CHAPTER 9- YOU ARE ALWAYS ON MY MIND
Tejawat roared in frustration as he threw the glass against the wall shattering it into a million pieces while the amber liquid flowed towards the floor in streams.
How dare he!, thought Tejawat. How could that lowly officer even think of impairing him? He would pay. ACP Rudra Pratap Ranawat would pay for what he had done.
Not only had the girls been rescued, but his secret lawbreaking had been brought to limelight, causing him to lose everything. He had lost his wealth, his power, his prestige, all wiped away in one single night. Once solitary act by that ACP had forever destroyed his life. Even the cowardly politicians had refused to help him after his business had come out in the open. He was ruined.
But he wouldn't give up. He was Param Singh Tejawat. He would never fall into the dirt. He would rise back and strike hard. Rudra Pratap Ranawat had had his turn, it would now be his turn to attack. He would wait, wait patiently for the right moment to strike, making the impact a hundred times more painful for ACP Ranawat and the taste of victory all the more sweeter for him.
He now knew Ranawat's weakness. Like the enchanted parrot, Ranawat's weakness was the girl. The innocent, nave lamb whom he had rescued from the warehouse. On that day itself, Tejawat had figured out something was between them. He also knew that Ranawat kept the girl close, to keep her out of harm's way. She would be his pawn. The girl could easily be manipulated. He would make use of her. Nothing would agonize that wretched officer more than hurting her or his family and he would do just that. He would wait for the right opportunity to destroy Ranawat forever.
"Yes, that is what I am going to do" Tejawat said aloud. Pouring himself another glass, Tejawat raised it, "Enjoy your victory today Ranawat. These will be the last few days of your life, before I vanquish you for good"
Gulping down his drink in one go, Tejawat burst into maniacal laugher, as a new- born fire raged in his eyes.
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"Paro", he said in a strained voice.
Rudra tried his best to calm his senses, but her arms around him weren't allowing him to. Slowly his arms lifted. Did he want to encircle her in his arms? Hadn't he just made up his mind to stay away from her? The thoughts raged through Rudra's mind as his fingers bunched to fists against her side.
Realizing her position, Paro swiftly pulled away from him and stood with the table against the back. Afraid of what he might say and embarrassed at her own actions, Paro stayed still, with her head bowed down, refusing to lift it up.
Breaking the silence after what seemed like several long moments, Rudra again asked her what she was doing at the station.
Paro finally looked up to see him, intently staring at her. Flushing a light pink, she said, "ACP sir, I wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister. I am so relieved that she is back safe and sound and it all happened because of your efforts. I can't thank you enough and I shall always be indebted to you" saying so she proceeded to bring her palms together in gratitude.
Rudra came forward to stop her from doing so by firmly grasping her dainty hands apart, in his own. "What are you doing Paro? This is my duty. I would have done it come what may. It was not just Nandidni in there, but several other girls who had been held captive for days, forced to do grisly acts, against their will, with nothing but a prayer, a tiny hope to be rescued. I did just that. Tejawat is nothing but pure evil and I will never allow him to have the upper hand. I would have done anything, gone to any length to rescue those girls. I owe that much to my uniform and my work." He said, with pride for his work in his fiery eyes.
Paro had no words to describe the brave man before her. He had lived up to his word and helped her. He had stood up against the man who had tortured her sister over the years. This valiant man was not ordinary. At that moment, Paro realized how much he meant to her. But the happiness in her slowly faded away when she remembered her decision to stay away from him.
"ACP sir, are you alright?" she finally asked
"Yes Paro, I am completely fine", Rudra replied gruffly releasing her arms.
"Are you really alright?" Paro asked again looking at his hurt shoulder.
Rudra threw a wearied look in her direction, before saying, "No Paro. I am already dead and you are now talking to my spirit that has come back to haunt you."
Paro's eyes widened a little before she smiled at his sarcastic jest.
With the hint of a small smile, Rudra asked "Shouldn't you be at home with Nandini? How is she by the way?"
"Jija is sleeping now. Maasa helped me clean her wounds." said Paro thinking of her sister. "I came here because Aman Bhaisaa told me you were hurt and I - I wanted..." she faltered.
"I wanted to make sure that you were alright" she finished.
A part of Rudra was elated with her concern towards him. Despite meeting her sister after so long, she had come to see him as soon as she had heard that he had been hurt. But the sane part of him couldn't make sense of the feelings.
"Well, I am completely fine as you can see" he said. "It's late in the night. Go outside and wait in the lobby for a few minutes. I'll take you back home myself. If Aman is still waiting outside, ask him to leave for the night."
Nodding in agreement, Paro turned around to move to the lobby while Rudra swiveled towards the wall and proceeded to unbutton the first two buttons of his uniform. He then pulled the shirt from behind, exposing his hurt shoulder and tried to apply the medicine soaked cotton on the wound. Unable to see what he was doing, his hand landed roughly against the wound causing him to wince aloud in pain.
Still on her way to the lobby after telling Aman to leave, Paro ran back into the room as soon as she heard him. She came in to see him holding his arm, as he breathed hard with this eyes scrunched tightly in pain.
Finally daring to speak, she squeaked, "ACP sir, if you don't mind, I'll apply the medicine on your injury."
She waited with bated breath for his answer, half expecting him to refuse her help. But she was in for a surprise when he silently nodded and put the medicine and roll of cotton on the table for her to use.
With her heartbeat increasing with each passing second, Paro grabbed the objects off the table with shaking hands and moved towards him while he turned around facing the wall of the office. Paro got a view of his taut back and shoulders which flexed when he moved. Soaking the cotton in the liquid drug, Paro gently dabbed it on his wound, still seeping dark blood. Wiping away the blood with another piece of cotton, she dabbed the wound with a little more pressure, causing him to slightly flinch and the muscles in his back contracted because of the sudden motion.
Scared that she hurt him, Paro pulled her hands away quickly while she repeatedly apologized to him. Turning towards her, Rudra said, "Nothing happened Paro. You didn't cause me any pain. Now finish this fast before it gets even more late. Maasa must be worried." He turned back again allowing her to continue.
With immense care, Paro finally finished cleaning his wound and began to dress it. Before she did that, she gently blew on his shoulder, causing Rudra to close his eyes because of the sudden sensations. He was thankful that he wasn't facing her.
Paro then unrolled a piece of gauze and began wrapping it around his shoulder. Timidly, with her eyes never looking up, she asked him to turn around so that she could knot the gauze securely. She continued to keep her eyes down as he turned around and looked at her trying to tie the knot with shaking fingers. He didn't say a word, anxious that hearing him might cause her to fidget more. Finally finishing the task Paro looked up at him and saw him gazing at her fixedly. Suddenly, again aware of their proximity Paro quickly moved away breaking the moment of unexplained passion between them.
Something clicked and Rudra was brought back to reality. From the time she had offered to help him till now, he had been in a trance. A dream where nothing existed between or around him and her. He had heard her erratic breathing while she had cleaned his shoulder. Her breath lightly fanning against his back brought back memories from the morning. When she had blown against his shoulder, it had taken every ounce of his strength to hold on to his sanity. After turning around to face her, his heart had started thudding even faster just by looking at her face.
Now aware of his surroundings, Rudra loudly cleared his throat and asked her to follow him to the jeep so that he could take her home. Pulling his shirt back into place, he left the room rapidly with Paro meekly following him.
Throughout the journey back home, both of them didn't utter a single word to each other. While Rudra steadily looked at the road, Paro kept her head down for the entire journey. After they reached home, he helped her in getting down from the jeep. Holding his hand in hers, he helped her get down safely, all the while their eyes locked together with so many things left unsaid.
Both entered the house together, which was now devoid of any light, given the time of night. Having heard the sound of door opening, Nandini entered the hall and smiled at the couple who had just come in. Nandini already knew that something was going on between the two and strangely she was happy about it. She trusted Paro with this man. All these days he had never let anybody harm her. His mother was also an angel. She had taken care of her, the minute Aman had brought her in. A glimmer of hope rose in Nandini, one that she would hold on to.
Paro ran towards Nandini and hugged her, enquiring about her health. Answering that she was perfectly fine now, Nandini looked at Rudra's receding figure, already climbing the stairs to his room.
Paro escorted her sister back into the room. Asking her to change to sleep, Nandini told Paro that she would be back in a minute.
Slowly climbing the stairs, Nandini reached the top where Rudra was just stepping out of his room. Smiling, she called out to him. Rudra turned around and looked at the woman, whom he had slowly begun to respect.
"Shukriya Bhaisaa." Nandini said. "All these days you have protected Paro. I can't thank you enough for that. The poor girl has never experienced proper happiness in life, but she never asked for anything. She was always happy with what she was given. She means more than my life to me. My profession and Tejawat did not allow me to provide things for her." She cringed thinking of her past. "All her life, Paro has been caged, and yet, not once did she complain. I have fiercely protected her all my life. I even sold my own body to the devil to not let any man ever lay his hands on her." She said with a hint of pride in her voice. She would always protect her sister, come what may.
"I know, right now, we are a burden on you. Your mother has already told me about what happened. Your family accepted us and protected us, despite where we came from. For that I am forever indebted to your family. For taking care of me and most importantly, taking care of my sweet Paro. Your mother took care of me, despite knowing the things that I had to do all my life. Without even a trace of disgust, she took care of me today, like her own daughter. Thank you. Thank you so much" she said wiping the tears that now flowed through her sad, yet, resilient eyes, with the corner of her odhni.
Not knowing what to say, Rudra just nodded towards her and assured her that they were always welcome here and could stay here as long as they wished.
Smiling, Nandini wished him good night and walked down the stairs. Rudra went into his room. As he sat down on the bed, he finally realized the gravity of his words that he had yelled at Paro when she had first come home. He had, so spitefully, called her a women passed between hands, while she was a girl untouched, a pure soul and she had never said a word against him.
He would make up to her, Rudra decided, before sleep took over him and all he dreamed that night was of the girl who had suddenly, despite him not wanting, meant so much to him.
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"Acha Paro, tell me what does Rudra Bhaisaa likes to eat?" Nandini asked her sister innocently.
Both the sisters were in the kitchen preparing the day's meal. It had been more than a month since Nandini had been rescued and was happily accepted as a member of the house by the Ranawat family. Nandini had insisted that she would take Paro and leave as soon as she felt better, but Mala being the stubborn matriarch, had refused to let that happen. Both Nandini and Paro had now become a part of the family. Mala and Prakriti were absolutely delighted to have other female company apart from each other. The four got along like a house on fire. It seemed like their home was given a new life, a new sparkle. Cries of laughter rang through its hallways.
Paro had never felt any happier. Her sister was finally back with her and again, she had the love of a mother in the form of Mala. Prakriti who had been elated to be with Paro, gladly accepted Nandini.
Nandini's injuries were finally healing. She would take regular trips to the hospital and it was Aman who usually accompanied her.
The rapport between Rudra and Paro also seemed to have developed. While Rudra had not entirely thawed, he now acknowledged Paro more kindly. Things were not awkward as before between them. Rudra never had words to say when he crossed paths with Paro and neither did she. All that happened between them were gazes and hints of smiles, while both their minds brought back memories before they parted when reality knocked in their heads.
Paro always flushed when Rudra looked at her. She could never explain the sudden reactions in her when he held her gaze. She was always close to being a mess when she was in front of him. If only she knew that Rudra experienced the very same feelings when he came across her. The only thing that set them apart was that Rudra managed to hide the sensations bubbling in him behind his passive face, which demanded every ounce of mental strength he had. But even his face could not dim the embers that glowed in his dark eyes when he looked at Paro.
"ACP Sir?" Paro asked as she rolled tiny balls of dough in her hands to be made
into rotis. She always referred to
Rudra as ACP sir. Somehow she didn't want to take his name. She respected him
and she continued to call him what she had when they had first met. Even Rudra
accepted and responded to it.
"Yes. So what does your ACP sir like to eat?" Nandini repeated teasing Paro.
"Jija!" Paro lightly reprimanded Nandini, who continued to playfully tease her.
Nandini had started teasing Paro about Rudra. Despite Psro's stubborn denial, Nandini refused to stop. While Paro vehemently refused that there was nothing between Rudra and her, inwardly, she was unsure of her own statements. She couldn't deny the connection between them to herself. Something had brought them together and while the invisible bond between them deepened day by day, physically they still remained aloof with each other. Try as she might, Paro couldn't make sense of her feelings.
"Bol na Paro, what does your ACP sir like?" Nandini continued.
Sighing, Paro realized that her sister would not give up and proceeded to explain Rudra's eating habits.
"ACP sir doesn't like anything that is sweet. It's almost like anything sweet physically hurts him. Do you know Jija, he even has his tea without any sugar at all." The fact astonished Paro to no extent, since she could never take her tea without it being perfectly sweet, the way she absolutely enjoyed it.
"He tries and make a fuss about not wanting to eat what is made, but then one look from Maasa and he cleans the entire plate. He is like a young boy, who despite throwing a tantrum, will keep quiet before his mother" said Paro smiling to herself.
"He likes aloo ki subji so much, that he wouldn't mind eating it every day. The only other thing that he likes apart from aloo is bhindi. Apart from these two vegetables he refuses to eat anything else." Parvati said, more to herself, than Nandini, now lost in thoughts of a stubborn Rudra at the dining table.
"He leaves so fast in the morning, that he hardly has anything to eat except for tea. He just grabs that one piece of burnt bread and leaves. Ab aap hi batao Jija, he works so hard every day, how will he have any strength if eats so little? He protects people, rescues others, takes on so many operations so bravely, but he doesn't care about himself at all" she said forlornly.
Nandini smiled to herself. This girl is head over heels for Rudra, but she hasn't realized it herself, she thought. But Nandini decided not to say anything as she wanted Paro to understand those feelings on her own.
"Paro", Nandini called out to her sister, who still had a worried expression on her face thinking about Rudra and didn't listen to her. In the mood for a little fun, Nandini dipped her finger in the flour and smeared it across Paro's cheek jolting her back to reality.
"What are you doing Jija?" Paro asked, trying to rub the flour off her face as Nandini continued to laugh.
"Parvati, if you could so kindly come out of your worry for Rudra, we can proceed with our cooking." Said Nandini smiling at her sister, who gave her a chiding look.
"Acha Paro, we need more flour. Just take it out from the top. I'll be back in a minute." Said Nandini leaving the kitchen.
Paro tried to reach out to the box of flour on top of ledge, but it was unreachable. She tried standing on her toes and stretched herself completely and yet, her fingers barely managed to graze against the ledge. Finally getting over a stool, she climbed on top of it and reached out for the box of flour, finally managing to pick it up.
As she was about to turn around and get down, a voice from behind startled her.
"Maasa, I'm going to be late for the office, where's my tea?" said Rudra who came into the kitchen
Surprised by the sudden entry, Paro nearly lost her balance and she fell from the stool, her scream of horror still stuck in her throat, before Rudra raced towards her.
Her eyes scrunched shut till now, Paro slowly opened them. She had expected to hit her head, but it had never come. Opening her eyes, she now saw that she was in Rudra's arms, as they held her in them securely. It was just like the time at the warehouse when he had held her in his arms, when she had been hurt.
A part of Paro, still unaffected by Rudra, tried to recall the number of times he had saved her. She seemed to stumble and fall even more when he was near.
Slowly, setting her down Rudra asked her what she was doing. Trying to coherently reply, she stammered, "Rotis... Jija and I, we were making rotis... we needed more flour, but the box was high", saying so she stretched her hand out towards the ledge to show that she could not reach the shelf, with Rudra silently observing her enacting , all the while.
As she brought her hand down, Rudra noticed the streak of flour across her cheek. Instinctively his hand rose up. Controlling himself, he pointed the flour out to her. Realizing he was pointing to the flour and mentally cursing her sister, Paro tried to rub it away but she missed the spot and instead managed to put on more flour on her cheek.
Shaking his head, Rudra moved forward and finally placed his long fingers on her cheek and gently wiped the flour away. Paro stood still as Rudra continued with the cleaning. The sensations were back in her again. Wiping away the flour, his fingers came near the contours of her lips. As he brushed away the flour, Rudra was mesmerized by her slightly trembling, full lips. He didn't want remove his fingers away. The flour was now long gone, yet his fingers stayed. His fingers shook, being so close to her lips. He wanted to do it, despite knowing that he shouldn't. He wanted to run his fingers across her lips, to see her reaction.
Before he could act upon his irrational thoughts, Nandini walked into the kitchen telling Paro that Prakriti needed her lunch packed for college. She stopped talking seeing Rudra and Paro together. Rudra pulled away his fingers from Paro's face as if he had received a shock. He quickly left the kitchen without saying a word, not caring for his tea anymore. As soon as he left, Nandini passed an all knowing smile to Paro, who now held on to the kitchen ledge, her faced flushed to a bright scarlet as she tried to avoid her sister's eyes.
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"Jija.. Jija, where are you?" Paro called out loudly trying to find her sister.
Hearing her sister shout her name, Nandini emerged from Mala's room, where she had been massaging Mala's forehead.
"What happened Paro?" she asked as she wiped her hands on a cloth.
"Jija, Aman Bhaisaa is here. He said he is here to take you to the hospital.
Hearing Aman's name brought a bright smile on Nandini's face. She walked quickly into the hall and spotted Aman on the sofa. Rising up to meet her, Aman also passed her an affectionate smile to her and said that he had come to escort her to the hospital for her check-up.
Nandini asked Paro to take care of herself and Mala till the time she came back and left with Aman to the hospital.
A pristine bond had developed between Aman and Nandini since the time she was rescued. Initially hesitant, she had hardly spoken to Aman but as she had spent more time with him while he escorted her, she began to open up to Aman. Same was the case with him.
They now enjoyed a healthy rapport. Nandini, who had always despised men, after many years of being torn many times in their hands, had managed to finally find a confidant apart from her sister, in Aman. A few days ago after being rescued, Nandini had been brought to the station to identify Tejawat's men through photos. Seeing the pictures had nearly destroyed her, bringing back the memories of pain and torture where she had lost her soul, bit by bit, in the hands of those men. Some of the things they had done to her were too grisly to even imagine. Scanning through the photos, she had broken down into tears, her racking sobs refusing to subside. It was then that Aman had consoled her, reassured her that she was away from that hell, probed her to imagine a better future, for her and her sister and had finally manage to calm her down. Since then a deep relationship had begun between the two.
Aman was the only man, whom she had revealed her past to. He was not the least bit disturbed or disgusted by it. Infact, he had promised then and there that he would punish every single one of Tejawat's men who had ever harmed her. Slowly, she had begun to confide in him entirely. Aman, also had told her everything about him. Both had become fast friends and support for each other. Nandini admired his chivalry and loyalty, at how he helped Rudra relentlessly in tracking down Tejawat, how he always knew when to say the right things.
Aman, on the other hand, admired Nandini's courage. He respected the strong woman in her who had refused to be broken, who refused to show weakness even in the direst of situations. Despite facing cruelties, she smiled, laughed, took care of her sister and tried to move on from her past towards a stable future.
Having been orphaned at a young age and left to live on his means, Aman had never really opened to anyone since a tender age. He, like Rudra, immersed himself in his work. Nandini had become that companion, whom he could finally converse with, without being uncomfortable.
Nandini was happy at the moment. She was finally free from the monster's lair and so was Paro. Both of them now had a family, who had accepted them despite their tainted past. Mala loved them both as much as she loved Prakriti. Paro finally had found the one for her, albeit the fact being still unknown to her and she, had found a friend in Aman. A man who didn't judge her, didn't behave like others, didn't cringe away in disgust from her after hearing her story. At that moment, she wished for nothing more. She thanked Bholenath infinitely for finally bringing her to peace.
Aman and Nandini reached back home after the checkup, late in the evening. Before going back into the house, she looked back and smiled at him and waved goodbye before she went it. As she was about to walk through the front door, Aman called out to her and asked her to wait.
Nandini
turned around, wondering what was wrong. Before he could lose the courage, Aman
breathed in deeply and asked her-
"Nandini, will you marry me?"
So, what do you think about it? Please rate and review... It means so much to me... :) 🤗
Also I know things between Aman and Nandini seem a bit rushed, but ill write more about them and why Aman took the decision in the next chapter.. Till next time. :)
Thank you once again :))
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