CHAPTER-7
Chhavi was lying on the bed but couldn't sleep at all; her shady room was giving her a sense of emptiness. She looked outside, a frozen darkness had clotted there. One by one the incidents had happened today but she wouldn't be able to tell anybody about Viraf. She turned her face. The floor of her room was covered with the gloomy light of the moon. Chhavi felt a lump in her throat. She got up from the bed and switched on the bedside lamp. A fragile shadow mixed with the moonlight and made her room muggier. She took the water bottle from the table and gulped some down but it couldn't help her a bit. She came to the balcony and dialled Viraf's number.
Viraf was in his room strolling casually but deep in his heart he was worried for Chhavi. She had not called him yet and furthermore, the thought of Savitri's last call was making him even more restless just then his phone started ringing and in an instant he picked it up.
"What is this Chhavi? Why haven't you called me? I was..." But he halted as he didn't find any response from the other side. "What happened? Is everything alright? Chhavi...say something..." He asked quite normally but couldn't hide his suppressed anxiety.
"Parth had come today...with his parents." She replied in a calm tone.
His brows got curved hearing Parth's name suddenly. "Why?" he asked.
"Don't know...His parents were talking with my Ma...and then he came to meet me. I tried to tell him about you...but he didn't listen...and since then a fear is constantly haunting me...and I..." Her voice choked.
"Chhavi...It's alright!" His gentle voice tried to soothe her, "Don't think too much..."
But Chhavi didn't say anything, she held the phone tightly and a teardrop fell from her eyes.
"Ok... I'm coming..." He stated at once.
"Where?" Chhavi asked surprised while wiping out her tears.
"To your house..." He said casually.
"Have you gone mad?? See the time..." She said with fake anger but her heart smiled hearing his words.
"Then stop crying..." he said.
Her lips curved in a smile instantly.
"I'm not crying."
"Liar.."
"Actually seeing Mom-Dad today I felt like... you know they were so much in love before but then...then everything got changed and they end up like this...They changed; though in a superficial manner but their love remains the same... Would we be able to retain our love like this?" Chhavi asked.
"Yes we will." His tender voice replied.
"Viraf..."
"Hmmm?!"
"I love you..." Chhavi said to him.
"I love you too..." She blushed.
Next day Morning:
"Yes yes...Wait for me...I'll be there" Viraf said in one breath while coming to the dining hall. The caller said something which made him annoyed and his voice rose a bit.
"Aree...I'll be there but I'll be late...I have a work to do..hmmm." And he hung up.
The company with whom he had the meeting for expanding his business told him to make a new fragrance. For that he had to go to the market to buy some ingredients but the boy who worked under him was so impatient. Sometimes he felt that who was the owner and who was the worker but suddenly he remembered the conversation with Savitri and an unusual feeling slowly engulfed him.
"Did you call him?" He was startled to hear his mother's voice. He sat on the chair.
"Whom?"
"Your brother...who else..." She sat next to him and served him breakfast.
"No...Why should I call him?" He took a piece of toast to eat but stopped and said, "Ma...he just forgot us...Why can't you understand that?"
"I'm a mother..."
"Ma...he is your son too...can't we expect a little bit of responsibility from his side?" He was annoyed.
"You call him..."
He shook his head, "Fine..."
"Hello...Malvika...how are you?" Chhavi said. After ages she was calling her. Though her reason of calling was something else but she started her conversation in a normal way.
"Arre...look who is calling... Ms. Chhavi...yes, I'm fine, how are you?" She said with a slight taunt which made Chhavi smile. Actually she was right, after that wedding ceremony she couldn't call or meet up with anybody and then the way Viraf came to her life she just blanked out about them.
"I am good..." She gave a small reply.
"Do you know that Priya has returned from her honeymoon...their pictures are so cute...they enjoyed so much...I went to meet her yesterday..." She started the trifling description of their tour, how they took pictures, what dresses she wore etc etc.
"Ohhh..." Chhavi didn't feel any excitement.
"Are you alright?" She seemed a bit offended, "You are sounding very pale, is everything alright with Parth?"
"Malvika...do you know the address of Viraf's factory?" She asked randomly.
"Yes...But why do you want this?"
"Give me the address..." She stated ignoring her question.
The road was clogged up; busy vehicles were moving like a stream. Viraf was driving slowly. The traffic signal turned red and he stopped his bike, suddenly his eyes stuck on a girl who was sitting on a bus with her face turned aside, which was standing motionless beside his bike. His gaze got frozen; "Isn't she Chhavi?" his inner voice exclaimed and his heart skipped. "Yes, she is Chhavi." His brain gave him the confirmation. The same hair, her swan like throat, and the same structure of the face...he thought of calling her; but what if she turned her face by herself, then what will be her reaction? Happy? Surprised? The thought of that imagination made him smile. And in a blink of an eye, she turned! A hopeless feeling grabbed him at once. Disappointment!! Neither was she Chhavi nor does she belong to the same age group as her. Rather she was a married woman. The traffic light turned green and he moved his bike.
The sun was nearly at the middle of the sky when he reached the shopping mall. He parked the bike at the parking zone when he saw the boy, his worker.
"Sir, I was waiting for so long..." He stated though in a gentle voice but Viraf didn't bother to reply. He began walking towards the organic shop's outlet, but his steps stopped suddenly. A beautiful wind chime was hanging in a curio shop. The crystal balls of the wind chime were reflected through the glass window, but the one scene which made him stop was a girl, "This is must be Chhavi." Again his heart stated. The girl was talking with a sales boy. "Should I call her..." But he didn't have to do anything, the girl turned and again she was not Chhavi. "What is happening today...seriously!!"
"Sir..."
"Hmm...Coming" He shook his head.
After his shopping he went back. He passed on the packet to the boy while reaching outside his house & said, "Go to the factory and keep this packet carefully...I'm coming..." The boy nodded and left. Later when he left, Viraf thought to meet with Savitri once.
Viraf stopped for a moment while entering in Savitri's room. Her room was unworldly cold today. Normally she was always surrounded by her party members, but today nobody was there. An awkward silence was echoing in every corner of the room.
"May I come in...?" He asked standing at the door.
"Hmm...Have a seat..." Savitri replied without looking at him; she was engrossed in writing something.
"Why had you called me yesterday?" He asked spontaneously while sitting.
A sinister smile playing on her lips, she put the pen aside and looked at him.
"After seeing your presentation at the university I was spell bound... One of my members was there...He said you were excellent..."
Viraf smiled, "You called me only to praise?"
She kept her eyes down. "You are smart...and that is why I like you. No actually I was thinking if you join our party..."
"I already told you that..." But he couldn't complete his words as Savitri cut him off.
"I know...but you should think twice before you take any decision..."
"There is nothing to think about it..." He got up from the chair and was about to leave when Savitri's cold voice rose from the back.
"I'm afraid then I have to seize your factory...people are complaining that the smell of chemical is spreading in the locality and it is harmful..."
"Savitriji..." He folded his hands, "I was actually thinking to close my factory by myself. If you want to seize it I don't have any problem...So go ahead...have a good day." And he left without looking back.
When he reached the factory, it was already two then. The way Savitri behaved with him today, it seemed like she would do something soon. When he saw the boy going somewhere rapidly, he glowered. "Where is he going like that?" he thought.
"What happened? Where are you going?" he stopped him.
"Someone has come; waiting for you in the office...I was going to your house..." He said panting.
"Who...?" Viraf asked, quite perplexed. He didn't have any idea who it could be.
"I don't know..." May be Savitri had sent somebody to threaten him again. He nodded and came to his room and his breath ceased on seeing the person, Chhavi, who was sitting there on his chair.
"You..." He exclaimed from the door.
She said nothing except winking at him. He was intoxicated by her; she was looking pretty in a brown Capri and an off white crop top. Her loose hair was fluttering in the gentle wind which was coming through the window behind her.
"How did you get my address?" he asked while entering.
"You are behaving like you are living on some other planet..." She snapped at him.
"Arre tell nah..." He insisted.
"With the girl you were talking at Priya's wedding ceremony. She gave me the address..." Chhavi replied quite nonchalantly.
"Ohhh...Malvika..." Viraf nodded thoughtfully. In an instant Chhavi glanced at him, "You still remember her name...?"
"Yes...what is so..." But he stopped in the middle of the sentence.
"Chhavi, is something burning?" he asked her with a serious face.
"What...?" Chhavi didn't understand his hidden meaning.
"Let me check..." He looked here and there with pseudo seriousness and then leaned forward to her.
"I think it is your heart which is burning..." He paused, "In jealousy" He added and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Huh! Me and jealous..." She said making a face and got up from the chair. She was about to move when he held her hand, pulled her towards him and she landed on his chest.
"Do you know that you should be jealous." He said while gazing at her intensely.
"Why??"
"Because..." He held her waist and a tingling sensation engulfed her, "You look even prettier when you get jealous..." he whispered while tucking a hair strand behind her ears gently. Chhavi blushed and tried to remove herself from his arms, but he tightened his grip around her bare waist and a shiver ran through all her veins. She could feel his breath as he was so close to her. His same intoxicating eyes; she felt a momentary stillness as if the moment was endless, when his voice again rose, "You know when I first saw you at the wedding ceremony, I knew that you are the one and I fell in love with you at once..."
"Oh, so it was a love at first sight?" She asked gazing at him.
He nodded. Chhavi giggled.
"What?"
"I've never believed in these kind of things...those eternal promises, love at first sight..."
"I promise I will never ever hurt you and I'll always be with you...I love you Chhavi..."
Chhavi couldn't say anything. His lips were only inches from her and the warmth of his breath lit her up like a candle. A rush of heat started in her chest and slowly spread throughout her body reaching every last limb. Viraf leaned forward slowly, his hand brushed the hair out of her face and in an instant his lips were on her. They were rough and smooth, they were perfect. He moved them around in circles and her heart swelled. Viraf's rugged, strong hand reached up and tangled in her hair and he felt the rumble of a soft moan as she let her instincts take over. Tilting his head he deepened the kiss and traced his tongue against the contour of her tender lips. He plunged his tongue inside her mouth and mingled it with her. Chhavi's lips were parted then and she could taste his sweet tongue as he ran it across her. They finally released each other breathing heavily with an eerie deep breath. Chhavi's face was red as a freshly bloomed rose. She rested her head on his chest,
"I love you Viraf..." He heard her as she whispered this while breathing deeply. He tightened his arms around her.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Edited by mon.sayan17.com - 9 years ago
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