" />Jeevan Saathi Saath Mein Rahena
Chapter 20
In Rantara's bedroom...
Antara handed a cup of coffee to Raghu and crawled in under the blanket. "Suno,you try to get some sleep I'll be in the study room,I'll join you soon ok?" Said Raghu. "Hmm don't be long." Said Antara and closed her eyelids. "Don't you want your goodnight kiss?" Asked Raghu. "Of course I do!" Smile lingering on her lips she opened her arms for Raghu. He went in her arms and smooched her face with his wet kisses. "Now get some sleep I'll see you soon." He rolled of the bed and was leaving when Antara caught his hand. "I don't want you to go." Raghu smiled and brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I promise i won't be long sweetheart." He tucked her nicely on the bed,grabbed his coffee and headed towards the door. "Suniye!" Raghu turned towards her. "I love you!" Said Antara. "I love you more!" Raghu threw flying kisses at her. With a smile on his lips he stepped out of the room and left towards the study room. Antara was just tossing and turning in bed,unable to sleep. "Why am I so restless? Why do I feel something drastic is about to happen?" She sat up leaning on the headboard and played with the touch lamp on the nightstand. After trying so hard to sleep she finally dozed off.
In the study room Raghu was busy working on the laptop and sipped his coffee once in a while. Nisha stood half hidden on the doorway and eyed him wickedly. She was up to something big this time. Raghu got up to go to the washroom when nisha stepped in the study room quietly and poured some liquid in his coffee and mixed it with her finger. A victorious smile was playing on her lips. Hearing Raghu's footsteps she quickly vanished from the room. Finishing his coffee he headed towards the door when his head felt heavy. Vision turned to blurry and his head spun. "Antaraaa..." he called her name and almost collapsed on the floor when Nisha caught him on time and helped him to her room. Raghu had lost his ability to think and act right because of the drug in his coffee. Taking advantage of his state Nisha removed his clothes then hers and covered them with a blanket and slept on his chest.
In the middle of the night Antara woke while panting hard. Switching on the lamb She looked on Raghu's side of the bed,it was empty! Then she looked at the clock on the nightstand,it read 4:00 am. "It's 4 and he's still studying?" Putting on her robe she came out of the room and left towards the study room. Her heart was pounding for no reason. "Sunye!" She called from the doorway of the study room but there was no response. "Hey Bhagwan kaha Gaya yeh." Blabbering to herself she searched other rooms but still no luck. Only room left was Nisha's bedroom. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she stopped by her door. Wiping off the sweat on her forehead she pushed the door open. She froze at the view in front of her eyes! Tears made its way down her cheeks as she covered her mouth to prevent the cries from escaping. She felt the Floor slipping away from under her feet and the room around her spun. Nisha and Raghu were sleeping enveloped with each other's arms. Their clothes lay crumbled on the floor. Her heart broke into pieces. She literally died in that room. Damage was done to her heart,mind and soul. Shattered and devastated she managed to move from there. Her conscience had stopped working as she demanded answers. All seemed dark,dull and void. Coming to her room she packed her suitcase,looking at her wedding photo with tears she dumped it in her bag face down and zipped it down. Putting on her simple dress she hid her mangalsutra behind her dupatta. She was back in the avatar of a single girl. Tying her hair in two pleats like a school girl and wearing her glasses she grabbed her bag when her hand hit the sindoor holder and the whole thing fell on the floor colouring the carpet red. Her wedding day flashed before her eyes. The scenario where her beloved husband applied sindoor on her maang making her his forever but today she no longer was his. Everything was finished in some hours and she was all alone. "You are good for nothing! You can never win from me,you were a failure and you'll remain a failure for ever!" Nisha's annoying voice echoed in her ears. Drying her tears,she grabbed her suitcase and stepped out of Naik Residence. She gave one last look at her bedroom,the window was going to and fro from the wind. The curtains flew as the wind touched them. Shutting her eyes to erase all the memories she called for a cab. Once inside the cab,she text her mother in law. "Sorry mom main Ek acchi bahu nahi ban saki,main jaa rahi Hun please forgive me...Aur unka khayal rakhna." Then she wrote a note to Machmach and Ruksana explaining what happened last night and what she witnessed. Stopping by at machmach's place,she pushed the letter underneath their door and got in the cab again. "Kaha drop karu?" Asked the driver. "At the railway station please." Answered Antara. She just wanted to leave Mumbai as soon as possible,no energy was left in her to answer everyone. Not wanting to become a burden on her parents she didn't bother calling them. Suppressing her tears she arrived at the station not knowing which train to take and where to go.
At Naik Residence
Raghu woke up yawning. Eyes still closed he called for Antara. Not getting any response from her he finally opened his eyes. Nisha was snoring beside him. "What the!!!" He jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothing on the floor. Putting the clothes on he dumped the whole jug of water on her face! "Get up you!!!" He shouted. Nisha jumped out of bed with a cry and covered herself with the sheet. "How the hell I ended up here in your bed? Kya kiya tumne?!!!" Screamed Raghu. "How do I suppose to know? And why will I do anything? You came to my room and forcefully made love to me!" Replied Nisha. "I can never make love to you! Not even in my worst nightmare! You snared me didn't you?" Raghu was bursting with anger. "What's wrong if I snared you? We love each other don't we?" Said nisha. Raghu's hands balled into two hard fists. "For the last time I don't love you! In fact I never loved you! I only love Antara you hear me!!!" Raghu's voice echoed in the room. Nisha squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. Suddenly Antara's thoughts invaded his mind. "Antara!" Calling her name Raghu rushed towards her room but she wasn't there. He searched all over the house and even tried her cell phone but no luck. "She has left you Raghu! She must have caught us in bed doing stuffs that's why she disappeared darpok Kahi ki!" Howled Nisha from the stairs. "Shut up ok? I don't want to hear a word from you not even one you hear me?!!" Raghu warned her. He was going nuts without Antara. The door bell sounded,Raghu rushed to open it thinking it was Antara. But it wasn't. It was Machmach and Ruksana with Antara's note in their hand. "Antara kaha hai Machmach? Ruksana Kuch toh bolo Tum dono!" Raghu cried. Little Pari got up in the commotion and came running down to find out what was happening. Sadly,machmach handed the note to Raghu. "We found this under our door this morning." Raghu quickly read through it. "I don't believe this is happening...she can't leave me yaar." Raghu ruffled his hair in frustration. "After what she saw,you think she'll stay here and spend the rest of her life with you?" Asked Ruksana. "She saw us sleeping together,she didn't see me getting intimate with her...I'm innocent you guys...I didn't do anything trust me...I was trapped please understand." Pleaded Raghu. "How will you prove you are innocent?" Asked Ruksana. Raghu snapped his fingers. "Surveillance camera!" "Oh yes I forget the entire house is under surveillance." Added machmach. Both buddies rushed to the camera room. "Abh tumara chapter khatam!" Ruksana told Nisha. Scared to death she ran to her room. "Nisha,pack your stuffs and leave before Raghu throws you out." Her conscience told her. She was shoving everything in her bag when little Pari tapped on her door. "Kya hai?" Barked Nisha. "I told you to get your own mangal then why did you dare touch Anta Di's mangal?" Pari was in a fighting mood because her only Di was gone because of Nisha. "Your game is over miss N!" Pari threatened her by pointing her little finger at her. "You little!!!" Nisha threw her hair brush at her but Pari escaped. "You can't catch me..na na na po po...you can't catch me..na na na Po Po.." Singing teasingly at her she ran out of there.
Meanwhile,Raghu,Machmach and Ruksana witnessed everything on the camera. Raghu was found innocent. Eyes blazing with anger,Raghu strode to the hall. Frightened Nisha was just stepping out of the house. Raghu grabbed her bag n dumped it on the ground outside the door. "Don't ever show your face to us again! You think you have ruined our life? No miss Nisha ..my love for Antara is so strong and her love for me that we can go through any storms that comes our way..my love will find her and bring her back you just wait and watch! And yes! Congrats you lost again!" Said Raghu as he folded his arms. Nisha grimaced and left cursing him under her breath. Raghu shut the door on her. He took a deep breath in and out. His eyes rested on the family photo on the wall. Tears welled up in his eyes when he saw his Antara in her wedding attire. Machmach and Ruksana consoled him. "Don't worry chachu...we'll bing (bring) Di back" assured little Pari. Raghu embraced little Pari and tousled her hair.
On the other side,Antara arrived to a village which was unknown to her. Soon it would be dark. With tears in her eyes she sat under a tree,hugging herself as it was quite chilly out. The more she tried to forget about Raghu and Nisha the more they invaded her mind. There were numerous missed calls from Raghu and Ruksana but she didn't care to return their calls. "Before it gets dark I have to find a place to stay." Thought Antara. She got up and enquired about shelters in that village and luckily she found one. Shelter for battered women became her home from that day. Somehow she spent the night and the very next morning she went out in search of a job. Even After trying for the good whole day she still didn't get a job. Tired and dismayed she came to a park and watched the children play. Suddenly a boy fell from a swing and hurt his knees. He started crying for his parents but they were not in sight. "Oh God!" Antara rushed towards the child,helped him up and carried him to a nearby bench. "Roh mat bacchey,it's just a little bruise ..you'll be fine once I apply a little ointment and a band aid ok?" The little boy dried his tears. "Di,you are very sweet...by the way I'm Sohan." The little brave boy extended his hand for a hand shake. "Nice to meet you Sohan,I am Antara." The two became friends in no time,Antara cleaned his bruises and applied band aid. "Sohan mera baccha!" His mom came running to them,her husband followed behind her. Sohan told them how Antara helped him and took care of his bruises. "Thank you so much,wayse Tum yaha ki lagti nai ho.." said Mr kapoor,Sohan's dad. "Ji I'm not from here,kal hii aayee Hun...I'm looking for a job." Mr Kapoor looked at Mrs kapoor who was smiling. "In that case we have a job for you." Said mr kapoor. "Thank you so much lekin job description kya hai?" Asked Antara. "We opened a school here in this village and we are looking for kindergarten teachers." So that day Antara got a job as a kindergarten teacher. In order to forget her past she kept herself busy in her work.
A month went by. Raghu's parents came back home. "You'll only see me smile when you bring back my Bahu." Mrs Naik had told Raghu. Raghu was physically present in his office but mentally he was with Antara. Life wasn't easy without her. He had hired detectives to search for Antara and her whereabouts. After work he would go for long drives in search of her not knowing she was out of Mumbai in some unknown village in the wilderness.
At the women's shelter
Antara was standing in her balcony watching the rain fall. Rain reminded her of Raghu and the moments they shared. As the rain poured down she drifted into her past,her life with her husband flashed before her eyes.
"Sunye! It's about to rain I think we should go back." Both were jogging that evening and the weather had suddenly changed and Antara wanted to turn back and go home but Raghu insisted to jog some more. Then suddenly it started to pour heavily. Both ran to a tree for shelter. "Abh kiya karey? Dinner banana tha but now I think We'll be stuck here for the entire night." Said Antara as she shook her clothes to get rid of the rain water. "Don't worry sweetheart we'll leave as soon as the rain ceases." Raghu assured her. "I'll freeze to death before the rain stops." Antara had started to shiver from the cold. "I won't let that happen." Raghu hauled her to him and slammed her lips with his. Her arms went around his neck and his hands squeezed her hips as they kissed. He kissed the corners of her mouth,her chin and cheeks. Putting his lips up to her ear, he felt her arms tighten around him as he repeated his words to her again and again. "I love you Antara!" Without giving her a chance to respond, he quickly brought his lips to hers and kissed her quickly, yet passionately. Running his fingertips down her face, he watched as a lone raindrop ran down her nose. Placing his lips on the tip, he kissed the rain away and smiled at her.Antara ran her fingers gently through Raghu's wet, black hair as she took in the beautiful sight of her husband. "Let's go home,I have unfinished business with you." Raghu whispered and scooped Antara up into his arms and carried her to their home. Rain poured down on them as they walked through the rain. "Ghar toh udhar hai aap humey Iss taraf kiyu le jaa rahe ho?" Asked Antara. "I'm taking you to our guest house where there's is no one to disturb us." Antara was shy as anything. Arriving at the guest house Raghu deposited her on the bed and took in the sight before him. Even with her hair wet and her clothes sticking to her, he had never seen her as beautiful as this. He began to peel her clothes staring into her eyes that were looking intensely into his. As each clothes became unfastened, their eyes darkened further and their breathing became more labored. Slipping the dress off of her wet body, he removed her undergarments and admired her body that was revealed just for him.
"Now your turn." Raghu lay on his side, staring at her and giving into her ministrations as Antara began to remove his jacket and clothes from his body. Finally, getting to his boxers, she removed them slowly, wanting to savor this moment with him as long as possible. As the last piece of clothing was disposed of, droplets of water fell from his hair and onto her lips. She licked her lips, tasting the rain that dropped from him, as if she couldn't get enough of this man, at all. Watching her lick the water from him, spurred him and his desire on even more, and he placed his body on top of hers. He began to kiss her neck, feeling her writhe beneath him and pant as she felt the wonderful feeling that accompanied it. Antara ran her fingertips along his naked back as she kissed his shoulder that was at her mouth's level. Raghu began to kiss down Antara's body, pausing at her chest, which heaved pleasurable breaths. Gently sucking on her, he ran his hands up and down the sides of her body, which elicited soft whimpers from her. Bringing his mouth further down her body, he got to the center of her and gently kissed her, which symbolized to her the love that he felt for her and only wanted her as his wife and no one else.
Bringing himself back up to her face, he slid himself in slowly, creating a rhythm that would convey all of his thoughts to her in that moment. As they met each other stroke for stroke, Raghu put his mouth up to her ear and breathed the words that she needed to hear to achieve her satisfaction. "I love you very much.." "I love you too.." whispered Antara. Raghu responded in turn and put his head into her neck and nuzzled her. His strokes even harder now. As he looked at her, he noticed that their bodies weren't soaked from the rain anymore, but in sweat that was produced from being together. Finally they reached their climax and Raghu rolled away. "Can you hear the sound?" Asked Raghu as he pulled her on him."I love hearin' the sound of the rain on the roof, but I love it more with you in my arms." Antara kissed her husband's chest and closed her eyes.
Feeling Raghu rub her back, she was lulled into a safe and warm sleep, with her true love by her side.
Back in the women's shelter
Antara was in tears as she remembered some very precious moments with Raghu. Someone called her from inside shattering her thoughts. "I'll be there." Wiping her tears off she went inside.
Next chapter
Raghu goes out in search of Antara and reaches her village.
Guys this is it for today,I don't know what I wrote,please if you are reading,hit the like button and leave your comments and I will appreciate them very much. Keep smiling and stay blessed. Love to all
~Sanju~