Ashlok FF- 'Out of the Darkness'Chapter 16 Updated pg 64 - Page 22

Astha couldn't believe the turn her life had taken. What had just happened? She felt completely overwhelmed and very much confused, in fact, more so than she had been before. Her mother had really gone and made a mess of everything. Too many emotions were swimming through her, finally, she had finally felt that she was getting Shlok to open up to her, he had become more accepting of her affectionate gestures, in fact, he himself seemed to act affectionately with her at times. But now, now she wasn't sure of where things stood. A mess, everything was a complete mess. Abhi? Her mother wanted her to marry Abhi? She hadn't even known that Khalindi was looking for a new groom for her... "a new groom?" she held her head and fell back onto her bed, the same place that her husband had sat earlier. How could she think she would marry someone else? In her heart, she knew it was Shlok or nothing for her, if fate had it that they be separated, she knew the void in her heart could never be filled by another, he had stolen her heart and never returned it, even after all he had put her through, she loved him unfathomably. Her thoughts pained her. She held on to her mangalsutra with one hand while she clutched onto the bed sheet with the other, she wished that she could pour her feelings out into that one touch, oh how she wished. Tears strolled down her already pale cheeks as she remembered looking at his retreating back when he left her left parents' house earlier that night. She knew he was hurt, and she knew what his hurt meant, it was always concealed by anger and rage, she worried for him.

"Abhi?" Their voices came out in unison. What was he doing there, they were both shocked and confused, and how did he know her parents?

"Astha...Shlok...Astha?" Abhi seemed just as lost as they were. "Astha? Shlok's Astha?" he turned his bewildered gaze towards Khalinidi, questioning her.

"Not Shlok's Astha, my Astha, MY Daughter. How do you all know eachother?" Khalindi retorted just as quickly as the question came to her, she feared the answer to her question.

"She is Shlok's wife, how can I marry her? Aunty what is going on?"

"Marry?" both Shlok and Astha spoke in complete shock. He took a step in front of her, as if to shield her, protecting her from some unknown threat.

"What the f*ck is going on here?"Shlok was visibly enraged at the mention of the words marriage and Astha. "Answer me!" He was now shouting at no one in particular, Astha reached for his hand but he pulled away at her touch, her Shlok of earlier, was gone.

"Shlok, I assure you, I'm just as confused as you are." Abhi tried appeasing his friend. "You know my Aai has been trying to get me remarried, I came here to meet her choice, I had no idea that she was still married...heck I had no idea who she was or that she was married to you" Abhi was clearly overwhelmed, things were getting way too complicated way too quickly.

"Aai" Astha went to her mother. "Ai what's going on? Married? I'm married to Shlok. What is all this?" Shlok's eyes immediately found their way to her, so she didn't know, the reassurance gave him an inkling of peace in what he knew was going to become a less than peaceful situation, his mother in law would make sure of it.

"Astha, I am just seeking your best interest. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to be loved and appreciated, to be treated with respect, to be treated like the treasure your parents raised you to be, all the things Shlok never gave you..." she threw a disgusted sneer Shlok's way, an odd sense of guilt and remorse overcoming him. "I'm just trying to give all these things to you. That's why I decided to find you a new groom, so that when this farse of a marriage ends in a few days, you can move on with your life, completely." Khalindi held onto to Astha's arms, as if to shake some reason into her, she was pleading with Astha to hear her, to really hear her. "It's not your decision to make Aai.." her words were interrupted. Shlok grabbed Astha away from her mother,

"How dare you" he accused his mother in law, "How could you stoop so low, this is cheap even for you" his fury was doing all the talking.

"Shlok!" Astha's voice reached out to him as she pulled his arm making him face her. The look in his eye hurt her, she saw it, she knew his words were driven by pain, but she couldn't let him speak to her mother that way, it wasn't right, and it would do nothing to make the situation any better.

"Shlok, you can't talk to her like that" her voice was soft yet commanding.

"OH so you're ok with this, you want this?" his tone was accusing, his eyes were red and blood shot.

"Of course I don't want this!" She lashed back him, "I don't want any of this, I don't know anything about this." Her tears flowed freely, the silent accusation ripped into her heart.

"Then tell me, tell me what you want Astha, tell your mother what you want, in a couple days, when we go to that hearing, what will you want?" Shlok looked into her eyes as he questioned her, it was just him and her, nothing else existed between them, he didn't know what had overcome him but all he knew is that he wanted her to answer.

"You know what I want, it's what I have always wanted..." She wiped the tears with her hand as she continued ...and what does it matter what I want Shlok, it makes no difference, it all comes down to whether you want the same thing." Shlok's hands let go of her. She jerked back at the release. He looked away from her, he knew she was right, he knew what she wanted and he knew that he was the one that declared she could never have it...him...all she ever wanted was him and his love. Shlok turned to walk away when he felt Abhi hold on to his shoulders, "Shlok, this isn't Astha's fault, she had no idea, clearly, come on, let's sit and discuss it, it's just one big misunderstanding." Abhi's voice was calm and pleading and it angered Shlok further, it angered him that she spoke about Astha as if he knew her, how could he be so calm about it all, did he not understand the gravity of the situation. Shlok shoved his hands away and bolted through the door.

"Shlok.." Astha called out to him as she ran after him.

"Don't leave like this please" her words were broken and distressed.

He turned back to look at her.

"I didn't know about this, believe me I didn't know"

"Come home with me then" was his only response.

Astha looked on at him, she wanted to give into him, she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and be engulfed his embrace, to feel his warmth and be enraptured by his scent. She wanted nothing more than to go home with him and be held by him as they drifted off to sleep. She wanted nothing more but she knew she'd have to settle for a lot less, she needed the time away from him, his presence confused and controlled her and she needed to think, just a few days, that's all that she had wanted when she lied about her father being sick so that she could leave, she asked her bappa to forgive her at the thought.

"I can't come with you, not tonight." She knew what his reaction would be yet it felt as if her heart had shattered into fragmented pieces when he walked off and drove away. He was upset and that pained her more than anything else.

She had gone straight to her room after that, unable to face Abhi and unwilling to face her mother, for the first time in her life, she was furious with her mother. Abhi spoke to the Ajju and Khalindi before he left, he took no offence from Astha's action, he himself needed time to process everything that had just happened. "London is so much simpler" he shook his head as he drove off.

Astha picked up her phone and dialled his number, she sobbed harder when it went to voicemail, she just wanted to talk to him and make sure he was ok, she fell onto her side and dialled the number a couple more times before crying herself to sleep.

Shlok sat at the wheel of his SUV parked in front of his house. He looked at the phone as it rang uncontrollably, he knew she must have been worried and panicked calling him so many times, but he couldn't talk to her, he was too furious, too emotional and too confused to talk to her. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, thoughts that fought against his feelings, feelings of anguish at the thought of losing her, feelings of complete rage at the thought of what had gotten them to this point, rage and what felt like regret. Shlok had gotten to the point where he couldn't decipher anymore, he couldn't decipher what exactly it was that made him so angry and what exactly he was fighting against. Was he angry at his past, at his circumstances, at their journey together or was he angry at himself? He knew for sure however, that he wasn't angry at her yet his anger was always directed at her for everything little thing, he hurt her and this only caused him to be more angry with himself. "Dammit Astha" he threw his back onto the head rest.

It enraged him to even think of the prospect of her marrying someone else, much less Abhi...Abhi?

"Is he married?"

"Astha are you some type of detective, what is with all the questions?" he suddenly seemed like old tense Shlok again.

"No no, nothing like that, I just wanted to know more about our business partner is all." She smiled at him.

"He's divorced and single."

"Why though, I mean he's successful and good looking, seems like a nice enough guy, has the whole brooding business man thing going for him..."

She found Abhi handsome; he slammed his hand against the steering wheel at the memory, the file next to him falling to the ground at the sudden jerk. He picked it up and looked at it intently, that ominous feeling of a few days ago returned.

"Abhinav .K. Singhani" read in large print at the top,

"Aghnihotri Merger with AKS Group" scribbled just below,

"For Mr. Shlok and Mrs. Astha Agnihotri" the last line at the bottom.

It all made sense to him now.