riansh os - chandelier

A/N - this really just turned out to be like one of the failed attempts of me baking a cake. Maine chaha kuch aur, and bangaya kuch aur🤔

chandelier

Vansh looked at the woman in front of him, lighting candles around the chandelier, cladded in an elegant red. What exactly is she?

“toh? Toh kya hota agar yeh jhumar mere upar girta? I would be dead, just like you wanted.” -

these words kept ringing in his ears.

Her silver ornaments tinkled, bringing back his attention. His heart jumped in panic seeing her elbow so close to one of the burning candles.

Vansh grabbed her hand, taking it away from the fires.

“Kya karrahi ho tum?”

He asked, angered.

“Tumhe khud hi bilkul parwa nahi hai kya?”

“Aur tumhe meri bohat parwa hai.”

Came Riddhima's instant reply. “Kyu harr baar meri jaan bacha te ho tum? Since when are you this caring for me, Vansh? Didn't you want me dead just last week?”

Vansh's fingers clenched around te around the chain as she stated the facts. Anger rushed up through his veins as he himself didn't knew the answer to it.

“Kya ho tum?!” Riddhima asked, annoyed.

A half smile broke on his face.

“Jab khud ko main hi nahi samjha, tum kya samjhoge, sweetheart?”

“and nowadays you've started to answer simple questions in a complicated way. Accha hota agar main ye chandelier girne deta tumhare upar.”

Without even looking at her face for once, Vansh left, not before locking the chain.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Riddhima stared at his retreating figure. As much as she was angered with him saving her everytime, it hurt her. Him wishing the chandelier fell on her, hurt her.

A tear made its way down her cheek, surprising even herself. Riddhima watched as the burning candles became blurry, and the dancing fires became beautiful in front of her welled up eyes.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Riddhima watched Siya and DSR leave her alone with Vansh. And asked him to help her?

What do they think of themselves? Wingless cupids?!

Angered, she held the pin, and continued making the turmeric paste.

A gasp escaped Riddhima's lips when she felt his presence and warm finger set her tresses away. His chin rested on her shoulder.

His arms either side of her from behind, Vansh held her hands, and ‘helped’ her in the task.

Goosebumps rose on her skin when his beard started tickling Riddhima.

Suddenly Vansh moved his hand to receive his call, accidentally smearing some of the paste into Riddhima's eyes.

“Im sorry!”

Vansh said panicking and blowing cool air as she flapped her hand to soothe down the burning.

Ishani's loud shoutings made Riddhima shudder in his arms.

“Usse toh main-” Vansh strode out of the kitchen only to be stopped by Riddhima.

“Usse pyaar se samjhao, Vansh. Inn sab mein uski haan nahi thi. Make her understand that it will all be fine and she will change after marriage-”

“Pyaar se sab thik ho jaata hai? Did you change?”

“Haa-”

Vansh cut her off. “Mujhe acche se pata hai usko kaise handle karna hai.”

“Fine then. Galti hogayi ki main tumhe samjane jaa rahi thi.”

She rubbed her eyes, but it burned more instead.

“V-vansh, jal rahi hai-”

Riddhima almost cried.

From her half opened eyes, she watched him throw his handkerchief at her and leave the kitchen.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Vansh's eyes welled in tears. He shouldn't have done that. Now that Riddhima was missing, he didn't know what to do. Where to find her.

When he was the reason for the state of her eyes, how dare he throw the handkerchief at her? How fcking dare he?

Checking everywhere, he was back in the poolside.

Something odd caught his eyes.

The black suitcase floating on the water. A tiny bottle green cloth peeked out, that was enough to make Vansh scream out her name.

Without wasting a second, he jumped into the pool.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Vansh gently put her drenched form on the bed.

“Main kar deta hoon.”

He wobbly said, seeing her shivering in cold, and wipe herself with the towel.

“How did you even end up there?”

“Do you even care? Tum toh yahi chahtein ho. You wished for the chandelier to fall on me. You threw the handkerchief at me when my eyes were burning. Aise dikhava karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai.”

She was beyond angry. Not even wanting to face him, Riddhima got up, and headed to the washroom.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Holding the basin tightly, she cried. She could still feel to be locked in that suitcase. She could still feel suffocated.

A pair of arms snaked in, and hugged her tight from behind.

“Aisa nahi hai, Riddhima..”

Vansh whispered, his forehead against the back of her head.

“I don't want you dead. I would never want you dead.”

“You wished that the chandelier fell on me.” She stated, this time, crying.

His hold tightened on her belly.

“You didn't even care to take a look in my eyes. Tum apni handkerchief phek ke chalegaye.”

Vansh brought her close, hugging her tighter. “Gusse se kiya. Maaf kardo.”

Riddhima didn't say anything. Her fingered tightened around the basin.

“Chodo mujhe..”

Turning her around, he kissed her forehead “Kabhi nahi.”

“Chodo mujhe, Vansh!”

Instead, his hold tightened even more.

“Dum ghoot raha tha uske andaar mera!” Riddhima's face fell on his chest, as she cried uncontrollably.

“shh..”

He fisted her wet hair, hugging her tight. He could feel his eyes watering up again.

Vansh closed his eyes, and let the tears fall when he felt her arms wrapping around him.

“Let's get you changed.”

Riddhima shook her head, refusing to let him go.

“Thaand lag jayegi, sweetheart..”

Holding her arms, he broke the hug and went back to the room. Opening the cupboard, he had grabbed a saree but later realized it would be a trouble for her to wear it. Vansh took out one of the kurtis she always wore to bed.

After handing it to her, he went to one of the guestrooms to change.

Coming back, Vansh saw Riddhima already lying on the bed, awake. He covered her with a blanket, and laid beside.

“No!”

Vansh turned back the lamp on.

“U-usko band matt karo.” he looked at her panic stricken face. “It feels like I'm still stuck in there.”

His eyes moistened. Nodding, he brought her close to his chest. He grazed her hair, hoping her to fall asleep.

The sight of her unconscious, stuck in that suitcase flashed in front of his eyes. It teared him apart whenever he thought about her not waking up after several taps on her cheeks.

Vansh can never stop thanking his stars for when she opened her eyes, coughing out the water.

He was on the verge of losing his Riddhima today.

Looking down, he realized she had fallen asleep.

“I’m sorry..” he mumbled against her hair.

But, thousand apologizes wouldn't fix it.

He will never be able to erase it from his memory. It has been settled in his mind like a trauma just like it did in hers.