(Shiv-Gauri): The Oldest Story... - 2 - Page 44

Originally posted by: jazzerette

🤣🤣🤣

Reminds me of the saying..."Haath ko aaya, muh na laga"!!

hee hee ...

Chapter 64: What's Love Got to do with it? – Part 5

"Strumming my pain with his fingers…

Singing my life with his words…

Killing me softly with his song…

Killing me softly… with his song…."

The song – the Fugees version – was running a loop in her head and it wouldn't stop. Not that it was necessarily bad; there were worse things in the world that having Lauren Hill's voice stuck in your head on repeat. But the audio track in the background was accompanied by images that were driving her mad.

She was walking down a long hallway, shrugging aside the shimmery curtains that were now almost like a white hazy film in her eyes that she couldn't blink away no matter how much she tried…. She was blindfolded next… caught from behind… someone was washing the wounds on her legs… she was sobbing… she wanted to jump out of her window… she was poised on the window-sill to do just that… someone was carrying her over his shoulder… she was yelling again… and then he kissed her… she finally jumped out of the window…. Only to find that someone flew up from down below to catch her and bring her in back through her window…

"Aaaarrrrghhhhhhhh" she screamed then covering her ears and shutting her eyes and Shiv rushed back into the room.

"Don't worry. He's on his way."

She opened her eyes quickly when she heard his voice.

"Shiv, what are you still doing here? You have to leave!" she said now, looking at him in surprise.

"What? Are you crazy? Look at your state. I am not leaving you until Shaan gets here. I don't think he is too happy that you are with me here though."

"Of course he's not happy. I am determined to ruin his precious lover's happiness with her husband. I mean, honestly, where does he get off playing such a martyr? Marriage is meaningless if there is no love in it. It doesn't matter how many people witnessed and blessed the ceremony!"

Shiv grew still as he heard Thalia's seemingly fragmented ramblings. Something about it was vaguely familiar…

"Come again?" He asked then.

"Huh?" she looked up as if she had forgotten that he was in the room with her.

"What did you say just now?"

She rubbed her eyes to clear out the confusion from all the sensations overwhelming her and stood up from where she was sitting on the floor and walked over to him.

"Shiv, listen to me." She said as she grabbed onto his collar. "Don't you believe that a marriage should have love as its foundation?"

He looked down at her face curiously as he placed his hands over hers on his collar to gently loosen them.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Do you love Gauri?"

He was taken aback by the question. Whatever he may feel for his wife or anyone else for that matter, was his own issue… why would anyone else pry into that?

In the moments that elapsed in his silence, she spoke again.

"See… when a man is in love, he does not hesitate to answer. If he hesitates, then the woman deserves better. She deserves to be loved fully, not in the half-assed fashion that men are so keen on now-a-days."

He looked at her now, his ire rising, but she continued without noticing.

"And believe me, I am not saying this because I have any love lost for your wife! I am speaking for women in general. She deserves to be loved fully, not just to have a man who makes her body feel good."

"What the hell is…" he started, but she did not let him finish yet again.

"Shashank loves her, Shiv. And his love is pure. I may not like the man, but I know at least that much. There were extremely difficult circumstances that prevented him from showing up for their wedding. You could even say that it was a matter of life and death." Her eyes swept down as she said the last part. After a moment she continued, "But he's back now. And knowing him, he will never encroach between you or even dream of breaking up your marriage. And so I am asking you as a neutral party in all this, Shiv. Do you love your wife? Does she love you? Because if the answers to both those questions are no, then don't you think that love deserves a chance? For both of you?"

His mind reeled as he tried to absorb all the information that she threw at him. She knew Shashank? Since when? And she wanted Shashank and Gauri to get back together? That was the whole reason behind this extended drama? That was the whole reason that she decided to make a public spectacle of herself? And suddenly another thought crossed through his head. Gauri had given Thalia the aphrodisiac to seduce him. Does that mean that Gauri….? He paused to take a deep breath before he finished that thought. He had already told Gauri that he wouldn't give her a divorce. And now Gauri was in league with Thalia so as to brand him an adulterer. So that means… he felt a numbness spread over his limbs… she wanted out of this marriage. She wanted Shashank back…

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