SS: A Bend in the Road [Wattpad link-P.126] - Page 31

The lights went out, that night making the silence between them more blaring.

Dev was sitting by the dining table as Tara walked towards him with a candle in hand.

She had put the candle on the stand and left it on the table, a little away from where he sat.

As the shadows cast light on his face, she happened to look at him.

She knew her husband was a handsome man. But his good looks were more pleasing to the eyes than anything, like how you would see something beautiful and acknowledge it. It needn't be shied away from acknowledging.

She had thought he was more of an open book when they met first. While Maan was an enigma everyone felt mysterious enough to pursue, Dev had been the comfort zone to people. He would look you in the eyes, would make you believe he gets you and soon enough women lost their hearts and honor to him.

He had a reputation and she wanted to do nothing with it.

But the bitch that life is, it gave them both what they have never expected.

However tonight, he looked different. Not the Dev everyone thought they knew. Not even as brooding as Maan. While Maan seemed dangerous and exciting, Dev now looked... Exotic. It felt like she didn't know this man.

His leg is still fractured and he was at least making an effort moving around in the house. But he was advised to mostly not stress much and she hadn't bothered him when he was sitting by himself for a while now.

However now that she had come here, she had seen him lost to thought, his fingers slowly stroking a glass bottle.

He looked at her suddenly, not giving her enough time to look away.

"Tara?

"Yeah? She said trying to organize the salt and pepper containers on the table, which do not need any organizing. He had pulled the chair next to him and she wordlessly took the seat.

"Remember what you were watching this evening?

It took her a while but she remembered of course. There's a show that had been made on the famous 36 questions to fall in love social experiment, and Tara had laughed out loud at that.

Two strangers were made to ask each other thirty six questions, at the end of which it was told they would fall in love. She had heard about this experiment earlier but she didn't pay much attention then but watching it on TV was another thing altogether until she gave up the pretense and laughed out loud.

She didn't realize Dev was around at that time. She hadn't realized it would make her give out an incredulous laugh either. It had just come out.

"You don't believe in it, do you?

Of course she didn't. And why the sudden question anyway, she thought. But she didn't ask him that.

"Do you? She asked instead.

He shrugged.

"If love were that scripted and easy, I don't think people would spend years finding it

He considered her for a moment. "But love in itself is subjective. Maybe those questions would make the other person fall in love, but staying in love...isn't that the catch?

"I don't believe in the falling in love part also she had said shrugging. "How genuine it really is if you know by the end you're supposed to feel something

He leaned back in the chair, it supporting his weight only on it's hind legs now.

"Would you want to try that?

She was so robbed off speech that she could barely ask him a "What?

"Do you want to try that silly experiment Tara?

"Uh.. she said still not in her element "Why?

"Because... He said looking at her now. "Even if it isn't love and just a connection it would offer, I take it

Tara stared at him for a long moment before the light flooded the rooms, disturbing the moment.

She put off the candle a flick of her hand and went away to their room and he didn't stop her.

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