Part 2 - Khwaab
āDo you have to go?ā the words were more a plea than a question, her voice tiny and her gaze unsure.
āI will be back before you know itā Aryan responded
āPromise?ā Her eyes floated up to meet his own, now suddenly alight with hope
āPromiseā He assured
A moment of silence passed. A fleeting moment of hesitation and then Aryan leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Imlieās eyes drifted close, relishing the warmth of his lips against her skin. When she finally opened them he was gone.
Imlie sighed as she settled into the couch. What a 180 degree turn her life had taken in the last year. Not only had she decided to marry again, her chosen groom was her akkad bagga boss. Who would have thought then that she would end up married to this wonderful, caring, and fiercely protective man?
In the past year she had grown to learn a lot about him. He loved his family to pieces, he was like a coconut - a man with a rough exterior but soft on the inside - he had faced a lot in a very short period of time. She had seen his monsters up close and her heart broke for him every time she saw him succumb to the darkness inside him.
Aryan had faced so much all alone. He had bottled up his feelings and pushed them into a deep dark corner. He had at the tender age of 24 lost his brother in law. He had to grow up overnight and take charge of the family. His entire life changed in one moment.
But to her biggest surprise she had come to love the man. More than he knew and more than she would ever admit. Neither of them had said anything, but the other knew they cared. Slowly accidental brushes of skin had become embraces, longing eyes had turned to heated gazes and then what? Before they knew it they were deeply, madly and hopelessly in love.
Seeing him walk away from her today, onto this stupid mission he refused to tell her about, made her go crazy. Her heartbeats went wild and she was worried out of her mind. That was when she had decided enough was enough. She had decided to confess. As soon as he was back she would tell him that she loved him.
******
As Imlie poured the steaming kadhi into a bowl her phone rang. Wiping her dirty hands with the apron she answered the call, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she continued to cook in the kitchen.
āHello?ā she said
āMay I speak to Mrs Rathore pleaseā the rather breathless voice of a man came in answer
Imlieās eyebrows furrowed.
āSpeakingā she answered, now her attention completely on the call
āMaāam Mr Rathore andar gaye hai aur connection toot gaya haiā¦ humme kuch samaj mein nahi aaraha toh humne family ko cal karne ka socha, police bhi abhi-ā
The man continued to ramble
āEk second. Aryan kaha gaye hai? Police kyu chahiye?ā Imlie asked immediately straightening up.
The caller finally seemed to catch his breath
āWoh hum log alms deal ka sting kar rahe hai. Mr Rathore ne insist kia ki woh andar akele jaayenge, aur hum unse bluetooth ke through connected rahenge. Lekinā¦ lekin connection toot gaya hai aur police abhi tak nahi aai haiā
The ground beneath Imlieās feet seemed to give way, and her hand immediately stretched out onto the counter in order to support herself.
āKaha?ā she finally managed to croak, her throat in a dry knot.
āB-rl- con-c-nā the man seemed to say something but she could not hear anything over the thumping of her heart
āKaha?ā she repeated again, swallowing the lump in her throat
āBirla construction ke peeche, police ko aane mein aur ek ghanta lagegaā Imlie nodded not realising that the caller would not be able to see the furious shake of her head.
And with that she was running.
Khwabon ki duniya mukammal kahaan hai
Jeene ki khwahish mein marna yahaan hai...
***
Thank you for all the love! I hope you guys enjoy the second part tooā¦ this was more of a filler but establishes some key context for the climaxā¦ One last part and then it's a wrap :)
Anupamaa
Pocket Mein Aasman
Cricket
