We Go On Red

RaYa Ficlet: We Go on Red

beta read by LizzieBennet

Priya looked good in red. Ram had known this when he had married her half a decade ago. But he hadn't realized the gravity of seeing her don a red saree after all these years. Everyone at Sara and Vikrant’s mehendi function was praising the bride. But in Ram’s eyes, Priya looked more beautiful than the bride.

It was only a saree. Ram had bought it convincing himself that it was only for the deal. That no emotions were involved in this shopping splurge. But it was a lie. In truth, that red saree at the store had reminded Ram of their wedding. Draped in red, she had looked no less than a queen who had come to rule his heart. And when she walked down the stairs in the saree that Ram had gifted her, his eyes were intoxicated. Time had stilled at the moment.

Moments later, he found Priya looking at him as she walked down the stairs. As if there was no one else there except the two of them. Just like always. Just like the night before she... No, Ram, this meant nothing. This wasn’t real. It was all because of the deal. The same 800-crore rupees deal that would keep him and his family out of prison.

Ram, Priya and Pihu will pretend to be a family, secure the deal and the drama will end in seven days. After seven days, Priya will be gone from his life. Again. A sharp pain stabbed Ram from the inside, he clenched his fists at the unbearable pain. Priya was Krish's girlfriend. She didn't marry him but she chose him. She didn't even want to help Ram at first, let alone drag her innocent child into the drama. It was like Priya didn't want anything to do with Ram. Yet, when she agreed, it was like nothing had changed between them. As if she was the same Priya, Ram had fallen in love with.

Why was Priya doing this? Was it only because he had requested her? Or was she helping him out of guilt of hurting him? There were so many questions buzzing in his mind, yet he just stood there in silence looking at her descend the stairs like a fairy descending from the moon. Why did everything look like a dream he could never have? A dream that broke his heart into pieces five years ago. Ram’s heart hammered in his chest and his eyes threatened to well up.

Priya walked down the stairs gracefully. There was an unreadable expression in her eyes. They looked neither happy nor sad, rather they seemed to be at peace. Like a woman who just died in the arms of her lover.

Ram felt surreal on realizing that Priya's eyes were only on him. No, maybe her eyes were on Krish and his treacherous heart was misleading him again. Ram took a deep breath to calm himself down. He needed to stop right there. Red was a signal for danger, a sign to pull the brakes. They were now only a pretend couple. Everything was a lie and she was no longer his wife. "Remember the deal, Ram," he chided himself. This was not a good time to slip down the path of love again.

He gathered some courage and looked at Priya again. His eyes met hers. And just like that, Priya lost her footing on the stairs and slipped down the last one. Ram ran as fast as he could to prevent her from falling. All thoughts of stopping or pulling the brakes had left him. He caught her by her waist and pulled her closer. Onlookers be damned.

Something about red had always appealed to Ram. Its warmth reminded him of love, of the bouquet of roses that Priya had gifted him, and of all their sweet promises and coupons. Those very promises that had tortured him for the last five years after Priya left him for Krish. Yet, his heart continued to desire no one else but Priya. Ever since she had stepped into his life, she had become his dream again. His unspoken, unrealized and unreasonable dream, dressed in red and holding his arms. It brought back all their sweet moments that were filled with anticipation and love. He wouldn't forget the memories until the last day of his life.

His mouth went dry as he followed a glow of crimson creeping up her cheeks. Ram realized then that the entire crowd was watching him holding Priya close, including Pihu, Priya's little daughter. Reluctantly, he let Priya go. His treacherous heart wished to pause the moment for eternity.

“Are you okay?” Ram asked, after shaking himself out of the trance.

Priya nodded.

"Good," he said. “The minister is looking. Hopefully, he will get convinced that everything is real.”

Priya snapped her gaze to Ram’s face, breaking out from a trance of her own. The peace in her eyes was gone.

“Right. Hope he gets convinced it is real. The deal is important after all,” Priya said in her usual dry manner and moved into the ceremony party.

Ram kept looking. His heart still hammered in his chest, telling him what he had always known. From his heart’s reasoning, there was no difference between the truth and the lie, because whenever he thought of Priya he thought of her as his wife. That was why his heart wouldn’t stop thumping when he saw her in red.

Did Priya's heart betray her the same way?

Ram wished he had all the answers. He sighed and walked into the party.

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