Beautifully Restored
||Part One
Fed up of tossing on the bed since the past half an hour, Prerna sighed and sat straight on her bed, grabbing her pillow. Resting her hands on the pillow that she placed in her lap, she again did a silent round of prayer for Anurag not to have seen the cheque in her hand.
Had he seen it? What if he had and he tells Kaka Baba? No, no, no, I cannot afford it. Trapped between had he or he hadn't, she lost it and reached out for her phone. I have to tell Anurag to stay away from my life. With that determination, she dialled his number but the next moment it struck her that if by any chance, he missed the sight of cheque then now her call might just make him aware of it and she was just about to disconnect the call but he picked up and she heard his voice. Damn.
"Prerna?"
No option remained. She has to talk now.
"Ye...yeah Anurag, I am sorry. I was actually calling Anjali. This was just by mistake." She made an attempt of lying but it did not matter because he was willing to talk to her.
"No, actually it is good that you did. I want to talk to you."
Her heart began palpitating. He knows, Prerna. He knows. Keeping her calm, she asked trying to keep her tone normal, "About what?"
"About your and Navin Babu's marriage."
There he was, again starting with what he had said in her ear, during the Aadan-Pradan ritual. "Anurag, please, I have talked with Kaka Baba as well. Marrying Navin Babu is my wish. Now what is left to talk?"
"I saw you you taking the cheque from Navin Babu in the guest room. What was it for? Prerna, if there is anything wrong; you can share it with me."
She clutched her phone when it was confirmed that he had seen it. He had seen it but she was a little amused when his tone softened while he urged her to talk about what was making her marry Navin babu. A thought crossed her mind for a fraction of second when she felt she should actually let it out. Keeping everything inside her, bearing her family's disappointment in her, watching how let down they were feeling because of her, was breaking her heart slowly in pieces but soon, her brain shrugged that thought away. She could not tell him, anything. She could not tell anyone, anything.
"Anurag, I don't think, I would like to discuss my present or future with you. This is personal. Stay out of it." She embraced the mask of slight rudeness again.
"Alright, if this is how it is, then there is no point in talking further."
Is he hurt? He sounds like he is. "Goodnight." She marked the end of the conversation.
"Goodnight." She had refused to share her personal matter with him. What else he could do other than backing off?
Fine. No more interference in her life. She can handle it. She can. He mumbled as if assuring his own self that she would be fine but would she really be? Damn you, Mr. Anurag Basu. Just stop thinking about this.
She whispered an apology that he would never know about, "I am sorry. He did not deserve the curt reply she had just given to him, she knew but no other option seemed to be there, at that moment. Stay out of this, Anurag. I have to do this. She silently wished that he would not try to get to the root reason of her yes for the marriage, again.
*
The Sharma family, though did not like entertaining Navin Babu's presence the very next morning except for the Suman Sharma whose happiness crossed its bound every time Navin Babu made an appearance for he was the one to fulfil her materialistic desires to her.
Prerna descended the stairs while he announced that he and Prerna had decided to go for the shopping. She had a hard time, masking the sadness taking over her when Navin, pretended being a gentleman and asked for a permission from her parents and her father said, she no longer needed one.
Only she knew how badly she wanted to kneel down in front of him and tell him that, she always did and she always would. Had it been in her hands, she would never go beyond his word rather, she did not even need his word to know what pleased him and what disappointed him but at the same time, her family's stability and happiness was the priority. The burden of the loan was putting her father down and down and she could not afford until it got severe. Her parents had done a lot for her, and she considered, now, it was her turn.
With a heavy heart, she walked out with Navin Babu. The shopping session went more horrible that she had expected it to. Had it not been the situation she was stuck in, she would prefer to change her route to avoid his sight, but it was the irony of the situation, that she was going to spend her life with him. The man seemed mentally sick to her, at times but she could not listen to her feelings, for obvious reasons.
"What are you doing here?" Anger bubbled inside her when he stepped in the room she was changing into the Saree he had chosen for her. "Out, get out right now." She could not believe how he even got inside her changing room. Had she not locked the door? She was sick of herself for not doing it.
His stare at her from her head to toe disgusted her. His gaze always did.
"Stop, what are you doing? I... I am not comfortable." She yelled, pushing his hand away that started adjusting her Saree showing to her how modern women dress up. Knowing he wouldn't understand her verbal no, she stomped her heel on his toe and he winced in pain, stepping back. He had crossed the limit, today and she lost her cool. Warning him if he ever repeated it again, then she would call off the marriage, she showed him the way out of the room and he left from there.
A small relief washed the little trauma his actions put her into. How would she survive with this man? She wondered. She has to, no matter what. She quickly changed herself into her clothes, and made her way out of the shop with Navin following her.
What Prerna did not know was, Anurag still was in the adjacent changing room. He heard everything.
What are you doing here?
Out, get out right now.
Stop, what are you doing? I... I am not comfortable.
This marriage is a compromise but if you do something like this again, I will call off the wedding.
Anurag looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was right about the marriage thing. He was right about Prerna. This wasn't her wish but a compromise. But why and for what? The questions still had no answers. Prerna had the answers but she would not give them, he knew. He had tried and she had refused.
He did not know why but he could not stand the fact that Prerna was getting married to Navin out of compromise.
He did not know why but he felt an urge to get her out of whatever the problem she was stuck into.
He did not know why but it was not possible for him to sit quietly, in peace, knowing she was under some emotional burden that was making her do what she was doing.
He cannot let her do that. He would not. The call was taken. He would, now, do whatever it takes to dig deep enough to find out what was it! What was her reason! And he would do whatever it takes to get her out of it.
*
I wanted to complete this and post as a one shot but then for some reason, I am posting in parts. I began writing this after the phone call episode but then scenes came so I had to include them because I wanted to stick to the track. I hope you liked this so far. Do leaves your likes of appreciation and comments, if any. :)
With love
-Harshada
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