|| PART 21 ||
I am standing in a dimly lit roof house in the middle of garden, there was faint music coming from the ballroom. My brain was completely blank and I repeatedly stare at the text message Virat sent me.
Am fine, will come back to you in a few min - V
My feet give up on me, I feel so weak. Martin was standing outside the roof house and keeping my guard as I had forced Blanco to go back to Virat. It has been thirty minutes since he sent me the text and I see no trace of him anywhere.
Why do we have to go through all this?
Can't we have one night for ourselves? One, carefree, peaceful night?
How are we going to survive this constant threat on our lives?
My chest was burgeoning with unconsolable agony and unshed tears. I never have any sort of idea as to what is happening with our lives.
Ten minutes later, I see Virat coming towards me. I run towards him but Martin stops me. "LET ME GO!!" I yell at him.
But he has his hand in front of me and would not let me move even an inch away from the secured area. Tears were threatening their way out. "Please, let me go." I beg him.
Virat signals him to release me and I run into his arms and hug him tightly with all my life. I just cannot control myself, I am sobbing loudly and tears were storming out of my eyes. He pulls me in and strokes my back gently.
"Maaanvi?? Heeey….." he cups my face "….everything is fine sweetheart, don't cry…" he wipes off my tears from my cheek with both his hands "Manvi, kuch nahi huva..look at me."
I see him look around as a few people were gathering around us concerned. I don't care. I just don't f**king care about where we are and who is watching us, I hug him tighter and let it all go. "She had a gun…." I tell him.
"I know baby…not here, let's go home."
"What were you doing with her?" I ask.
"We will talk at home. It was such a mistake coming here." He mutters, puts his hand around me and walks me out. I don't let go off him, I hold him tightly with my hands around his waist, resting my head on his chest.
~~~
"What did you do with her?" I ask him in the car.
"I sent her to a hospital, she was in pretty bad shape. Her five years old son is kidnapped by someone. She wouldn't say who, until I get him back to her. She says that those are the same people who forced her to pose with me on that night. They black-mailed her and they have threatened to kill her son - that was why she did what she did."
"But why did she have a gun?"
"I have told you this Manvi, I have a lot of people looking for her from the day she lied to you about the bracelet. I was furious - she was the only one I trusted in the office. Anyways, we spotted her a few times, but somehow she always got away with her son. I think she thought I will hurt her for what she did, but more than pay-back, I was looking for answers.
"Does she wants to hurt me?"
"She is being black-mailed to kill you if she wants her son back. She was the one who tried to break into our house the other day, when we at the kids interview."
"But Virat, you were going near her, when she was determined to shoot. How could you do that? Do you know how scary that was? Please don't ever do stuff like that again."
"She wasn't going to shoot me Manvi. She is not a criminal. She is just a lowly employee, a desperate mother – she wanted to talk. But, just in any case, I didn't want you to be around her.
"People who want to talk don't go around carrying guns!"
"She is very emotionally unstable Manvi. If I get her son back to her, she will tell us the names of the people involved. "
"That is crazy!!! How can you trust her? What if all this is a game?"
"I am not trusting her blindly Manvi, I have proof. Her son is missing since 10 days. And look at her, she is just too unstable, she is going crazy. Just imagine what we would do if someone took our kids from us Manvi.
"Even if we assume that she was forced initially, is she expecting us to believe that she did not get a single chance to come clean to you? In the last three years?"
"Manvi, she didn't know the whole story and we still don't know how deep this plot is. She might have been under constant surveillance."
"That's bull-shit!"
He takes a deep breath and he is exasperated with me. "I know what I am doing Manvi, nothing is more important than getting to the bottom of this and knowing the people who are responsible. I am willing to take a risk – you need to trust me on this."
"It's not you that I don't trust - it's her. I am NOT willing to take a risk when it concerns you. And why are you so worried about her anyways?"
"Because I need to gain her trust! I need information from her."
"Couldn't you have done that without touching her???" I turn my face away. "She lied to us! I don't have a good feeling about this Virat!" I tell him firmly.
"This is the only way to get to those people. I have no other way to know for sure Manvi." He doesn't concede.
Inspite of all his explanation, I am not satisfied, I don't want Virat to have anything to do with Meredith, that lady gives me the creeps. But who am I to argue with the boss? When does he ever listen to me? I just feel so helpless. I move away from him and look out through the window, we were almost home. He holds my hand but I ignore him.
"Who was the lady wearing the blue dress? She was on the stage with me. Did you have anything to do with her?" I ask.
I feel his grip tighten on my hand, he doesn't reply immediately "Nobody of consequence." He finally says.
His voice is unusually sad and I feel his pain. I immediately know she must be one of those girls he was with before. It pricks me deeply and opens up an unhealed wound. But I decide not to follow it further. Some things just have a way of going round and round – in a vicious circle – in a never ending hurt game.
"Manvi please." He says. I push back all my emotions, I do not look at him. If I do, I will breakdown for sure.
"Manvi! Don't go there. It means nothing."
"MANVI!"
"DON'T! JUST DON'T 'MANVI ME' VIRAT!!! I am fine, just let me be, for a few minutes. All this is just too much."
Blanco pulls over in the driveway and I open the door and rush inside. A fresh batch of tears were threatening to spring out. Virat doesn't stop me. He just follows me silently. Right when we were at the door, I see someone sitting there in the dark. I immediately recognize her.
"Swetha? What are you doing here so late? And why are you sitting outside?"
"Mannu.." she stands up and comes to hug me. "I couldn't stay alone Mannu, I was going crazy, he cheated me, he lied about everything, you were completely right." She cries.
Oh! She told me that she was going to confront Ishan earlier in the day. Looks like it went badly. I don't ask her anything further. There is nothing worse for a girl than being lied to, being cheated – it just shakes her very foundation.
Her face was swollen and looked like she was crying her eyes out all day. I hug her tightly. "Its going to be okay Swe, its all for your good." I pacify her, I don't know from where I got the strength to console her, I was feeling so vulnerable a minute ago.
"Take her inside." Virat tells me.
~~~
I am fixing the guest room for her and she was sitting on the bed silently staring out from the window.
"Can I stay with you for a few days Mannu?" she asks.
"Ofcourse Swe, you felt that you had to ask me that? You can stay with me for as long as you want. Ria and Nikki will be ecstatic tomorrow morning. I go and hug her again.
"Its all going to be okay Swe. This is just a passing cloud." I tell her with a smile. And I know it applies for me equally.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, stroking her hair. She just lies in my lap and starts crying like a small baby. "Swetha!! Come on, you are stronger than this!!"
"Kya strong hu Mannu, hamesha apni haath jalathi hu, kitni bewakoof hu. I really, really liked him. I even started seeing my future with him."
"Oh honey, everything happens for a reason Swe. You remember what you used to tell me? What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger! Right?" She cries harder.
She was just unconsolable. Nothing I was saying made any kind of effect on her. All this took me back in time. There were so many times when I used to be this and Swetha would patiently sit with me all night and console me. How far have I come from there? I am back with Virat now. My kids have never been happier. I should appreciate what I have with me.
I just lay there sitting on the bed with her until she cried herself to sleep. I had no energy, I was just emotionally drained. It has been one hell of a day.
It was almost 4 in the morning. I hear a small knock on the door. I carefully get up without disturbing Swetha and open the door. It was Virat, he was dressed up in a fresh white shirt and trousers and Blanco was carrying his laptop bag out.
"Sorry baby, where you sleeping?" he asks.
"No, are you going somewhere?"
"Shhh.. " He takes my hand and closes the door of the room from outside.
"Manvi, I will be gone for the whole day. I have a meeting in Chicago, it was kinda last minute and its very important, otherwise I wouldn't be going."
"You will be back by tonight right?"
"Yes or tomorrow morning, in the worst case. Kids are still asleep, I will call them in the morning."
"Did you get any sleep at all?" I ask. He seems very worn out.
"How is your friend doing?" he asks ignoring my question.
"Pretty bad. I don't even know how to console her."
"Well, you should use your magic." He smiles.
"I am out of it." I look down.
"I have some stored up with me, do you want it back?" he asks.
I try to smile.
"Still mad at me?" he asks, coming closer, lifting my chin up.
"I am not mad at you Virat. I am worried – extremely." I tell him sincerely.
"It is all going to be okay baby. Trust me. Now give me one of that sweet smile of yours, because I going to be gone the whole day."
I smile weakly.
He puts his hands around me and kisses my forehead. "You will miss me?"
"No!" I mope but I hug him, tightly. He in return, squeezes me in his arms. I feel heavenly and safe. We stay like that for a few seconds. How nice would it be to never leave his arms!!
"Tell Ria that I will get her magic wand and Nikki that I will get him a boxing glove."
"I will not let you back into the house." I frown.
"That's ok, my kids will sneak me in.." he grins.
"Acha?...your kids? Aaisa hai kya?" I shake my head but I smile back at him sweetly.
"Ah, there you go…that beautiful smile. I am going to go happily now."
I smile some more.
"Tell Swetha that I am going to kick Ishan's ass after I come back."
"You better."
"Bye baby!!" he gives me a quick kiss on my lips.
"Bye jaan." I whisper.
He doesn't go, he just stands there looking at me. "I don't feel like leaving you when you are like this Manvi."
"I am fine Virat. Swetha is also with me for company. I will show her the school."
He cups my face and gives me another swift kiss on my lips. It reminds me of the wonderful time we had before we got interrupted by the psychopath. I close my eyes and absorb his pleasant touch. He runs his fingers through my hair, raising my face to his. I open my eyes and he leans in to take my lips again and this time, he doesn't stop, he deepens his mouth on mine. He pushes me onto the wall behind and kisses me passionately exploring every inch of my mouth with his tongue. I could feel the wild charge running through between us - its electrifying. His hands travel freely around my bare waist, threatening to explore up and much higher.
He breaks off from me and without any warning, pulls me into our bedroom and locks the door. "Virat!!"
He is in no mood to talk. He comes closer, his eyes were darting from my lips to my neck and down at my heaving chest. I squirm under her gaze. He kisses my neck and in this process pushes the top of my saree off and moves back to my lips, his hands simultaneously unwrapping the rest of the saree off. I try to move away from him. But he pulls me back and carries me onto the bed.
He places me on the bed gently but doesn't come to me."I don't have much time Manvi.." he says standing over me.I was lying on the bed in front of him in just my short blouse and lehenga. He is standing over me, fully dressed and his gaze travels down my body slowly and sensuously setting it on wild fire. My heart starts thumping out of my chest and I am extremely shy, my throat had dried up.
"You should go then." I say but my tone defeats my words.
I try to cover myself but he pulls away the sheet. "You.look.so.beautiful.." he says unbuttoning his shirt. My face flames up red. He moves on top of me and starts drowning me in his kisses while his hands travel up my body, slowly and sensuously - and the whole world stops around me for the next few minutes as I get swept away in his wild and passionate love.
~~~
"Blanco will stay with you and kids." He tells me while getting dressed, I am still in bed wrapped up in a sheet, my whole body flushed in warmth.
"Alright Mr. Protective husband of the year. I get it, you love me."
"More than my life." He smiles sweetly and kisses my forehead.
"Come back by tonight." I request putting my hands around his neck.
Fan Fictions
