Hello People 🤗
I know I have been AWOL for a while now 😛 and I am genuinely sorry for that. 😳
But my work pressure has been increased and I am having trouble to manage my time to visit the forum or post anything 😒
I was supposed to update my other story on Sunday/Monday but I logged myself out and forgot my password. Then I had to reset it and all 🤓
Meanwhile, Ankie came up with this interesting plot that she wanted me to write and I could very much connect to it so I ended up writing this OS first 🤣
I hope you guys will like it and accept it as an apology for being gone for so long 😳
Please ignore the typos and Happy reading! ♥️
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‘I don’t care what it takes Mehra. Mujhe yeh deal humare favour main chahiye..’
Rishabh walked in his room and was surprised to see that the lights were off. He assumed that Prerna must be in Kukki’s room. He put his phone on speaker and placed it on the study table as he took off his jacket and tie, followed by his shirt.
‘But sir Mr Khanna is not ready to negotiate with us…’
Rishabh groaned in frustration. It was going to be difficult to crack this deal but it was a really important one for his business.
‘Toh unhe manaye humare terms pe agree karne ke liye.. you know how it goes Mehra… Mujhe bas…’
‘Sssshhhh’
A sudden exclamation made Rishabh go quiet for a second. He thought it was his imagination and continued his conversation.
‘Mujhe bas Yeh deal crack karni hai. Khanna bas humara time waste kar raha hai.. he’s trying to play us and…’
‘Sssssshhhh…’
Rishabh walked to the corner of the room and switched on the light. He was surprised to see Prerna sleeping in the bed. She groaned and pulled the covers on her face as soon as the lights went on. It was her would had been making those exclamation.
‘Mr Bajaj lights off kijiye please… Aur agar aapko itna zor se baat karna hai toh bahar jake kijiye…’
She spoke in an annoyed tone and kind of ordered him to switch off the lights but Rishabh was to transfixed to follow her orders. It wasn’t the first time she was speaking to him in tone like that but something was different with her today. Her voice was not just annoyed, it was tired too.
‘Mehra I’ll call you back.. I am sorry, I thought aap Kukki ke room main hongi… I didn’t realise you were sleeping…’
Prerna pulled the covers from her face and glared at him.
‘It’s okay.. but abh aap please lights off kar dijiye.. aur thoda dheere baat kijiye please’
She pulled the covers on her face again. Her behaviour confused Rishabh, nevertheless he obligied her this time. He was about to enter the washroom when Prerna groaned again.
‘Are you okay??!’
Rishabh asked her out of concern, he waited for her reply but she just groaned again. Worried he walked to the bed and pulled the covers off her face.
‘Prerna…’
He called her out softly making her open her eyes. Prerna looked at him sleepy
‘Aap theek hain?!’
‘No… Yeah.. I am fine… bas sar dukh raha hai...’
Though he wasn’t convinced Rishabh hummed in response. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. She had a slight temperature. Maybe that’s why she had a headache as well.
‘You have a fever as well, did you eat something?or take some medicine?!’
‘No, Mujhe headache ke liye medicine lena pasand nahi ..I’ll just sleep for a while…’
‘Aap rest kijiye main aata hun…’
—
Rishabh walked in the kitchen and called for their servant. He was instructing Chandu to make some light dinner.
‘Mrs Bajaj ke liye mushroom soup bana do and a stir fry vegetables for me aur Kukki aaj Mrs Sharma ke ghar rehne wali hai so uske liye kuch mat banana…’
‘Mr Bajaj.. aap iss tarah se mere ghar main kaise ghum sakte hain?!’
Rishabh turned around to see a fuming Mohini at the threshold of the kitchen. For a minute he was confused as to what she meant but then he realised that he was standing shirtless in the kitchen.
‘Mrs Basu.. this is my house now, and Mujhe jaise Mann kare main apne ghar main waise ghum sakta hun…’
‘But..’
Rishabh stopped her from saying anything further and asked chandu to prepare their dinner quickly and get it to their room. He walked out of the kitchen without sparing another glance at Mohini.
Prerna was asleep when he came back to their room. He decided to take a quick shower till chandu came with their dinner. A few minutes later when Rishabh walked out of the washroom their dinner was already placed on the coffee table in the room. He went to the bed and wake Prerna
‘Mrs Bajaj, dinner is here.. please kuch kha lijiye…’
‘Nahi mujhe nahi khana..’
‘Main aapko puch nahi raha hun, I am telling you to have your food..’
Prerna kept denying in a grumpy voice but Rishabh wasn’t going to let her sleep without having her food. He went to the table and got the soup bowl with him.
‘Prerna.. get up and have your dinner..’
Rishabh spoke in a stern voice, Prerna sighed and tried to sit up. Rishabh sat next to her and subconsciously she leaned closer to him for some warmth. But in a second she sprang apart when she felt the water droplets on her back. She turned to him and blushed deeply as she noted that he was shirtlessly, probably just out of a shower and hadn’t even dried himself yet. Rishabh himself felt a little shy due to her gaze.
‘Erm… I thought I’ll feed you the soup first.. so…’
‘No it’s okay… and I am sorry for my earlier behaviour… it’s just.. jab bhi main bimar hoti hun…’
‘Bohut grumpy ho jati hain…’
Rishabh completed her sentence while feeding her a spoonful of soup, Prerna just nodded her head in agreement and closed her eyes in delight as the warm soup gave her some relief. Prerna noticed that Rishabh’s own dinner was lying untouched because he was feeding her.
‘Mr Bajaj main apne aap kha lungi, aap bhi dinner kar lijiye…’
She tried to take the bowl from his hand but he refused to give it to her.
‘You are tried and weak, what if the bowl falls from your hand? Aur waise bhi you have almost finished it, aap kha lijiye usske baad I’ll have my dinner.’
Prerna was touched by his concern for her. After a long time she felt pampered and taken care of. In a matter of minutes she had finished the soup, Rishabh tucked her in the bed once again and sat to have his own dinner. He was starving himself but feeding Prerna first was more important to him. He felt her stare at him and looked up at her.
‘Kya hua?!’
‘Aap meri itni care kyun kar rahe hain? Maine aapse itna rudely baat ki, uske baad bhi aap naraz nahi hain…’
Rishabh shrugged his shoulders and thought for minute before he answered her question
‘Well, you are my wife. Aap ka dhyaan rakhna mera farz banta hai.. and you were not intentionally rude to me. Aap irritated thi because aapki tabiyat kharab thi, why should I be upset with you for that?!’
His understanding had floored Prerna. It wasn’t like she was rude to him for the first time today. She would usually speak with him in the same tone, she had misinterpreted his intentions everytime and accused him of so many things that he hadn’t done, yet today when she is unwell, he is taking care of her. She thought for a second if she could do that to him if the situation was to be reversed. She looked at Rishabh who was having his dinner silently.
‘Mr Bajaj…I am sorry…’
Prerna said softly, but there was an edge in her voice that Rishabh could sense.
‘Prerna I said it’s okay…’
‘No.. not for today, but for every other day. Whenever I have been rude to you, or falsely accused you…’
‘Prerna …’
Prerna sat on the bed and shook her head negatively and signalled him to stop.
‘Aap galat nahi hote tab bhi main aapko galat samajthi hun, jis tarah aaj aap meri care kar rahe hain main Shayaad kabhi na kar paun… and mujhe abh realise ho raha hai ki jaise main aapke saath behave karti hun aap vo behaviour deserve nahi karte …’
Rishabh got up and quickly went by her side, tentatively he took her hand in his and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.
‘I guess it’s the fever talking… you should rest..’
‘No it’s not the fever talking Mr Bajaj, Mujhe sach main abh realise ho raha hai ki main kitni galat thi aapke bare main… aap bure nahi hain… maine aapko sahi nahi samjha…’
Prerna suddenly wrapped her arms around him, taking Rishabh by surprise but he recovered himself and returned her hug. He started rubbing her back gently to calm her as she kept saying sorry to him. Soon enough she had fallen asleep in his arms.
Rishabh made her lay in the bed properly and gently tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. He smiled to himself. Maybe what she said was under the effect of her fever but it stired a hope in his chest. Maybe she could understand him better now and maybe they could give a fresh start to their relationship. Maybe headaches and fever weren’t that bad after all.
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I am waiting for your likes and comments,
Love;
Niyati ♥️