The first night.
It was her first night as a married woman, and she had just lugged her suitcases into an empty guest room upstairs.
She was exhausted and thirsty. But more than anything, she wanted to get out of her clothes. Her bridal attire and heavy jewelry was weighing down on her, making her already heavy heart feel much heavier.
Sanyukta started to remove the pins from her hair one by one, until they were all out and her hair fell loosely down her back. By the time she was done though, the thirst was being quite overwhelming, so she decided to go down to the kitchen to get some water.
As she walked across the hallway, her anklets clinking, she heard a door open, and from one of the many doors, Randhir stepped out to face her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her coldly.
"To get water," she told him, trying to conceal the pain in her voice.
"You don't need water. Go back into your room," he ordered.
Her mouth dropped open. How could he just tell her that she didn't need water? She was thirsty!
"I do need water, my throat is really dry Randhir," she told him, and felt her eyes well up with tears again.
He lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders tightly, causing her heart to beat erratically.
"You're thirsty?" he asked her, glancing down at her lips.
She noticed his gaze on her lips, and she glanced down at his too. His lips were so pink, so kissable, so tempting.
She slowly nodded as her insides filled up with desire.
"Very thirsty," she murmured, her eyes slowly closing.