CHAPTER - 9 Groaning as the sunlight hit her face, Ayesha turned over on her bed. Wondering sleepily about the feeling weighing on her heart, she stretched lazily.
"Morning, Princess," a familiar voice drawled.
Stifling a cry of surprise, she sat up, pulling the covers around her revealing night gown. Her eyes shooting daggers at the figure standing carelessly with crossed arms in front of her bed, she almost shouted her question.
"What the hell do you think you're doing in my room, Neev!"
"Perhaps trying to get in a bit of
friendly conversation before we are joined forever in holy matrimony, vixen," he replied, nonchalantly.
"I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say!" saying this, she threw a cushion at him. Annoyed that he caught it so easily, she finally gave in to her urge to shout. "So you can take
yourself and your
friendly conversation
out of the same door you came in from!"
His expression unchanging, he said casually, "I came in through the window."
She stared at him dumbfounded. "You came in through what?!"
"The window," he obliged. Then with a devilish grin, he strode towards the one looking out at the balcony. "You see,
this is a window. And as this one has no bars and was unlocked, I could very easily slip in as that balcony is adjoined with mine."
"But you know, there are many kinds of windows," he continued, as if teaching a backward child. "Now, if this window had bars, I would never have been able to jump in. And if you did not snore so much, you would have been able to hear me come in. So the moral of this story is – Bar your windows up and stop snoring!"
Finally finding what she'd been looking for throughout his explanation, she threw a vase along with the flowers at him. Narrowly dodging the flying object which smashed into the wall behind him, he wiped the water which had flown out to hit him in the face.
"And that was a vase!" she declared, a satisfied grin on her lips as she watched his eyes darken with anger. "And it has lots of uses besides being used as a decorative item as I so well demonstrated. So the moral of the story is – Shut the hell up and get out of my room!"
He was in front of her before she had completed her tirade, and caught her arms to bring her face closer to his.
"I came here to suggest a way out of the marriage," he bit out, his grip tightening painfully making her wince. "But now I think maybe I
will marry you. Let me see how quick you are to throw vases on my head a week after that."
"Oh, I wouldn't throw vases at you a week after that," she agreed, struggling to loosen his hold. "I would be too busy throwing
knives at you!"
"We'll see about that, sweet wife-to-be. We will see."
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"Milind, humein neeche jaana hai. Please uthiye."
Burrowing himself deeper into the covers, Milind groaned as his head protested against the sudden burst of activity. As he felt someone tugging the covers off, he grasped them tighter, mumbling in his sleep. Straining to hear the soft voice calling him again, he let his mind swirl, hoping to reawaken the dream that he had been having before getting disturbed by someone shaking him lightly.
"Milind, please!" the voice implored. "Hum late ho jayenge!"
Smiling in satisfaction that he could hear that beautiful voice again, he caught the hand that had been trying to pry his fingers off the quilt and held it to his face. The scent of mint and lavender mixed came to him as he snuggled against the hand and sighed in contentment.
"Milind!" the voice said in exasperation. "Aap uth rahein hain ya main aap pe pani dalun?"
He just grinned, somehow knowing that the voice wouldn't do that. A voice
couldn't do that! It could only be heard…It couldn't be felt. It was –
Spluttering, he sat up quickly and then groaned as the brightness hit him and the pounding in his head seemed to turn into hammering. Someone held out a glass in front of him and without a thought he drank the contents, feeling the liquid trail languidly down his throat. He felt his head clear a bit, and the brightness seemed to decrease.
"Humare paas sirf kuch minutes hain, Milind."
Hearing the voice from his dreams, he turned in shock to find Prachi holding out a towel to him. Realizing his face was wet, he took it slowly and wiped the water off.
"You didn't have to do that," he grumbled, suddenly remembering what had happened to make it wet in the first place.
"You left me no other alternative," she replied, holding out some of his garments. "Milind, humein Baba ne neeche bulaya hai and hum late hone wale hain! Toh please aap uthiye and get ready as soon as possible!"
Taking the garments she offered, he got up unsteadily.
"By the way, what are you doing in my room?" he asked, his thoughts still fuzzy from sleep as well as the after effects of overindulgence in liquor.
Gazing at him as if he had lost his mind, she said simply, "I'm your wife."
I'm your wife. With those words, his mind suddenly cleared and all the happenings of yesterday came crashing down. He remembered his anger as he discovered that the woman he had married wasn't Ayesha. He remembered getting drunk, after hearing that Neev and Ayesha would be getting married. He remembered falling into someone's arms…after that, everything was a blur. And that someone was probably Prachi…his
wife!
"So your scheme worked, didn't it?" he said, furious all over again. Pulling his clothes off in anger, he put on the garments she had selected, not caring whether she was watching or not. "You finally got what you wanted?"
"I…" she trailed off. There was silence for a moment, and then she said hesitantly. "Humein shayad iss baare mein baat kabhi aur karni chahiye. Main…main neeche jaa rahi hoon. Aap tayar ho ke aa jayiye."
With that, she left the room, leaving him to wonder about the red tint stealing up her neck and cheeks.
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"Prachi, aap sun rahi hain ki hum kya keh rahe hain?" asked the King of Saharan kindly, noting the way his daughter-in-law seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. And well, she
did have loads to think upon, he admitted wryly. Marriage to his eldest son wouldn't have been a cake walk for any female, let alone a gentle one like Prachi.
"Uh… nahi woh main…kuch aur hi soch rahi thi. Aap kahiye."
Accepting the silent apology in her words and soft smile, he repeated his words. "Hum soch rahe the ki jo bhi hua uske baad aap sab ko kahin bahar bhej diya jaye. Environment ke change ho jaane se shayad sabki tension kab hogi…and aap and Milind ek dusre ko jaan bhi payenge. Same goes for Neev and Ayesha."
Ayesha, who had been silently and delicately eating her breakfast, brought her head up to glare at Neev, who was lounging back in his chair. Catching her look, he pretended a yawn for her benefit causing her to scowl and then dismissing him, return to her breakfast.
Suppressing a smile at the antics in front of her, Prachi gathered her thoughts from where they kept straying to that scene in the bedroom.
"Accha idea hai, Baba. Hum sab jayenge," she said finally, finding all gazes except Ayesha's on hers.
"Did I miss something?"
She started as she atlast heard the object of her thoughts, come into view. Casting a curious glance at the group sitting at the table, he made his way towards them. Sparing her a fleeting look, he sat down on the empty chair beside her.
"Haan, Milind, hum kahin bahar aap sabko bhejne ka soch rahe the," the Queen complied. "Saharanpur Valley, to be exact."
"Hmm," was all he said, as a servant brought his breakfast forward.
Raising a brow at his son's noncommittal reply, the King said tentatively, "And you
all are going."
"I did not think otherwise, Baba," Milind answered the unspoken question. "I think I need the much needed change."
He said this with a look at Ayesha, who lifted her eyes to meet his steady gaze. Understanding the silent message he was giving her, she smiled tentatively, shaking her head.
His eyes darkened and he stood up, pushing his plate aside. "Now if you'll excuse me."
Five pairs of eyes stared after him, as he stalked towards the training grounds. Ayesha sighed silently, knowing he understood.
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Milind directed all his fury towards his opponent on the training field, giving him no chance for an attack. They had already covered half the field with him attacking, and the other defending. With a backward swing of his sword, he brought it in contact with the shield in such a way that his opponent toppled backwards. Too weary to get up and resume, he lay there breathing hard.
"You did well," Milind complimented lightly. Extending a hand towards him, he pulled him up. "Just do not stand there when you see a swing coming your way. If you had moved sideways, it would have given you an opening for attack."
"Yes…" the man replied, still panting heavily. "Your Royal Highness."
Nodding to allow him to leave, Milind gazed unseeingly at the Main Gate in front. To think he could have let his feelings run deep when all she had been doing was practicing her feminine wiles on him, he thought in self disgust. That's what all women did after all, whether she was a serf or a Princess.
He was a fool to have been besotted with her beauty so much as to think she held the same affection for him. A smile or a few flirtatious words did not always mean interest. He had not mistaken that hesitant smile or that shake of her pretty head. His message had been clear – Have I lost something or did I never have it to begin with?
Her reply had been just as clear – I never guessed your feelings would run that deep. Mild flirtations are what every female does. It's no different with me.
Maybe it was better this way, he thought reflectively. Atleast the regret of losing a courageous and spirited woman like Ayesha would be less. He had always desired a wife like her…so courageous to actually take on a group of men for a helpless man. So damn sweet to wipe the blood off a stranger gently! So beautiful that it was difficult to get his thoughts in order around her…
And he had known it wasn't possible to find a woman like her. He had just desired to have that kind of a wife, not really expected it. Now to actually find that woman and then lose her all because of a scheme that had backfired! That was eating up at him, making him bitter.
He didn't know what to do about his wife either… Prachi seemed so meek and he detested that in women! Moreover he hated that aura of purity and innocence that seemed to surround her! She always looked as if she hadn't ever had to deal with misery ever in her life, never been touched by the darker side…
His eyes narrowed as he saw the Main Gate open, his worries forgotten. Apparently they had a visitor, he noted impassively, hearing the traditional hoot which signaled an influential arrival.
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Hey guys, m getting my results today around 5😭 so if i m rendered unconscious by seein it, I thought i shud atleast faint after posting this fic up so that u can pray for my recovery 😆 😆 😆
hope you liked this chapter, guys. i tried to make it longer! 😊 Edited by gurl.enchanted - 17 years ago
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
