Chapter 2

~2~

She stood in the kitchen fiddling with her pallu. Everyone had left half an hour back to give the couple some privacy. Anuj had gone into their room. She had excused herself saying she needed some water and there she was standing in the middle of the kitchen staring aimlessly at the floor.

The last time she had dressed up as a bride for suhaag raat her whole world had collapsed. She still remembered every moment like it was yesterday. She had moved on from the Shah house but the painful memory and the disgust she felt afterwards was still fresh. Kavya's sarcastic words 'All men are the same. Men will be men' kept echoing on her ears. She knew Anuj was different but she just couldn't find the courage to walk into his scratch that their bedroom. She tried to move plenty of times but her legs failed and she stood rooted to the ground. It was as if she was living the nightmare again.

"Anu..?"

His voice broke her reverie. She looked up to see his questioning glance.

"Are you ok?"

"Uh... actually.... I.."

He walked closer to her and took her hands in his.

"Anu? You know you can tell me anything..."

She took a deep breath and mumbled.

"The last time I decked myself as a bride things didn't turn out as I expected..."

She looked up and saw him looking into her eyes. Her eyes filled up.

"Sorry sorry sorry... I don't mean to doubt you. In fact I trust you more than myself. I just can't forget that night how much ever I try and today... it's all coming back to me... I am not able to walk... It's like I am stuck... I tried... I am sorry... I really wanted to make tonight special for you... I... "

He placed his finger on her lips and gently wiped the tears spilling from her eyes. He grabbed her into a hug and rubbed her back gently calming her down. As her breaths steadied, he gently pulled away from her and tipped her face up so that she would look at him.

"You are here. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have already made this night special with your presence."

He gently planted a kiss on her forehead reassuring her. Slowly he bent down and picked her up. Shocked by his action she opened her mouth to protest. He smiled at her and winked

"Just making it easy for you to reach our room, Darling."

And so easily he made sure that her mind forever remembered their walk and never the one she took on her 25th anniversary.