SS: Sadka Kiya Yun Ishq ka_IndxP1_NwStryTsr_p72_:D - Page 17

Chapter 2

Recap:

"we will need to talk.. bt we will talk in the morning.." he said. He threw a small smile and stretched to put off the lights. "No!" she cried firmly. Alarmed, he sat up on the bed. She tried to study him. He felt uncomfortable. He cud hardly meet her gaze. "I know u hate me!" she asked. "I do.. sometimes very much!" He admitted. "thn?" He had no answer. He just shrugged. She nodded her head vehemently,"This is not happening!" "y?" "coz I m not some play toy to please a lonely 42-year-old man…!"she barked. His anger rose up sharply.. "Damn u! yes I m lonely.. and yes.. I hate u.. " he gritted his teeth n got up from the bed. "and I m sorry tht I ever kissed u!" He gritted again n picked up his pillow and threw it on the sofa. Nidhi just stared at him as laid down and turned his face away from her. Frustration and anger building up inside him, Ashutosh hated himself for wanting to kiss her! Was she the only damn woman on this planet tht attracted him! He sighed in frustration. She was!

With that anger n frustration still rambling inside his mind, he slowly slipped into a deep slumber. Nidhi was far from sleep. She sat on the bed staring at him in the dark for a while anger n confusion and thn slowly laid down on her side. He was a difficult man to understand. Jst a while ago, he kissed her, twice and now there he was already deep in slumber after cursing her dearly for the kisses he initiated! Huh. She uneasily shifted on her other side. The window was open but the night was dark with no breeze. She stared into the darkness as her thoughts went back to the incidents of the day. Yes, he was attracted to her but his attraction was very different from what she normally encountered. It was very strong and there was no lust. She shifted uncomfortably on her back and stared at the celinf fan. What was happening to them? How this strong hatred was turning into equally strong atrraction. Gosh, she was getting attracted to his tender kisses! The way he kissed her, she felt a warmth spreading inside her. Hell! Y he had to do that! Cudnt he keep himself with his hatredness! It was so much more comfortable and easy that way than these strange feelings he was arousing in her. No he cannot like her. She cannot allow him. How can she allow anyone to play with her vulnerabilities after wat happened with Mayank? Afterthat incident, she had was always been on her guards, always been in control of her emotions to manipulate ppl like Mayank! And this man here who genuinely hated her like anything was on a kissing spree! Out of the blue! And she who was supposed to hate it was enjoying it! How ridiculous was that!! She pushed away his thots and sat up to pull on her covers bt as she pulled up, she noted his duvet lying on his side of the bed. She tried to ignore it for a while bt thn eventually got up and covered him with his it. There was no breeze but the night was getting cold.

Thr was a streak of extreme hatredness tht she cud feel wen he spoke those angry hurting words abt her character and yet wen he kissed, he was so gentle and loving, almost as if he was seeking it! Gosh! She was losing it again!

Ashutosh found himself snuggling underneath it in the morning wen he woke up. As his eyes adjusted to the morning light and his mind registered his presence on the couch rather than bed, he immediately glanced at the bed. It was empty. And it was already neatly done, he observed. So his eyes automatically darted towards the restroom door. It was slightly ajar and thr was no sound whatsoever from the inside. So he guessed tht she had already freshened up and gone downstairs. Yawning, he got out from the couch and stretched his aching body. The night on the couch had been terrible. Though he got his usual deep sleep, the aftereffects can be felt in his body. Huh! He cursed this otherwise good long and quiet companion of his lonely bedroom. He twitched his lips and glanced at his watch. It was jst 6 a.m. and his curious mind wondered as to wat tht girl was doing up so early in the morning. He quickly got refreshed and went downstairs in search of Nidhi.

The breakfast table was empty. The kitchen had its usual occupant of that hour Ramu kaka but no Nidhi. His moved around the house aimlessly and finally after throwing a quick glance in the living room, he headed for his morning jog. On his way back, he casually tried inquiring at the security post without any success. Apparently they hadn't seen their new mistress walking past that gate at that early hour. So he jogged back to the lawn for some usual stretching. Jst as he bended, he heard a low humming melody from a corner of the garden. He outstretched his neck in the direction of sound. It was low and intermittent with a brief spells of pause inbetn. Curious, he went queitly in that direction to find out more and found Nidhi sitting or rather hiding betn two large bushy shrubs, humming and scratching intently on a test paper on her lap with a pencil. A soft smile spread on his lips as he watched her from behind. She again paused and glanced in her book spread on the lawn, read, pondered, and again started scratching intently with a low hum. He walked in front of her. "wat r u doing?" he asked in wonderment. She was startled. She tried to hide her book n test paper from his eyes. He felt amused. "None of your business!" She cried with irritation at his apparent invasion of her privacy. His soft smile widened as he casually took a seat beside her on the lawn, stretcheing his legs laying back comfortably on his palms.

Nidhi glared at him from the corner of her eyes. But he just sat there quietly the beauty of the nature the lush green lawn the morning rays the chirping of birds n the smell of freshly bloomed flowers, seeping in the tranquility, Nidhi observed. A while later, he turned to her. But she started to get up. He chuckled,"is this the price I am going to pay for kissing u last nite?" He jested. But she was curt. "No..i thot this the price that I wud need to pay for wanting ur kisses last night!" A sharp stab was felt in Ashutosh's heart. She was mean! Real mean. He looked away. She had struck him where it wud hurt him the most and he didn't want her to see how deeply she had wounded him! Yes he was lonely and yes he had a desire to kiss her. And so now his lonely pathetic life was thr for her to mock!

Nidhi walked away and thn looked back. He was still seated in the same way as she had left but looking at nothing in particular. She felt a little bad for him bt thn she reminded herself of all those derogatory beliefs he held for her. "Dont make me say those cheap words!" He had said. So she gathered herself determinedly and walked away without giving hi a second look. He deserved it.

Wen he entered thr room, she jst stepped out of the restroom. But he ignored her completely and made his way to the restroom. She just stared at the closed door for awhile thinking about something and thn went downstairs. Wen he appeared at the breakfast table, the servant enthusiastically served him sprouts paratha made by their new mistress Nidhi. he pushed away the plate. "I don't like parathas!"he ried. "oh ubut its healthy for ur age.. u shud try it.its filled with sprouts!" Idhi chimed with teasing smile. Ashutosh glared at the servant who quickly teplaced it with his usual butter toast! "its unhealthy!"she commented, "I like it!" "this paratha is oilless""I luv butter!""oh.u shud b really careful at ur age!""with such level of tolerance I m not going to get a heart attack!""ohh. But a man can only bear enuf at this age!" He gulped down his coffee in one go! "oh I can surely bear more with ur such support!"he jibed as he threw his napkin on the table and huddled away to get his files from the study room! Nidhi picked up her purse and rose triumphantly.mission accomplished.

15 minutes later, Ashutosh was driving on the road and saw Nidhi standing at bus stop! On spotting his car, Nidhi jumped behind others in the queue to hide herself, bt Ashutosh hada spotted her alright. He stopped exactly wer she was hiding and waited. Whe she acted adamat,he honked repeatedly til she gelt embarrassed and got in. "y did ur charm not work on Mr. Sharma Or did his wife pick up the phone?"he started where they had left off. Nidhi threw an angry reproachful glance at him. "None of ur business really!" "Oh.. certainly... its not my type of business for sure!"came a caustic reply! Nidhi smiled derisively "rite.. so y don't u stop the car rite here!""huh.. I guess ur charm doesn't work on cars or it wud've driven by itself to ur doorsteps!" Nidhi's temper rose. "Listen mister.. I m not interested in ur jibes as pretty as thy r… so y don't u jst stop the car rite here!" "huh Lady this car stops exactly wer I wish!" "Look mister, this car mite b but i am not ur personal property So stop the car right now..!"she barked. Ashutosh ignored with a mocking snort. Nidhi clenched her teeth "I said stop the car right now.. or I swear i will swivel it off the road.." Ashutosh again ignored her. so Gritting her teeth , she pounced on the steering wheel. Ashutosh was taken by surprise initially but then he coolly let it go. "Go ahead.. now v both can die happily sneering and jeering at each other!" Nidhi gasped in horror as tried to steer the car safely on the road,"oh plz.. I m still too young to die"she muttered in a huff "unlike u!"she added. Ashutosh laughed out heartily as he grabbed back the steering wheel! She was definitely a gem. He laughed so hard that Nidhi started to feel a bit embarrassed. He laughed for at least 10 minutes. Huh! Nidhi thought what was so funny about it! As much as she disliked Nidhi was surprised to see him laughing so frankly. It was first time that she was actually seeing him laughing i like 5 years that thy had kown each other. And she cudnt help but notice tht he indeed looked more handsome wen he laughed like tht! Huh! She chided herself immediately!

"Listen just drop me here okay.. I can manage from here!" She demanded. He just smiled. "u don't seem to have learnt ur lesson.. have u?" he provoked. Nidhi bit back her anger. Ashutosh just kept smiling at her reaction. Nidhi had enuf. He was impossible and getting on her nerves, bt he wasn't going to get her off the car if she kept flaring her temper. so she demanded in a bit calmer tone this time,"Listen I can manage from here okay, so jst drop me here." He blatantly ignored her this time . "Y don't u jst drop me here!"she was annoyed. "Mister I said drop… me…right . here!"she barked angrily, bt he didn't seem to care! "Listen... for last time.. jst drop me here rite now.. have u got any ears!"she cried impatiently! Unsurprisingly, he was enjoying the moment as he turned at the last corner which wud lead them directly to her office. In desperation n anger She unbuckled herself and opened the door of the car threateningly, "stop the car rite now or I m going to jump off!" she threatened. He laughed. "seriously tell me y u dont want me thr?" "What!" She was taken aback by his sudden query. He repeated this time with more surity. She stammered "i…its not like tht!"and barked again,"jst stop the car will u!" "Sure..bt at the gate!" He replied.calmly and didn't let her get down untill he had driven her right at the front gate of her office. She quickly jumped out and disappeared into the office without even glance back.

Once inside she heaved a sigh of relief and greeted the receptionist as she entered who congratulated her on her marriage. And got few more wishes as she walked down the hallway to Mr. Sharma's cabin. Her confusion got cleared wen she saw her fleeting reflection in one of the cabin glasses. Oh! bt of course! she had been donning a married girl look, complete with the glaring sindoor and well displaying mangalsutra over her bosom. She hadn't actually anticipated such reactions. Usually, she was a dazzler! She dazzled the office with her one bright smile as she entered. And she cast a magic spell on the staff with her irresistible charm as she moved around in the office, and tht particular type of male category staff wud fall on thr knees at her one gorgeous look, bt thy wer totally left in shock today! Thy mite have not been able to digest her look in this avatar! Inwardly, she chuckled to herself and as she was about to knock at Mr. Sharma's door, her hands automatically went to hide her mangalsutra beneath her kurti. "Trying to hide me!" a voice musically cried in her ears from behind. Startled, she looked back at a mischievously smiling face of Ashutosh tht was glancing around at the staff who was staring and mumbling abt thm! Bt she got lost momentarily again in his dazzlingly gorgeous smile! Or was it his handsome looks? His jaws had been smoothly shaven and his hair had been gelled up and done neatly up! Her eyes strayed over his face involuntarily! Or was it jst his effortlessly easy charming style? Hell! She lowered her eyes and focused on the pertinent issue at hand! "Y r u following me? Do u want to prove anything here too?"she asked sarcastically. "oh.. I m sorry.. can a client not have his normal appointment meeting in ur office?" he remarked casually as thy heard a "come in" from inside. "oh.. my sugar!" he heard Mr. Sharma's loud instant cry as the door opened up slightly and saw Nidhi's cheeks turning slightly red. Bt wen he tried to follow her in, she tried to close the door on him, bt Ashutosh was quick to put a step in and tht prevented her and finally, Mr. Sharma took a notice of him! "Oh! Mr. Ashutosh Mathur!" Mr. Sharma's voice cried in surprise. She had to let go and thy entered. "The newly-wedded couple together.. wat a pleasant surprise!"he cried. Nidhi gave a small smile and bent her head down and avoided Ashutosh's gaze as she walked up to Mr. Sharma and bowed down to take his blessings! "Sugar..u know I don't like it!" he cried and gathered her for a hug instead and patted her head! Ashutosh successfully hid his astonishment behind a smiling face as he moved forward to do the same. "Oh no u r our client Mr. Ashutosh Mathur!" "bt rite now, I m her husband!"he bent down and took his blessings. Nidhi's face cudnt turn any redder as he gazed back meaningfully and a bit amusedly at her! Sugar hmmm!.."I m sorry I cudnt attend ur wedding or reception.. bt of course Nidhi wud've told u how urgently caught up I was. I have already rendered my apologies to Mr. Mathur as well." Mr. Sharma continued as thy took thr seats for thr usual conversation. Ashutosh brought out his files and Mr. Sharma instructed Nidhi on her routine tasks and she went away. Before tht tho, Mr. Sharma invited the newly welds formally for a dinner. Wen Ashutosh left the cabin, he felt strangely relieved! He searched for Nidhi in the office and he noticed tht everyone's eyes still strayed on him and thn his glance fell on those ppl who had defamed and badmouthed Nidhi! Bt before he could confront thm, Nidhi appeared before him from somewhere and quickly ushered him out! Thy didn't speak anything as Nidhi walked him out bt a strange sort of smile played on his lips all the while, Nidhi noticed. She felt completely awkward at the situation she was put into! She shud've anticipated it! This marriage wasn't as easy as she had thot! She glared at him from the corner of her eyes!

Wen thy reached the entrance, Nidhi turned to go in uttering a quick bye, bt he grabbed her hand and took her aside. She had to go along with him so as to not to create a scene in front of the receptionist. "wat now?" she asked annoyingly! He slid his hands in his pockets as he stared and smiled at her. Nidhi chided,"Thr is nothing to smile!" "u made me hate u for no reason I guess!"he cried softly. Nidhi looked away seriously,"u r mistaken!" "really?" Thr was a brief silence tht neither of thm broke off any soon. He jst kept on staring at her and she kept evading his gaze. Finally, Ashutosh asked,"Tell me.." Nidhi turned away,"I got to go!" "okay.. will pick u up in the evening!" Nidhi cried,"I can manage!" "I know.. bye.. c u after office hours!" He said as she turned her back angrily and walked away. "And Nidhi.. take care.." She heard and thn she heard starting of the engine and driving away of the car. She stopped and turned back as she saw his car vanishing from the office gate. Ashutosh smiled at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Sugar! The word echoed in his mind with a new meaning!

Wen Nidhi entered the house, she heard Mr. Mathur instructing Ashutosh,"Rohan-Ritu will b shifting here today and u know abt the allergic condition of Ritu.. rite..she cant stay in tht polluted city..she needs clean air and hygienic conditions.. u can shift to the guestroom across the garden. U always luved the pool thr rite?" Ashutosh nodded a yes. "And good job today..Its a feat of our company! Apply for the patent right away!" Ashutosh nodded a yes again and thn glanced at Nidhi as she stepped in. Ashutosh had wanted to pick her up bt was called urgently by his father. He did send the car, bt Nidhi chose to come by herself and even ignored his call. His father greeted Nidhi, bt as Nidhi went to bow down, he stepped away,"Oh no.. this makes me seem too old Nidhi.. its too old fashioned!" Nidhi nodded politely,"okay… I will make u some tea!" His father laughed,"wat r servants here for Nidhi?" "Sir?""I don't pay thm heftily so tht u work in the kitchen" "bt.." "No buts Nidhi.. high society women don't go into the kitchen, u shud know tht..i don't pay thm to leisure around.. and v don't need thm if u r gonna work in kitchen rite?" Nidhi was speechless and she glanced Ashutosh, who jst lowered his head. "I like cooking..its like hobby.. thrs no restriction in pursuing one's hobby in high society rite? besides I like my own taste for tea" she answered. Mr. Mathur glared at her sharply and thn threw a glance at Ashutosh as he uttered,"thn thrs a small kitchen in the guestroom tht u r shifting.. u better use it for pursuing ur hobby if u don't want the servants losing thr jobs!" Saying this he walked off. Ashutosh stared after him and sighed. Nidhi looked at him and thn made her way upstairs. Ashutosh followed her. "So v r moving in the guestroom?" "yeah""thr r extra bedrooms here.." "I like the pool thr!"he replied shortly and went into the restroom to get refresh. He sighed deeply as he splashed the water on his face.

When he came out, Nidhi had already started packing her suitcase. "For how long have u stayed in this room?"she asked. "20 years!" Nidhi closed her suitcase and pushed it aside and glanced up at him. He had not moved from his place and was staring down at the floor pensively with a bowed head! "So u luv the pool thr.. I luv pools"she said,"so u swim?" "Ashutosh twitched his lips,"no I cannot!" Nidhi cudnt help laugh,"so wat do u luv abt pools thn?" Ashutosh smiled,"beautiful women.." Nidhi stared at him and added,"in swimming costumes of course" His smile widened,"obviously!""Thn y did u shift here?" "u know.. I grew old!" Nidhi cudnt hide her smile. He strode up to her and took a seat beside her on the bed,"okay ur turn.. sugar!" "Don't call me tht!" "y its ur most popular nick name!""u have no rite to call me with tht name!" He smiled and drew close to her! She stared at him as she moved back. His intentions wer pretty clear. "I will slap" she warned. "u can slap!"he said. He grabbed her and pulled her by her nape again. She didn't resist. Bt wen he inched closer on her lips, she bit him hard. "ooouccchhh!"he cried in pain as he drew back instantly holding his lips! "Damn u woman!"he barked. "I think now u will remember better.. no one touches me without my permission!"she threw a matter-of-factly statement and offered him water. "I don't want tht!" he pushed the glass away. "fine.. Shud I pack for u? u will make us late.. thy wud b arriving any soon!" "Jst get out from my room!"he barked."Okay.. thn I will go and check our bedroom and the new pool!"she winked and went away. Ashutosh glared after her. He absolutely hated her!

When he came downstairs, Rohan-Ritu and her parents had already arrived. Thy greeted Ashutosh formally. Rohan jst nodded casually at him and busied himself again in his mobile! "uh.. Nidhi..get Ritu's bags.. will u please.. and do please arrange thm accordingly in the cabinets.. u know how much she admires and prefers ur work.. otherwise I wud've told the servants!" Her Mom asked her sweetly! And to Ashutosh's utter surprise, Nidhi followed her orders meekly without any protest and pulled Ritu's bag upstairs. 15 minutes later, she was back down again. And thr wer new set of sweet orders ready for her to follow and she did so! Ashutosh cudnt take it after a while. He abruptly got up,"uh Nidhi.. can u please help me with my unpacking first..Sorry.. Aunty.. I will need to borrow her..I m no good at this stuff by myself and v know how good she is at this.. jst cant do without her" He shrugged and called in for a servant and introduced her to Ritu and her family and praised how proficient she was in her work and asked her to get trained under Nidhi in two days so tht thy cud help Ritu better and tend for her in Nidhi's absence. Saying tht, he took Nidhi's hand and walked away.

Servants followed thm in thr new room with thr suitcases. Wen thy wer gone, Nidhi burst out in laughter and slumped into the nearby sofa! "Wat was tht thr?" Ashutosh demanded. "u wer too good thr.."she applauded,"u shud've seen Mom's face!" He took a seat beside her and pulled her laughing crouching self up and demanded,"now tell me wat was tht all abt?" "uh..I don't have to answer u!"she cried back. "U do..u know!" "huh!"She rebuffed. "u do Lady!" he threatened as he started to cage her in. "I'll bite!"she warned. "please.."he murmured as he pinned her completely on the the sofa. Nidhi's heart skipped a few heartbeats! Never had she been enclosed this way in any man's arms, actually pinned underneath such huge strong body. "uh.. I have some more tricks.." she threatened, tho her voice sounded weak. "I wanna c thm all.." he murmured as he lowered on her lips propping over her on his elbows. And this time Nidhi experienced a completely different sensation. It was sublime and sensational as this time his tongue had travelled inside her mouth. She clenched on his shirt as she moaned helplessly at his tingling tongue tht made toe-curling strokes inside her mouth. Her heart rhythm increased and she automatically opened up to give him more access into her mouth. She arched and grabbed his hair as her body gave itself underneath him with need! His body touched hers provocatively as he tried to delve deeper into her mouth crushing her beneath him! He was relishing her pleasantly and she was responding to him rhythmically. Her body writhed underneath him at the slightest given opportunity! And with her every move, his kiss grew deep and wild. Her eyes fluttered sinking in tht abyssal daze of his overpowering pleasing sensations and she was about to lose her senses wen she found herself being picked up from the sofa with her mouth still captured in his. She pushed him away as she grunted in his mouth and tried to pull her lips from his! She cried a loud "Nooo!" as soon as she was successful in freeing her lips. He had taken her almost to thr bedroom and was gasping with need. She shivered at the sudden realization of the situation and those overwhelming emotions tht suddenly raided her senses bt she cried out strongly,"leave me.." "I SAID LEAVE ME!" she barked out loud as she tried to control her emotions and her voice pierced thru the walls sharply. He gently placed her on the bed. "Nidhi..I… I…didn't..mean..to" "DAMN U.. U R THE SAME.."she barked,"U R JST THE SAME" she tried hard to push back her tears. Grief grew in his eyes looking at her tears tht she was trying hard to fend off! "Nidhi…please.."he cried tenderly and he drew close. "Leave me.. leaaave.. meee…!" She cried again and was literally shaking in rage and the words didn't seem to come out from her mouth without quivering! She pushed him away and ran into the restroom and shut the door behind her as she slumped down on the floor heaving breathlessly and wiping off her trickling tears furiously! Damn she! How cud she give in to such need.. how? She shuddered at the thot of wat she was jst abt to do, losing all her self control at his mere touch! Damn He! She didn't know wen she had started to sob in an overwhelming reaction to wat jst had happened unexpectedly, in spite of trying to control her tears! No She cant cry. She cudnt cry! She cannot b weak! She told herself repeatedly bt the tears trickled down in spite of everything she said to herself.

Ashutosh paced anxiously outside the restroom door! He glanced once again at the door. He cud hear her sniffles. She was crying and he was helplessly placing outside. He once again went to the door and this time he banged and banged hard. "Nidhi open up!" he ordered. She didn't reply. ."I said open up the door or I m going to break it down!"he cried. Nidhi instantly flung open the door and barked at him furiously,"how dare u!" "R u okay?"he asked. Nidhi pushed him hard,"jst how dare u threaten me like tht!"she barked again. He stumbled a few steps back and cried,"stop it Nidhi!" But she hurled over him with grt force pushing him again. Bt this time, he stood firmly on the ground and her pushing hardly moved him! "Nidhi!" he cried. She drew up close to his face with angry fierce eyes! "its okay..its.. jst calm down okay..!" He cried again bt Nidhi wasn't listening. Thr was an angry storm raging inside her and she jst wanted to push him away from the room, from her life, bt he was too strong to b even moved. She cud bite him and stomp him and slap him as hard as she cud bt it wudnt even affect him. A new wave of fury overpowered her at her own helplessness and she tried one last time to push him away with all the mite tht she cud gather, bt No..he jst didn't move an inch. Instead, he lowered and picked her up in his arms as if she was some toy. Nidhi heaved furiously staring helplessly at him as thr was nothing tht she cud do anymore. "jst calm down..okay"he said tenderly. "I m not calming down!" she barked. "Okay ..i get it…" he uttered and took her to the poolside and placed her gently on its edge dipping her legs into the cool waters of the pool. An instant soothing effect grabbed her mind and she felt a sense of slight relief seeping into her, bt her heart was still thumping wildly and the tears still rolled down uncontrollably. He came and sat beside her, maintaining a bit of distance! She pushed back her tears, cursing thm! Damn she was weakening! Damn it! Bt she wasn't able to control these sudden incessant tears tht proved her weak and the realization of the strange awakening of those desires tht had jst rendered her senseless, and all those thots of self-reproach tht suddenly whirled inside her head. She threw herself into the water with one huge splash! Still sobbing, she did her laps incessantly and tried to forget tht thr was Ashutosh still sitting on the edge of the pool. She closed her eyes and jst swam, forgetting everything else and jst feeling the cool water touching her skin and soothing her nerves. And she kept on swimming till she felt her heartbeats going back to normalcy. At last, she was too tired to stroke any further. "Come.." Ashutosh outstretched his hand as she tried to swim back to the edge. Ashutosh stepped in carefully and pulled her out. She was so tired. She slumped on his chest as she breathed in quietly. "I m sorry Nidhi. It will never happen again. I am sorry. I am extremely sorry!" he said tenderly and Nidhi closed her eyes over his chest as she breathed in deeply one last time before breaking the hug and gaining back her control over herself. Ashutosh again moved back to a safe distance and looked at her.

Nidhi gazed quietly at the pool for a while and for the first time, she realized how beautiful it was! The pool was illuminating brilliantly with a golden sheen. It was surrounded by big bushy trees offering it privacy and also a sense of being in nature's lap. The leaves rustled in tht cool nite in acknowledgement and Nidhi gazed into the woods tht seemed to stretch as far as her eyes cud go! "The jungle starts from there!" Ashutosh said pointing in the direction of the woods tht lay beyond the huge fences of the pool. Nidhi smiled and moved her feet in the cool water. The playful waves of dark blue water came back to tingle her and Nidhi's smiled widened at the romantically gleaming water in those soothing yellow lights. Tht place was so isolated and provided such solitude. Its mere quietness filled one with peace and tranquility. "Now u know y I luv this pool!"he said. She smiled. "No beautiful women in swimsuits?" He smiled,"yeah..tht too!" Nidhi chuckled. "so how many total girlfriends do u have?" "u want a total of current girlfriends only or shud I include the ex's?" Nidhi laughed. "Liar!" "how do u know?" Nidhi didn't reply. She kept playing with the water. Ashutosh stared at her for a while and thn asked,"so tell me.."

Nidhi was reluctant. "Y u want to know?" "I don't know.. I want to know so tell me" He was insistent! "U don't need to know!" he shrugged softly,"u know.. u can talk to me.." "its none of ur business!"she tried to cut him off rudely. Bt he was persistent! He sighed and said,"tell me.." She kept silent for a while and looked at him to study him. She was unsure if she shud b baring her heart to virtually a stranger and yet she wanted to! His look was tht of a keen patient listener. She hesistated. He added tenderly, "tell me.." She looked at him and said,"u r gonna luv to hate me more!" He smiled,"y did u allow someone else to kiss u?" Nidhi looked away. Tht horrible experience came back to haunt her. Ashutosh shifted uncomfortably and thn asked softly,"Nidhi..did anyone.. ever..tried..to..I mean.. wer u…wer u ..ever.. abused?" He dreaded the answer. Nidhi tsched,"Do u think a girl like me wud ever let anyone abuse me and he wud b still breathing on this earth?" He smiled and felt relieved. "u wer exception!"she added. He laughed at her remark. "I don't think so it cannot b called as an abuse..the acceptance was mutual I thot!" "huh..and wat happened to ur hatred?"she asked throwing a sharp glance at him. Ashutosh stared at her as a soft smile played on his lips! "I don't know!"he cried frankly. "Mister..one shudnt b so clueless abt one's feelings.. u know an opportunistic girl like me cud always exploit it!" He laughed. "No..i m serious.. I have done in the past and I can do it now!"she said. He suddenly became serious. "Nidhi..u don't know wat dirty words those ppl had used for u!" he said with hidden anger. Nidhi kept silent. "u wernt wrong in hating me!"she said after a while. "y r u justifying my hatred?""coz I m really no saint!""u didn't marry me for money Nidhi!" he said softly. Nidhi looked up at him. "u do a job to earn money Nidhi..u don't want my money""Not tht I have tht sort of any money!" Nidhi stared at him. He chuckled,"I thot I wud stump u tht u made a pretty bad bargain this time but u stumped me instead!" "U r not wat I thot u to be!"he said sincerely. Nidhi looked away. "And u r even studying to get a better life.." Nidhi's eyes bulged out at him in surprise,"how did u know!" Ashutosh laughed,"u know I too luved to study secretly..its fun!" Nidhi frowned in annoyance. She had taken every precaution tht he wudnt find out wat she was doing and yet he seemed to know everything! "u shudnt rummage into my things!"she cried. "I don't do such things lady.." she glared at him. "huh is it so hard to guess wen u r scribbling something with an open book!"he defended. Nidhi looked away with frown. Y was he so keen on knowing her every secret! "so tell me!"he asked. "u don't need to know everything!"she cried in annoyance. He laughed. "y not.. u r my wife.. I need to know everything!" "I m not ur wife!" she retorted. "u know in our rituals thrs no such thing as divorce!""huh.. how can those vows b held any true wen all we wer doing while taking those pheras wer cursing each other!"she cried. "I was not.. wer u?" he asked. Nidhi glared at him! He sighed,"Nidhi.. I want to know u.. I want to know the real u.. I m not tht bad u know.. u can tell me…" he urged her again in his typical sweet insistent way! Nidhi looked away from him into nothingness and sighed. How many ppl were really instrstd to know her real self till now? None!

She breathed in deeply and gathered herself and started."I.. I am an orphan!" She stopped and waited for his response. Thr was none. She looked up at him. She saw his eyes searching her deeply. "Me..too!" he said. Nidhi was surprised. Well, not exactly surprised considering the way his father was treating him! She frowned. "Thn" he asked. She shrugged. "and beautiful.. attractive..I didn't knew I cud charm some man so easily.. I was guarded bt nave as any adolescent girl cud b.." Ashutosh looked at her intently. "did u.. did u.." Ashutosh hesitated bt thn asked,"have a boyfriend?" Nidhi smiled contemptuously,"yes and he taught me the first most important lesson of my life and abt men!" Ashutosh looked away and sighed deeply! "bt as I grew up I started to realize my influence on thm and also thr intentions!" "not all of thm wer dirty minded bt wernt worthy either!""besides it wasn't my goal!""I wanted to b independent. I wanted my own identity. I wanted my own house. I wanted my own things. I didn't want to b dependent on anyone anymore. I wanted to build my own future bt for tht I needed to study. For which I needed money, a job! I manipulated the opportunities thrown at me and I managed. Bt it wasn't an easy way up for a girl like me who cannot hide her attributes, who cannot jst block her effusive charm!""bt I needed money and fast. I jst didn't have enuf time! I cud not wait till my aunt married me off to someone I barely knew! I cudnt rely on an uncertain future, an unknown husband. I did not want to b dependent on a stranger again! I tried to learn everything as much as I cud in my profession in such lesser time and used it for my benefit. And thr wasn't a better way to achieve it thn use and charm those men who wer all bt ready to serve me wat I wanted in a silver platter!" "Nidhi did u know wat dangerous game u wer getting into!"Ashutosh cudnt help cry. "yes I knew..it was dangerous.. I knew wat thy wanted and I knew how thy wud act once thy knew thy wernt going to get anything! I know wat thr male ego wud spit out in bitterness and resentment once thy learnt of my duping! And hell thy deserved it!" "Do u even know how dirtily thy maligned ur name!" "It doesn't matter to me!""It does Nidhi.. this is highly dangerous game.. u know all men r not equal.. some mite have serious male issues!"He cried,"thy don't take it lightly.. u don't know wer thr violent mind can go!" he said worriedly. "wat am I supposed to do! I want my freedom. I want my independence and and thr wud b always such men.. I cannot hide myself away.. I have to play.. I cannot quit, bt I know how to keep myself safe!" "Its not so easy Nidhi!"he cried. "I know its not easy.. bt how can I save myself wen..wen even a man like u cudnt keep ur hands off of me!" Something struck Ashtuosh right on his face and a deep regret filled his heart at tht realization. He closed his eyes and looked away. "bt of course not tht I didn't provoke u to tht extent!" came from her mouth instantly before she cud even realize tht she was defending him. She looked away. Bt it was true! She didn't knew if he wud've acted this way if she had'nt instigated him, picked at his age at every given chance. She had been playing with him the same dangerous game unknowingly. Bt his reactions had been different. He had been different. He had instigated her with equal hatred. And those sparks had jst flown betn thm. And thr was a strange sort of attraction tht pulled thm towards each other. Call it hatred or attraction bt it had resulted into those kissing struggles. And she cud tell tht he was very different from all the men she had met! She looked up at him. He was gazing at her silently! Nidhi didn't know wat battle was going on in his mind. Nidhi tried to change the conversation to a lighter note! "u know.. I was always well prepared.. I mean.. I had everything handy shud any pervert ever try anything..u shud take a look at all the weapons tht I have in my bag..thy wud dread it!"she cried. And a small smile cudnt stop appearing on his lips! "bt as always, prevention is better thn cure and I m careful enuf to not put myself into such situation in the first place. My defenses r strong and I m always on my guards bt of course I realized today tht I need to spare some time to learn some real defense and attacking techniques if I have to deal with a man as strong as u.. u didn't budge an inch at my blows!"she cried. Ashutosh cried instantly,"Lady.. u hit me pretty hard okay!.. u r no lesser in strength with ur fierce streak of vengeance.. wat if u learn those techniques.. Lord save us men.. especially me!" Nidhi cudnt help laugh. "well..thts y I keep warning u!" she cried cheekily. And Ashutosh again felt tht strong urge to grab her and make him feel tht she is his! This was a strange pull and she had something about herself tht jst snapped him! Bt thn thr was this other side of hers tht he had started to respect!

Thy were interrupted by the servants who had come to call thm for dinner! Thy quickly changed into some dry clothes and walked upto the main bunglow! To his surprise, his father awaited thm with the whole extended family for dinner. It was first time in last 20 years tht he wud b having a meal with his father!

**This chapter is only half complete.. bt i thot i shud post it..since u all wer waiting for it so eagerly.. hope its still the way i wanted to present it.. and has the desired effect.. so do write and tell me.. how it was.. did it change Nidhi's perception in ur eyes.. 😳 and did it make u fall in luv with The Mr. Irresistible more!😆******of course thr is more to b revealed abt Nidhi and Ashutosh both.. and thr chemistry is going to take a different turn.. most of u wud obviously predict.. bt again its not wer thy will end up.. its always fun to know how thy will end up!😳*****so stay tuned.. keep commenting.. and encouraging me.. doing well for now.. thnk u all for ur kind and warm wishes.. will need to take some more rest over this weekend.. so see u nxt week...*****do hit like button.. and plz.. plz.. do comment.. even its jst one word or one line.. p.s.: tht doesnt mean u shud do away with one line reviews😆.. tut tut.. tht wudnt b encouraging to me!😳****
Till thn...

take care..

c u all with nxt chapter and replies!😳

Originally posted by: Cherishh

Padne se pehle hi like kardiya😆😆..isliye review abhi mat maangna😳

Originally posted by: achiever

I want review.. i want review.. huh..i shud pester u equally for the reviews...😈..