NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~ Thread 51 - Teaser for Chapter 56 - Page 55

Water went rushing into her nose instead of her mouth, and down through the wrong tract. The next instant, Heera was in sheer agony. She wasn't actually drowning, but it felt almost as bad, as her airways gasped and choked for air. Worse, with every gasp, the pool of water spluttered up from her nose into places that it mustn't, burning the linings of her nostrils like acid. For a few beats, she couldn't hear, think or speak anything while salty tears sprouted up behind her eyelids, squeezing their way through her eyes. They were tears from the acute discomfort, and a tear or two from self-pity too. What a fool she'd been - a blind fool who couldn't make out a spout from a handle loop!

'Sahiba...' having immediately rushed to her side, his palms reached for her arms and grabbed them hard, to keep her upright. 'Sahiba...' he called out to her as she continued choking 'Can you hear me? Are you alright?'

'Darn' He immediately grimaced at his own choice of questions. Obviously, she wasn't alright. And obviously, she couldn't react to him! 'Act sensibly Akbar!'

What was he supposed to do then? In such situations, men would give other fellow-men a few hard slaps on the back and be done with it. Obviously he couldn't do that to her - it would be much too harsh for a lady!

Must he tap her on the head instead? What if the Sahiba couldn't withstand the force of his hand though? As it is, she was suffering from an awful headache - what if it got worse? 'No...'

He hurriedly settled for the gentlest option instead. With the slightest air of uncertainty in his palms, Akbar started rubbing her back. Mildly at first. And when that didn't help, he used a bit more pressure.

Apparently, that didn't work too. She continued gagging on the trapped water, her fingers clenching at his tunic.

What else was he meant to do? Wait it out? She would surely get better soon - it was, after all, a little water.

However, that plan of his didn't last long - for, it seemed so wrong to sit by and do nothing, while she continued suffering!

'What else could I...'

Suddenly, something struck him 'Ah yes...' he'd witnessed a lady do this for her friend once. Hopefully, it would help the Sahiba too!

So, while she was still tussling for some semblance of normalcy within his clasp, Akbar clutched both sides of her cheeks firmly, forcing her to look up at him. And then, without any warning whatsoever, he blew hard on her face. Twice.

It shocked her system into a reflex reaction. Her lungs stopped working for a breath. What immediately followed, was a loud series of coughs that freed her airways of water, before her body overcompensated by drawing in all the air it could.

Colour soon reappeared on her lips. But even as her balance eventually returned, he continued supporting her. Even as her breathing slowly calmed, he held on to her. 'Don't let go...' whispered his heart. 'Don't let go...' insisted the pangs that'd never gone away.

But it was not to them that he listened and nestled the tender sides of her face. It was because of what he saw in her watering eyes that he did not let go. There was something else in her eyes now. Something new.

Admiration? A sense of belonging?

'A sense of belonging?' Could it really be so? He couldn't say for sure - but, she was still clutching his tunic, as if it was part of her.

He waited a moment, to see if she would retreat. But she remained in his clutches like a statue, her body not flinching from the brush of his arms.

Till the trance was interrupted by two teardrops that abandoned her eyelashes to come streaming down her cheeks.

'No...' A twinge gently stiffened in his chest, and Akbar ran his thumb over to wipe the tears, letting her know that he was here for her.

The gesture caused her breathing that'd barely slowed down, to shuffle again. He got his answer - whether she admitted it or not, whether she willed it or not, his Sahiba couldn't stop her quiet beats from quickening at his touch. Not then. Not now.

Enticed by the fresh feverishness in her breath warming his features, he unleashed a few of the rising urges by resting his forehead against hers 'Heera... I...'

And that was when his eyes chanced upon the last droplet of tear idling on her lips. He wanted to brush it off, tempted to indulge in the feel of her petaline lips today - something he'd been wanting to do for long. And a few heady thoughts later, his fingers chose to obey his wishes, trailing down to wipe away the stray tear.

As the tough insides of his thumb grazed against the tenderness of her lips, his idyllic gazes met hers once. The look in her eyes had not changed, but her hands had begun gripping his tunic so tightly that she was leaving small dents on his shoulder skin!

The young man had no complaints. If anything, it sent the pangs within to a new zenith, spreading its fury to the rest of him too.

On an impulse, his palm then slid from the sides of her face to sink itself into the thick loose tresses, as though punishing them for having toyed with him so long. And from there, his fingers traced their way back, towards the soft nape of her neck. Never had he laid his hands upon anything so delicate, so silken, in his life before. 'I'll...' he spoke quietly near her ears as he cradled her neck, his body having reached a point from where there was no easy return 'I'll protect you... never let you suffer... trust me, Heera'

His jawline lingered close to hers for a bit, letting him savour the vanishing distance between them. Before he slowly leaned in, sealing the distance between them by placing his lips on hers.

It was the first time he experienced the touch of a woman's lips. And he had only his instincts to go by. So, he followed his guts. A delicate feather-touch, it was at first. And once he was surer of himself, once he was more attuned to the unexplored surges of passion within, he leaned in again, firming up his grasp on her nape. He'd been craving for this and it showed in his demanding affections, as he laid claim to her lips more assertively this time around, a shade of possessiveness seeping into his embrace.

So intoxicating was the aftermath that he could have gone on forever. But, he wanted to gauge her reactions to their brief yet unplanned intimacy first. So, he half-heartedly broke the spell and came away a short while thereafter, the edge of his nose caressing the outline of her cheeks as he did so.

Still reeling from the taste of her lips on his, he beheld her expressions.

The mellow notes in his gazes instantly turned sharp.

'What's this for?' he picked up a fresh tear from her cheek.

The young lady gave him no reply.

'I will never let you suffer... trust me, Heera'

'Yes I work for the Shehzaade... and yes, I am the one they call Ustaad...'

'I will never let you suffer... trust me, Heera'

'This is politics... the only way, my position will be safe... the only way I'll earn the respect of your people... is if I am their baisa's husband... YOUR husband! You turn this wedding down, Sahiba... and I'll have false charges slapped on these guards, who are so faithful to you... I WILL have them arrested... I don't have to explain what happens next!'

'I will never let you suffer... trust me, Heera'

'Two travellers through whom you'd sent word bitiya... one of them was tall and well-built... his name... errr... Samarth banna, I think... Singh... Samarth Singh... he shared the sweets with everyone... he didn't save even one of for himself... poor chap!'

'I will never let you suffer... trust me, Heera'

'Oh yes... I did seize and burn all scrolls... but, it's been brought to my attention that these four personal messengers have also learnt the contents of your scrolls by heart... so they have been retained in my custody ever since... if I ever doubt that they will be a threat to our safety... I will do what has to be done to protect our best interests... I will have them silenced... forever'

'I will never let you suffer... trust me, Heera' The young lady let go of his tunic, her fingers quivering like a leaf in the wind, her eyes shut.

She did not want to meet eyes with him. And she did not want him reading hers.

'Why?' his stare took on a grim hue. What'd gone wrong? Had he misread the look in her eyes? The admiration? The belongingness in them? But even if he had misread her eyes, he couldn't have misjudged her body language, could he? The quickening beats. The racing breath. Her hands clutching him as if her life depended on it, long after she was alright.

No, he couldn't have misunderstood it all. Then, why? 'Heera... is something the matter?'

She gave him no reply - seeing how he hadn't misread her. Not one bit. The admiration in her eyes was for everything he was doing for Parnagarh. The belongingness was because of the concern he showed while helping her come out of the episode.

He hadn't misjudged her body either. Yes, she did continue holding onto him long after she was alright. And yes, her heart had been speeding faster than a wild storm - it still was, merely thinking about what just happened between them.

Her mind had been screaming 'No' throughout. Her heart had been warning 'Not yet'. But, her body had ignored everything to stay put in his arms, her limbs a willing captive in his clasp, while time froze for an impassioned beat or two - simply because a part of her relished the sensations in ways that she could not describe.

And there was more. She hadn't even begun to fathom the kind of shudders that rippled through her spine when his fingers had cradled the soft of her neck. Or how her throat had parched so much from a bittersweet nervousness that she could hardly utter a gasp as he took possession of her lips.

She was attracted to him. She had always been attracted to him - an undying attraction from the moment she'd met him more than 2 months ago that'd shaped so many incidents in her life!

And it was because of this attraction that she knew it wouldn't take much to lure her onto the road of temptation today either. Farther and farther off she would travel with him. But once the temptations had been appeased, the trance broken and she glanced back, what of her heart and mind then? How would she be left feeling? Her heart was still healing from the hurt, wasn't it? Her mind still inclined to mistrust the double life he led.

It would be exactly like how she was left feeling after their previous rendezvous at the canal. Shattered!

No, she didn't wish to go through that again. Not when her mind was not ready for it. Not when her heart was aching. Not just yet, if it could be helped.

'Heera?'

She gave him no reply - how was she going to explain all this to him? How was she going to tell him a girl's most intimate thoughts?

'Sahiba...' His simple concern was turning into worry 'why the fresh tears?'

She still said nothing. Instead, freeing herself, she moved from her spot, away from him, her head spinning from the confused jumble of emotions. It simply seemed easier not facing him for a while!

'Begum Sahiba' Akbar pressed on, not willing to take silence for an answer 'Talk to me!'

'Please... please let it not happen this way... I...' she closed her eyes 'I...'

'You what?'

'Please... I want to be alone... I'm not...' she spat it out 'p... please DON'T force me...'

'What?'

'Oh Lord!' the very next instant she kneaded her painful forehead, irked at having blurted out words she hadn't intended to say.

'Please let it not happen this way, when I'm not ready. Please understand my sentiments and don't force me for an answer' were the words swirling in her mind. However, in her state of semi-disorientation, the words that slipped out were quite different.

'I must... I... I must... talk... explain myself...' A funny twitch ruffled through her core 'go on Heera... don't delay it... even if it's an uncomfortable topic...'

Her body was filled with trepidation, top to toe, but if she didn't clarify her words straightaway, the unsettling twitches would only worsen. So, taking up the not-so-pleasant challenge, Heera shifted about on her spot, turning towards him again.

But the Sahib wasn't sitting around in the same place, waiting for her.

'DON'T force me!' A rude awakening from the woman he loved - a woman for whom he would give up anything. It'd acted like bitterly-cold water thrown over the warmth of his life-giving emotions. 'DON'T force me!'

Slapping the mud off his hands, Akbar stood up, running a palm through his hair in silent frustration twice.

'Khan Sahib...' Heera followed suit, standing up in a hurry, nearly tripping on the borders of her skirt as she did so 'I... I did not... mean...' she choked on a string of words, as she tried to get a grip on herself 'I...'

'Sahiba...' It'd taken him a short lull to deal with the initial damage of the turbulence tearing through his body and heart just then. But he made sure he dealt with it, before confronting her face to face 'I have forced you, and will force you, when it's a matter of life and death... when it's a matter of your own safety...' he paused, deliberately. She might not be able to see his features. But this way, she would get the message for sure. 'BUT... I did not force you to come to the races or bet on my horses... I did not force you to giggle or laugh... I do not force your beats to quicken whenever I approach you... and I did not forcefully hold you captive in my arms now either!' His jaw was taut and his voice low from soberness - this was going to be embarrassing, but he DID want to spell it out to her today 'Similarly, I would never force you to lie with me solely because we're wedded by law... if THAT is what you're afraid of!'

'Oh no...' she winced. She thought it was bad. But, this sounded worse. 'That is not what I meant, Khan Sahib... you're mistaken... I did not mean to use the word 'force' that way... it's just that... I...'

Lord! She didn't know why, but she couldn't get herself to tell it to his face that she was unable to trust him wholly yet, that she hadn't forgiven him fully yet. 'I need time to...'

His eyes narrowed quizzically at the way she continued fumbling for words - till Akbar eventually decided it best to spare her, and thus himself, from further unpleasantness and embarrassment. 'It's alright, Sahiba... you need not explain... I do understand what you meant...'

Funnily, he wasn't being sarcastic here. After the initial rude awakening, he figured out soon enough that it was only a slip-up from her. Yes, he handled it a tad bit abruptly, but he was never very good with flowery words anyway. In all honesty though, he wasn't angry with her. Perhaps, his ego offended by her choice of words - but he couldn't be angry with her for long. Not even if he tried!

After all, the young man was aware of her insecurities around him and for that, their complicated history was to blame. If anything, the Sahiba had been respectful to him till now and he earnestly appreciated that. Because had SHE done to him what he had done to her, he wouldn't have been able to welcome her into his life so easily. Therefore, NO, he would not blame her for her see-sawing sentiments.

Which is why, he didn't want to make a big deal of the issue by prolonging this.

Having said that, like how her feelings were justified, his past decisions and actions were justified too. And like how she wasn't to blame for any of this, neither was he!

Not surprising then that he resented the unrest flickering in his chest - the lows that came after the highs of this emotional and physical agitation.

Yes, he had stepped into this marriage with no expectations. However, over the past few days; the fun and banter, the stolen gazes and smiles, the pleasure of her company and the lure of her beauty, the proximity and the seeming cordiality - it'd swayed him. He'd forgotten what the reality was - that she still viewed him as a foe.

Nevertheless, a lesson had been learnt the hard way. He wouldn't allow himself to forget this raw reality and be swayed by temptation hereafter. He wouldn't let himself get carried away riding waves of anticipations and desires only to come crashing down against cliffs of turmoil and heartache. There was enough upheaval in his life as it is. Moreover, it wasn't fair to heap these dilemmas on her either - thus worsening her insecurities.

So, for the sake of his own sanity, he wouldn't rekindle any of it. Not until she explicitly told him that she had not an ounce of mistrust in her mind. Not until she chose to admit, in no uncertain words, that she'd accepted this marriage with all her heart.

Suddenly, in the distance, Akbar spotted a colourful flutter of movement - it was a small troupe, walking beside a palanquin, making their way down the slopes towards them. 'I think I see Vaid Sahib's aide...' he let her know a few instants later 'they're probably coming here to take you back with them, Sahiba...'

'Oh...' realising she'd been in a haze, Heera braided her hair and neatened her attire, before pulling the veil over her head. An urgent case must have come up for which Vaid kaka must need her assistance. She would have to rush to the village then.

However, there was a small part of her wanting to stay back - for a few moments at least, to end this meeting on a less unpleasant note.

So she turned around, her sombre eyes searching for his face. But he'd already left her side, to go tend to Bahadur.

'God!' It'd all been going well - the chatter, the laughter and the discussions. Why did it have to come to this? Why was it that for every laugh she shared with him, she spent a hundred tears more? Was it his fault? Her fault? Both of theirs?

'Khan Sahib... th... there...' the emotions had made her throat dry. So, she swallowed hard once 'there was a another issue... you wanted to discuss about' It was something she wanted to ask before the group arrived. But she'd also asked it, hoping its answer might lighten the ambience once again.

'The third point?'

There was not a shred of bitterness or anger in his response, but his voice somehow sounded steely. So much so that Heera began wondering if the alternate scenario would've been better - where he just vented out in rage. At least that way, she would know what he was thinking. 'Yes... the third discussion'

'I'm leaving Parnagarh on business... this evening'

He was leaving now? 'Where? Why? For how long?' the questions whizzed past her mind.

But, the only words that came to her lips were 'Have a safe journey'

'Khuda Hafiz, Sahiba!'

He waited for the palanquin bearers to arrive. Then mounted his horse and sped off. Her empty gazes followed his blurry outline, as he took the same pathways through which they'd arrived here together. And when his silhouette merged into the horizon, vanishing like a shadow, the twitches in her chest grew strongest.

By then though, Heera now knew what it was -

God had gifted her a pot with a bouquet, chosen specially for her. It had the most beautiful flowers. But it had plenty of sharp painful thorns too. She toppled the pot since she didn't want the pain, the thorns. But now, she was left with no beauty to behold either!

...

Originally posted by: karkuzhali

Hiding Behind

A

STRANGER

A Historical Novel by Lashy

(Abridged)

Part III The Floods.

Chapter 6.

Her first Outing with Him..

[Journey Continues..]