Part 28
Seeing this he just walked away. Abhishek and Bani kept talking and time just flew. They had so much to catch up on.
She told him the whole story about how she and Jai got married. He filled her in with all the details while he was away. They spoke not knowing when it became dark and when sunlight shone upon them again.
On the other hand, in their room, Jai was getting restless. He couldn't control his anger and the site of Bani and Abhishek hugging wasn't going from in front of his eyes. He lay awake waiting for Bani all night. At around 5, he caught a few winks. When he woke up again, he hoped to see Bani beside him but she wasn't there. The fear deep inside him since many a days was coming to life. He had hoped for all he had thought to be a nightmare.
She came back to the room at about 8 to shower. At last Abhishek and she had realized the time. She showered and went to serve breakfast. It was a normal day. Or at least it seemed to be! Jai didn't speak much and just ate his breakfast. At the breakfast table Abhishek, being his jovial self had won everyone's heart. Everybody loved him the instant they met him! Seeing this aggravated Jai's anger and jealously even more. He just got up and left for office.
A few days passed and Bani and Abhishek just got closer ( if that was possible) and Jai and Bani just went farther apart. But Bani was too busy to notice and Jai too egoistic to say. Abhishek soon left but their conversations continued. She was happy, back to as she was before marrying Jai. She realized she had lost her innocence after marrying Jai. Abhishek gave that back to her. He taught her how to live life again. For herself. She started her sketching, something she loved in her hay days. She sketched the mountains that could be seen as a distant sight from the mansion. She sketched the birds flying up in the air. She sketched her favorite things in the house. And she sketched her favorite picture of Jai.
Yes she did love him. How could she not. He was her life now. Abhishek was her past and could never become her future. She had realized this even before Abhishek had come back into her life. But the capacity that he was in her life was limited to her best friend. The person closest to her even though he lived apart for so many years. They were soul mates in the friendship sense but she loved only Jai. He was hers and she was his or at least she hoped.
A few days later she realized that Jai had started acting indifferent. He was too engrossed in his work once again and Bani could make this out. She kept shut and let it continue until it became unbearable to live under such circumstances. She needed someone to talk too. Someone to share her life with. And no one could take Jai's place when it came to that. She tried talking him into dinner but he politely declined or so he felt. It was the same when the suggestion for a small get away came about.
She decided that something had to be done and soon. She set up the room the most subtly romantic way she could. There were candles and flowers spread all over. A candle light dinner table set for two in their own private balcony. Perfect wine and perfect food. All of his favorites. There was his favorite music playing in the background…
Jai entered…he was stunned at first and then his expression changed when he saw Bani give him the sweet smile of hers…