TASTE OF FREEDOM- A ASTHA-SHLOK FF(ch 17 Part 2 updated ON Page 47) - Page 8

Ignoring him Astha kept on rigorously kept on drying her hair still wet from the wash which mesmerized Shlok as he kept on watching her with intense gaze. When she turned around he didn't lower his gaze or even looked away guilty and Astha too couldn't help herself as his eyes arrested her in an eye lock communicating with each other in a pregnant silence . A phone ring on intercom suddenly broke their intimacy of souls as Astha looked away guiltily and went to pick up the phone where the Hotel Receptionist informed, "Mam, Dr. Deshmukh is here waiting in the lobby for you. Should I send him up?" to which Astha hurriedly said in whispers "No, tell him to wait there. I am coming in two". "Okay" came a curt professional acknowledgement to her request. "Look I have to go and we will talk in the evening if you want" said Astha rearranging her clothes and picking up her signature Jhola bag. Shlok suddenly became very still noticing Astha's odd behavior and her sudden civil request to him as he suspected she was hiding something from him the way she was not looking him in the eye appearing guilty. This sudden change of heart and wanting to talk became too much for Shlok to digest as he was intrigued to know its cause. "Okay" Came Shlok's very calculated response. Astha nodded and left heading towards the elevator which gave Shlok the chance to quickly follow her by taking two steps of stairs at a time reaching right on time to see her leaving the hotel premises with some man whose face was impossible to look at from behind. Shlok quickly followed them as the man now visible to him turned out to be a boy in his mid twenties he guessed medium height and built with honey and chocolate dripping from his face helped Astha in his modest Alto. Shlok fumed thinking how his PI (Private Investigator) whom he hired to tail Astha not pass this vital piece of information that Astha had become close enough to some handsome young man to be in the same car with him. He fumed some more as he realized this boy was the reason for Astha's sudden civil behavior and guilty eyes. Shlok involuntarily tighten his grip on the steering wheel following them keep good distance between the two cars as his flashy Ferrari can be spotted by Astha anywhere and he didn't want her to find he was following her. The car suddenly stopped in front of an somewhat old building which read "The Blind Men Association" or "Aand jan mandal". Shlok saw both Astha and the boy getting out of the car smiling and laughing at something infuriating Shlok making his blood boil by the sheer fact that some other man can make his woman, his Astha laugh. This was worse to Shlok than him flirting with Astha as they say Hasee toh Fasee'. Shlok shadowed them until they stopped by what seemed to him a classroom filled with blind kids with their book written in Brail. The boy said in a cheery voice "Hey kids it's me Dr. Vishwas Deshmukh again and I have brought Astha didi with me. You guys remember her right?" "Hi Vishwas bhaiya. Hi Astha didi." said all the kids in chorus clearly excited by finding them here. "A Doctor a freaking Doctor. That explained the innocent and kind look on his face. Any girl could easily get attracted to a Doctor especially if he was as kind and good looking as he was. Come on the guys comes to a blind school to spend time with kids. Heck, even I could fall in love with this guy and wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with him if he was not my enemy and if I didn't hate him so much. Really god didn't to think it was hard enough to win Astha without this extra baggage of competition. But, no Astha loves me even though she denies this now and she can't get over me and move on so easily and so fast." Thought Shlok reassuring himself. He quietly observed both of them talking to the kids and answering some questions asked by some curious kids. Then he heard some ladies whom he guessed were cleaners cum care takers of the NGO talk amongst themselves "These kids Vishwas and Astha make such a cute pair. May god bless them taking out time from their busy life for these kids. First he used to come here alone and now he comes here with her almost every day without fail. God made a perfect couple in them Astha and Vishwas aptly as they both are the same". This was the last straw for Shlok as his blood boiled over and he charged up towards the classroom not caring what Astha will think about him and if he makes a scene. Astha felt his presence long before he entered the room as she felt his gaze on her for quite some time when the hair on the back of her neck pricked and she anticipated this confrontation. She dreaded this conversation with him and the fateful meet between Shlok and Vishwas hoping he would never find out about the relation between them. He dragged Astha by her wrist hardly controlling his anger making both Astha and Vishwas gasp as he took them by surprise. He kept on walking towards his car dragging a resisting Astha when she tried to dug her feet to the ground he simply put her on his shoulder. "Hey, what the hell Slok? Let me go. Put me down. Damn you." Astha kept on beating Shlok's shoulder and back cursing him to hell but he looked like a devil with his face set in hard lines and the grim of his lips tightened as to show the hard control he was showing in the public. Suddenly a figure appeared in front of them whom Astha guessed was Vishwas stopping Shlok in his track and said in a deadly voice, "Let Astha go right this moment. You have no right to carry her like this. Put her down or else I will call security." Shlok said in a voice scarier than she ever heard like the voice of death itself "Who the hell do you think you are coming in between matters of a husband and wife? And don't dare teach me about my rights on my own wife. Call all the security you want no one will want to interfere in someone's personal tiffs. Don't try to goad me boy because then I will teach you not to bite more than you can chew so get lost. One more thing leave my wife alone or else you will have to treat yourself with broken bones". "First, you are Astha's ex- husband as she left you. Second she is my friend so I won't tolerate her bully of ex- husband misbehaving with her. Third I won't leave her alone with you for a second even if I will have to fight you." Said Vishwas in a very calm voice riling up Shlok as he put Astha down on her feet gently and pounced on Vishwas taking him by his collar and punched him twice, first on the cheek and second on the gut making him wince in pain. When he was about to hit him the third time Astha came towards Shlok shouted at him to stop this madness and let him go then started crying and calling him names "You are a monster Shlok. You can't be even called human." As her words registered his brain Shlok stopped to see the Doctor collapsing in front of him on the groung and a scared and worried Astha hurrying besides him to comfort him. This made Shlok curse himself for losing his control and making Astha so terrified. Of him. The thought made Shlok's stomach churn with disgust and deep down some fear. Fear of loosing her forever.