Chapter 57
Vicky had called up the first opportunity to Nargis and asked her to meet him but she had been busy and so he decided to go to her office. Something had bothered him when he had called in the morning. It was almost five and she had not returned his calls. He was worried but there was anger somewhere too. What did Nargis want to achieve by avoiding him?
As he reached got out of the elevator he saw her come towards him but was too preoccupied to notice. He stood next to the elevator with arms folded, with patience he did not have waiting for her to come to him.
Nargis had been worried and had been thinking all day of how to tell Vicky what she feared. It was not exactly an emergency but she was having a doubt and that was good enough for her to go in a tizzy. She had thought she would leave early but work load was there and there was the wedding to be free for. She left at five thinking if she should call Vicky home but Nupur would be there so she decided against it. She was still wondering how to tell Vicky about her fear when she felt someone staring at her. She looked to be surprised with Vicky in front of her lounging against the wall with arms folded and one ankle crossed in a stance that showed patience but his expressions belied it. His jaw seemed to be working and she went up to him as calmly as she could and asked, "What happened Vicky? What are you doing here?"
He almost seethed but he controlled his temper and hissed between his teeth, "Well you seem to have decided to avoid me and I needed to talk to you so I did not see how else I could get an audience with you?"
Nargis was taken aback; something was bothering him this was not the time to tell him anything. She asked him instead in a soothing voice, "What happened love, everything alright?"
When suddenly Vicky jerked away from the wall and said, "well if everything was alright I would not be here, right Zeno? First Mom and now you. Why are you avoiding me? And don't try to evade because this is me you are talking to Zeno."
Nargis baulked at how he knew her so well to even make out her tension across a telephone line. She knew this was not the place to talk so she put a hand on his arm and replied softly, "Not here, can we go to your place?" looking around to see if anyone was around observing their exchange.
Vicky decided best thing was to air it out and he took her to his place at the fastest speed he could.
Once at his place, he started without ceremony, "Tell me why you were avoiding me today and I know you were, I just want the reason. Have you gotten tired of me already?"
"Shut up!" Nargis stopped him from saying anything further. "Don't say another word, I was not avoiding you, well I was feeling uneasy and that is the reason I did not come for lunch at home and I had lots of work to finish before the wedding." She replied with anger and frustration evident in her voice.
Vicky slumped, he let all his anger drain away in a minute and shoved his hands in his hair in frustration.
"I am sorry Zeno, my frustration with Mom is coming out on you." sounding contrite and he seemed to be struggling to get a hold of himself. Nargis went up to him and took him in her arms comforting him.
"I understand," she started and then asked a wrong question, "What about your Mom upset you?"
Vicky's frustration was back infull force, he took a few steps closer to Nargis and growled, "Don't try and rile me up Zeno and don't try to avoid my question to you."
Nargis tried to pacify him by putting a hand on his arm and replied to the things he was not voicing, "I am not trying to do anything, I am only trying to understand."
"Zeno, last time I am asking you to tell me what is wrong?" He almost shouted it out but he still had some control left in him and all he did was pull Nargis towards him holding her shoulder. He was losing his temper and Nargis now started trembling in reaction to his anger.
He gritted through his teeth, "I am not going to hurt you." and let Nargis go.
Nargis stood staring at him wondering if she should tell him her fear now, the way he was right now she was not sure if it was the right time may be she will wait a few days to see if she had worried unnecessarily.
But her silence seemed to ire him more and he pulled her to him again, and kissed her, letting all his frustration all his anger, all his insecurities come out in that moment.
Nargis stood her unyielding and that seemed to make him even more angry. He crushed her lips and tried to pry them open but Nargis stubbornly refused to comply. She was not going to be kissed in anger and not when the anger was not even directed at her.
She tried to push him away but Vicky was much stronger than her and he just lifted her off the ground and bit her on her lip and invaded her mouth as she gasped in pain.
Vicky mauled her mouth for a few seconds, but his lips, his body changed after a few moments to passion, passion that they both knew was never too far away. He walked up to the nearest wall and supported Nargis with it as he kissed Nargis in passion, in need that only she could fulfill. He had felt as if everything was crumbling around him and Nargis was the only anchor he found. He was feeling the deepest fears coming to him today when he did not get a call from her. He was fighting old demons of being deserted and he did not know if Nargis ever turned away from him what he would do.
But he found himself instead of telling her all this, showing her his temper. His insecurities had found manifestation in form of an attack on her verbally and now he had physically hurt her. He slacked his hold though not letting her out of his arms. He put his head in her neck murmuring apology with a broken voice.
But Nargis this time pushed him away, the minute she found him loosening his hold
And told him coldly, "Get out, I will not tolerate you mauling me to release your frustration." But then she realized she was at his place and turned to walk away when Vicky held her hand and pulled her back to him.
He said apologetically, "Zeno, I am sorry, I did not mean to do that."
Nargis was not having anything though, right now she was in no mood to take anything from him not even an apology, she needed to go away and think. So she just shook her head and said in a voice that was full of hurt, "Right now I just need to go Vicky. I am not avoiding you again but I need to think. I need to be by myself. I will call you tomorrow." And she left, this time Vicky did not stop her not because he wanted her to go but because he did not know how to stop her, to tell her that Mom wanted to meet her at the earliest. How could he ask her after the way he behaved with her? How could he behave with the woman he loved the way he did? He felt like kicking himself for being an idiot. It would serve him right if Nargis left him. He deserved that.
He reached the mansion at around one am, even though he had wanted to stay at the apartment, he went home because he did not want his Mom asking him more questions but he made it late so he could avoid them at this hour.
Just as he entered the lounge leading to his bedroom he heard a voice and he stiffened. His Mom was waiting for him at this hour, something was terribly wrong.
"Sonu," she had addressed him with the name he was not happy with anymore for he had woken up at night too many times calling out to her and imagining her coming to him and enveloping him in her arms with her name for him. He slowly turned and she asked, "kahan the beta itni der? Uss larki ke saath, aap kya saari maryaada paar kar chuke?"
"Ma, mein apne apartment par tha, uske saath nahi, aur uska naam Nargis hai. Aur aapka beta itna bada ho gaya hai Ma ki usse pata hai usse kaisi haadein paar karni chaihiye aur kaunsi nahi." He replied in a curt voice yet slowly to not lose his temper which had not dampened yet.
She asked changing tack, "aap usse kab milwa rahe ho mujhse?" still not taking the girl's name.
"Maa, uska naam Nargis hai aur shayad aapko milne ki naubat hi na aaye. Shayad aisi koi jaroorat hi na pade aapko usse milne ki. Maa, aap please ab Nargis ke baare mein mujhe koi sawaal nahi karengi, mujhe jab theek lagega mein aapko khud uske baare mein bataoonga aur jaroorat padi to milwaaonga. Theek hai? Ab mein sone jaa raha hoon." He explained patiently, though he was almost close to losing it and walked off to his bedroom in angry purposeful strides.
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
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