Chapter 93

[MEMBERSONLY]

83(V). Come Vorrei

As she reached nearer, her heart reverberated with a music she had never heard before.

She halted before descending the narrow wooden stairs that winded down, and would lead her to him.

She was dressed severely and yet she felt naked with all her emotions written on her face. No, she couldn't go in like this.

When she was sure her cheeks had lost a little of its warmth and her heart had stopped its galloping; she got down the stairs, one step at a time, her head purposely bent down.

Let me hear him first before I see him because that way I will have time to school my features.

When she was finally but three stairs away from stepping inside the room, she looked up - because there was no voice. A song in a foreign language filled the room, but the room was empty. Her eyes darted around all nooks and corners but there was no one!

Her heart plummeted as something inside her broke while she felt her eyes burn! She hated this feeling! She hated how she had become a puppet in the hands of her stupid hormones. Had menopause come for her early? Knowing she had nothing left to achieve in her life, the body clock must be like let's hasten and wind up things now!

Even in her despair state, she had the sense to admire the decor of the room. It was a large room with rounded furniture in muted pastel filling it. There  was a slate slab in the middle of the room that had books arranged in small rows over it. She couldn't tell the colors clearly because of the warm red glow that the massive lamp standing near the leather sectional casted over the middle of the room while the other areas lurked in darkness and shadows danced over the walls. The hardwood floors were carpeted with classy rugs.

Her eyes wandered to the source of music - it floated from the golden trunk of a gramophone! - and it struck why would someone leave music play in an empty room. 

A smile was worming its way on her face and hope had begun to spread its wing when he appeared, emerging from behind huge shelf and Kirti's mind stopped working.

It was a sudden shock. Like her system shutting down before starting up again and like an old Windows machine, it was taking its own sweet time to reboot.

She saw him. The tall man who had stolen her sleep, with his floppy hair covering his forehead and a day old stubble spread over his his chin. Loose T-shirt. Trousers.

But she really did not see him.

Her heart gathered speed so much that it felt it would leap out of its confines, leaving her person behind.

She stayed put, transfixed as she watched him. He was as absorbed reading the thing in his hand as a true devotee in his worship.

But then he looked up somehow right at her, his gaze first casual and then befuddlement pooling in those dark orbs that fastened her to her place. Befuddlement which was displaced by horror.

But hello!? Why horrified? She was no ghost!

Then it struck her he had seen her!

A gasp escaped her dry lips without her conscious volition.

No, she wasn't ready to meet him just now. He hadn't see her right? If she ran faster they could pretend it was indeed her apparition! Or maybe that he had hallucinated! 17 years of obsession, remember? Even if you think you're over, your mind sometimes likes to play tricks.

So yeah, let me run away! 

She stepped back, but the step was narrow so she hit the stairway. Then turned around ready to sprint up the distance, but forgot she was in heels and she tottered on her feet, precariously close to unceremoniously falling down.

A book fell behind her on the rug noiselessly. Feet shuffled. Noiselessly. The advantage of thick rugs!

She was close to falling but did not. She saved herself by gripping the handrail. It was then it struck what a clown act she was putting up. Was this the limbic hijack, the YT video had been talking about?

Immediately spinning around she met him - he, who was about to climb the stairs.

‘Ah…Nishit…Hi…I didn’t think I would see you here.’ Her voice did not feel like her own and the muscle next to her lips jumped irritatingly. How embarrassing!

Her breath loosened when she laid eyes on his person from this close. There were only three stairs between them.

‘Hmm?’ His outstretched hand found refuge in his sand trousers. ‘To encounter me in my house, a very uncanny event, indeed.' She imagined his voice was throaty too. It could be her ear's way of leveling the field and boosting her morale.

'I mean what are the odds!’ He continued with his smartassedness. Look at me I am Bidesh-returned. I come up with shitty as in snarky replies.

I...’ She gave out an empty rumble of laughter. ‘Right, how funny of me! This is your home so obviously you will be here,' she rambled like a fool. I am usually very smart with my replies. It's just the ant poison messing up with my wit right now. She wanted to clarify.

When he stared back at her in half astonishment and half some-unidentifiable-emotion, his eyes lacking any mirth or warmth she was hoping for, she fidgeted. ‘I thought you were in - but - You have returned!’ She spoke passionately, every fiber of her being grateful for his decision. 

He heard it as an accusation.

‘I should not have?’ He raised his brows. 'Ah, I get it. You would have preferred the exile to run longer.'

She opened her mouth to refute his statement but he continued, 'I regret the inconvenience. And be rest assured, there will be no more late night feverish outbursts in hospitals or silly overtures of friendship that you so abhor. I promise to steer clear of you, Mrs.Ojha.'

‘It was an exile?’ She asked, rounding her eyes - eyes that ate half her face - down at him.

'It sure felt like,' he shrugged his shoulders and the lapel of his olive-green shirt stirred as a consequence, pulling her attention to the creamy skin that the tiny V of his shirt exposed.

'I thought you weren't coming back ever and it wasn't a good feeling at all. I missed you.' She descended the remaining stairs.

As he blinked blankly, she continued, 'I am truly happy and thankful that you decided to come back.' They stood face to face and her smile was radiant. 

He took several steps back and as if even that didn't feel enough, he turned away, moving to the side table where the fascinating gramophone sat - rich people and their shaukhs! - and fiddled with a few music cassettes. Picked up one, put down another before turning to face her. Even when he turned it wasn't full on, revealing only half his face to her. 

'Why are you here? Surely not to meet me?'

'Sadly not. If I had known you had returned I would have specifically come to meet you but I didn't know. You changed your number and did not share the new one with me,' There was a plaintive note in her tone. 'I had no means to contact you.'

'That was the objective. To sever all the ties,' he replied, a little coldly.

'Today I am here as your father's invited guest.'

He finally turned fully to face her now, his hips resting on the table and his brows pulled up in a scrunch. 'Invited guest?'

'I joined NBI and recently won the Principal Silver Medal and also a dinner at the Governor's house.'

'Oh! Congratulations!!' For a second he rose from the table to take a step towards her, his hand coming out to shake hers but instead she saw him cross his arms across his chest. 

'Thank you. Your sister told me about your return.' 

'And you, Mrs.Ojha, came running to meet me? Sounds implausible. Such sequences don't even feature in my dreams.' He scoffed.

'Actually, she told me she's left a book here and asked me to fetch it since there were stairs and she couldn't come here herself.' 

'Her argument is replete with loopholes, you know that right?' He asked, pushing away from the table and taking a step forward.

 Finally!

'Yes, it is.' She also stepped forward in anticipation.

'First being this is my cave and no one comes here.' Another step.

'Second, if she couldn't come here in the first place then what was her book doing here?' She added, her feet shortening the gap between them.

'Third, we have enough servants to have no need to make our guests work.' He said.

'I know,' she agreed.

'Then why Mrs.Ojha?' There was only a distance of two steps between them but he stubbornly kept at his place.

'Because in your dreams I don't come willingly running to meet you right? I had to make this as realistic as possible.' She stepped ahead, now crowding his space.

'What are you playing at?' He erased the proximity in one quick retreat to his table.

'Kuch bhi toh nahi,' she shrugged, clasping her hands back and looking at him innocently. 'Where do you think I can find Prasanna's book?'

'There's the bookshelf,' he waved his hands in a certain direction and turned away to his music records stack once again.

'Oh thank you,' The carpet muffled the click of her heels as she approached the wide wooden shelf.

'I heard about the engagement. I am sorry,' she said.

'Hmm,' he replied in a mono-syllabic voice.

'It's her loss,' she said. 'So are you single now?' She asked in a delicate tone, her index finger tracing the various spines.There were a huge number of publication papers and academia materials she would love to explore at her leisure.

When she didn't receive any reply, she glanced sideways to realize he had moved back into the part of the room where he was hidden earlier.

When he returned, it was with a few sheets of paper and another stack of vinyl records.

'I asked if you are - ' But she did not repeat the question. He was absorbed in the content of the sheets, and didn't seem to be listening. The music still went on with its essence lost to her.

'Can you brighten the lights a bit?' She called out a few minutes later. 'The lights you have now are good for a romantic encounter but unhelpful for one who's in search of a book among a thousand titles.' The teasing in her voice was loud.

'I am afraid I cannot,' he bit out, now poring over some music covers. 'This is my amorous hideout so I set up the lights accordingly.'

'And here I was thinking this was a reading room or something! Amorous hideout, is it? Thank you for telling me. I can see the lights in a new light now.' She chuckled at her own repartee.

Before he could react, she was quick to pull out a random book, and say, 'Found it!' waving the paperback at him.

He wasn't paying attention. 'Good. Now leave!' His tone was crisp and blunt.

'Some hospitality this is! One sibling sends me to fetch a book, the other rudely dismisses me from the room.' She tutted, ambling to where he stood.

'Mrs. Kirti Ojha, Are.you.flirting.with.me?' His face tilted towards her, looking furious. 'Because,' he drawled, his fingers fluidly looping the sheets into the metallic rings of a binder, 'I have to warn you, You are playing with fire.'

'Am I?' She put her chin out in a challenge, 'I don't know. It must be the room and the lights. And, it is Singh. Miss Kirti Singh.'

'Oh. Ohh. Now I get it.' His face hardened and he prowled towards her with a dark intent simmering in his eyes. 'That explains your provocativeness. Divorced now, you're looking for some fun?' He raised his brows, 'You are a little late Missss,' his hiss touched her skin all over. 'Singh. I am not interested anymore.'

'Provocativeness,' She repeated.

Satisfied, he watched her step back with a crumpled face and clutching the book close to her chest. 

'T-thanks for the book,' she said and turned to leave the room.

'Good night, Ms. Singh. Please close the door after you.'

He was watching her empty the room so knew the exact moment when she decided not to.

Spinning on her heels, she spoke, 'Nishit, outside at dinner, I did not pay attention and chose a chair that had ants crawling all over it.'

'So?' He was utterly stunned and lost by the change in the topic.

'The ants bit my neck and I think they also stuck to my clothes. I washed my neck - arms.'

He tapped his foot waiting to see where she was going with it. 

'My skin is burning, though. I would have to say this is not the kind of warm reception I was expecting, Mr.Aggarwal.'

'I am an overseas returned son, Madam, and have no idea about the reception here so cannot help. Please take your grievances to my mother, Mrs. Aggarwal, will you?' He motioned his hands in a sweeping gesture, pointing towards the door.  'She must be at the venue. I am sure your - ' his eyes swept her from top to toe, '- beautiful presence is being missed there.'

'I will leave but before that…' She quickly retraced her path, coming to stand right under his nose, with her back to him. 'Can you check if there is any ant stuck in my nape? They have been worrying me for the last fifteen minutes now.'  Angling her chignon out of the way, she offered her nape to him for survey.

The silence that ensued was deafening and rendered him still.

'Kirti. What do you think you are doing?' He asked in an even-keeled voice.

'Oh but I thought you knew!' She turned her head slightly to look at him. 'I am being a wanton woman!'

Several silent seconds passed while he stared her down before he held both her shoulders and drew her to him so quick that her back hit his chest.

Excruciatingly slow was he as he alighted his lips on the air close to the lobe of her right ear and felt her stiffening.

'An advice, if I may?' He said in a raspy voice and paused significantly, 'Next time you are pulling anything like this, dress a little... less conservatively. This severe nun's garb does nothing to set the mood.'

If he let his fingers climb a little higher - to the base of her throat - he could have felt it's clamor. 

Beads of perspiration had begun to stand out in his palms and he let go of her shoulders before she could feel his clamminess.

'Nishit Aggarwal. You're the biggest dunce I've ever come across!'

'Beg your pardon?'

'Ant,' she said, turning her head slowly over her shoulder and blinking her wicked eyes up at him. 'pay attention to the ant, will you?' 

Her voice so close shook his chest.

[NOCOPY]