. 

"Where you will escape now?" Sid smirked, moving near to her. While she took backward steps, realising she couldn't escape from him. 

When she reached the wall, Sid kept his hands on the wall, trapping her between him and the wall. 

"Woh.. I.." roli thought of a way to escape but couldn't get it. 

"You wanted to play right? Let's do it" Sid smiled with a smirk as he raised his hand full of haldi. Roli tightly shut her eyes as she knew he wouldn't leave her without applying haldi. 

Roli waited for a few seconds with her eyes closed but didn't receive any expected impact. While Sid admired her face without applying haldi on her. Slowly opening her eyes, she found him with a mischievous smile. 

"If you want you too can apply haldi on me" roli said with a puppy face and closed her eyes again. 

"Nah. I'm not doing it" roli opened her eyes and looked at him in surprised. Means he would leave her, roli felt more surprised. 

"I will give you some other punishment" Sid said, making her froze. Roli raised her eyebrows like what it is. By looking at his devilish smile, she knew he was up to no good.

"You've applied haldi on me so you have to clean it" Sid said while Roli looked at him in disbelief. So simple punishment, she thought. 

"Okay" roli smiled with a sigh of relief as she took her hand to clean the haldi on his cheek. 

"Wait.." Sid immediately held her hand and stopped her. "..not with hands". Here comes the twist in the tale. 

"Then how can I clean it if not with hands?" Roli frowned at him and felt foolish for thinking he would give such a simple punishment for her. 

"You've applied on my cheek right. Then clean it with your cheek" Sid smirked, making her eyes widened. Roli stood without moving and thinking what should be done. 

"If you can't do this, I will give you something else to do" watching her standing like a statue, Sid spoke. 

"No.. no need" roli quickly stopped him. She couldn't imagine what other things he would ask for her to do. "I will do it" she said in a bearly audible voice. 

"Then do it" Sid urged with a victorious smile playing on his lips. Glaring at him, roli stood on her toes to reach his height and moved near his face. 

Sid held her hip as a support and pulled her near him, filling the gap between them. Roli closed her eyes as she rubbed her soft cheek with his rough one. Sid smiled seeming to be enjoying their closeness. 

Roli subconsciously circled her hands around his neck as his left hand caressed her bear hip. Sid nudged his face in the crook of her neck, making her feel tickled. She was in no state to do anything as she closed her eyes tightly while her senses went numb. Pulling her more in to him, Sid hugged her tightly. 

They remained in the same position while silence filled the place. After a few moments, Sid finally spoke up "the other punishment I was about to say is to use cloth to clean it". 

Roli opened her eyes hearing him and raising from his shoulder, she looked at him being perplexed. While Sid broke in to laughter, making her realized that he again played with her. Gaining her senses back, she pushed him away and hit him on his chest before leaving the place. 

Reaching the washbasin at one corner, Roli was angry at first but soon remembering their closeness, she blushed like anything. Looking in to the mirror kept on the wall, she blushed even more, finding haldi on her cheeks, which she got from Sid. 

Roli turned on the tap and washed her hands and face. Taking a towel from the hanger beside the mirror, she started drying up her face. 

Suddenly, someone from behind closed her mouth with the same towel she was using to dry her face. Roli tried to shove off the hands but, she couldn't. And the towel was covering her face, she couldn't even see the person. 

Roli tried a lot but the person held with much strength that she started feeling out of breath. When she was struggling to come out of the person's hold, she heard the person speaking. 

"Leave Sid before it's too late" it was a female voice. Roli was left stranding after hearing it. 

And without wasting anymore time, the woman pushed roli to side and rushed out from the place. Holding the wall, roli coughed hard as she removed the towel from her face. Turning around she found none in the place. No one were there around, only she was present. She was searching for that woman when she felt an arm on her shoulder. Roli jerked as she turned to look at the person.  

"Roli" Sid was startled, looking at her sweat covered face and tensed look. Finding Sid near her, roli fell on his chest like a scared kid and hugged him tightly. 

"Hey, what happened?" Sid got stunned. Wrapping his arms around her protectively, he tried to console her. 

"Roli.." Sid pulled her off him and cupped her face "what happened?".

"Woh.. she.." roli couldn't even talk properly as her breath was still uneven.  

"Who, roli?" Sid's heartbeat was not at ease watching her in such plight. 

"Don't know.." roli cried feeling helpless and scared at the same time. 

"Roli.. relax" Sid pulled her in to his embrace, unable to see her crying. Then he softly stroked her hairs to make her calm down. 

After a few minutes, roli finally got calmed down a bit being in his heavenly embrace. Finding her normal, Sid broke the hug and cupped her face. 

"Now tell me what happened?" He asked, concerned. Holding his hands, roli slowly started telling what had happened with her. 

"What?!" Sid was shocked to know someone attacked Roli. "did you see the person's face?" He inquired. While Roli nodded as 'no'. 

Sid did not know what to do, he was perplexed as the hall was guarded and only invitees could enter in it. How could someone attack Roli? He could not understand. 

"Roli, look at me.." sid cupped her face. "..stop crying first" wiping off her tears, he continued "I'm here with you and I won't let anyone harm you". 

Looking in to his eyes, roli felt a sense of protection. Hugging him again, she closed her eyes to forget the unpleasant event. While Sid's mind wandered elsewhere as he hugged her back. 

He knew she was being targeted because of him again. He was guilty to death for being a reason of her pain. Holding her in his arms as if his life was depending on her, he was sure that he would protect her until the eternity!