Another Parud FF - Clear blue skies I(upto Chapter 50) - Page 56

On the dark and deserted road to Jaipur, Shatabdi stood cursing her luck. She tried calling home for the fifteenth time but there was no signal. Her parents would be worried. They would know that Paro had left the tourist centre hours ago. She should have left early too. But when she heard that the Birpur brides had returned to their NGO campus, she decided to help them get settled soon. That way Paro can take the next day off to spend with her husband. Now she was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car and the driver had been sent off to get a mechanic. She went to the front of the car and checked the tyres. Both were slashed and they only had a spare. She saw movement behind bushes along the road. She looked around there was not a soul in sight. She checked her phone, still no signal. She decided to wait inside.

There was a tap on the door and she was relieved to see a BSD uniform. She rolled down the window. The tired face of Rudra Pratap Ranavat came into view. She smiled and got out. "Whose meal are you planning to become?" he asked. She explained her predicament. He turned towards the constable near his jeep, "Stay here and inform her driver. I'm taking her home." The soldier saluted and the young woman climbed in. He slumped in the driver's seat and flexed his fingers before starting the vehicle. His jacket was dusted with desert sand and his boots were caked with mud. Sweat from the sweltering heat trickled under his uniform cap. She had never seen him in anything but formal suits under dazzling party decoration. She understood why her friend called him a Jallad when he was her enemy. He certainly looked terrifying enough. He looked liked he lived through Paro's worst nightmares. "Paro will be waiting for you. I can wait here with the constable," she suggested. He kept his eyes on the dark road. She wouldn't want him to leave her friend alone like this. "Did you call her? She has been waiting eagerly for you," she enquired. He shook his head. He didn't know when he would finally make it home. It wasn't fair to keep her up through the night. But Paro was having difficulty sleeping too Shatabdi thought to herself. Looking closely at the dark circles under his eyes, he didn't look like he was sleeping or eating well either. He phone rang.

From the shadows, Mirza stepped out fuming. He had strewn glass pieces on the highway personally to stop the car. He was overjoyed when the driver left the woman behind to go for help. A few more minutes his getaway car would have arrived and they could have successfully abducted the Major's lady friend. He rubbed his plastered arm, broken when he threatened to take his peace, his woman away. Mirza, you even think of touching her, I'll kill you. He had dreamt of more than touching her. He wanted to destroy her just to devastate the man who was ruining him. His associates arrived. "The woman is gone. Lets follow. We might get lucky tonight," he instructed. The other man leered. He knew well the Major was the enemy. What happens to her was just collateral damage.

"I'm alright Ma... Soon... No... He came to see Paro... I don't want to talk about him... Bye," Shatabdi ended the call. "Who came to see Paro?" Rudra asked with a hint of envy. She replied that his cousin had dropped by during lunch with a parcel for Shanti. "Sumer! When will you learn!" he explained. She turned and looked at him in surprise, she never gave him a name. "You are worried about him. So things must be progressing between you two," he mused. She sighed, "I haven't said yes. But I don't want to say no." Rudra understood. He needed time to accept his feelings for Paro not so long ago. "I visited your home when you were on your honeymoon," she paused recollecting the incident. Nalayak, one work I gave you and you forgot it. His mother was scolding him and tried to whack him. He was doing a good job keeping his distance as he laughed good naturedly. "He is Kakisa's Ladla. He gets away with a lot as often as he can. At the same time he is the one his mother depends upon the most. Maybe that's why it was difficult for her to let him go to Jaipur and follow his dreams," Rudra explains. Shatabdi frowned that he was a Mama's boy. "There are benefits to being a Mama's boy. He will always know how to treat a lady. So you don't have to worry that he will be rude or rough with you," he pointed out the biggest difference between him and his cousin. But he will always tied to his mother's pallu she argued. "Possible. But you might manage to tie him to your own pallu," he teased as she shot a glare. "Look, Sumer is not my favorite family member. But I would trust him with my life and Paro's," he told her firmly, remembering how his cousin helped him capture Tejawat. He pulled up into the Sisodia's compound. Shatabdi turned to thank him and gasped. In the bright porch light, he looked terrible. "Rudra, come inside and wash up before you drive home," she requested. He shook his head. He was tired. He just wanted to go home, to his wife. "Please, I don't want her to see you like this. She will find it harder next time you go on a mission. Just wash up, have a cup of tea then you can rush home," she suggested. He looked at his reflection the rear mirror of the jeep. Paro would assume the worst. They were just a few superficial bruises. "Fine, just get me a first aid kit," he grumbled as he stepped out of the jeep.

Across the road, Mirza put the binoculars away. "Set a man to watch this house and drive me to a lodge," he instructed the driver. The man enquired if they were giving up. Mirza slapped him, "My life is ruined because of him. I have no home to return to. I don't care how long it will take. When he leaves her again, I will have my revenge." The driver quickly drove off.

An hour later, Paro woke up to a gentle caress pushing her hair off her face. She smiled not opening her eyes. She felt the bed dip as if someone was sitting right next to her. She could smell the musky scent of her husband. She pulled the collar of his blue kurta which she wore. She felt the blanket cover her snugly. Her cheeks felt prickled as if he kissed her there. She drifted off to deep sleep. This was probably just a pleasant dream. Her sleepy mind tried to conjure images of their time together. The way he would snuggle up in the middle of the night and kiss her neck. Then his hands would trail a path on her waist while his lips would trail a path along her neckline as he would turn her about. Her hands would touch his thick mane as he hovered over her. And then his mouth would descend over... Her eyes shot open. She clasped her cheeks which were flushed. Her Mamisa would be so shocked with her for having such dreams. She pushed of the blankets and went up to the open window. But the cool breeze didn't help her feel less flustered. She picked up the glass and jug from the nightstand. Maybe a cool glass of water will help. But it was empty. She sighed and walked out of the room.

Rudra chopped potatoes quickly for his dinner. It had been a while since he had to make his own meals but he didn't have the heart to wake up his Paro. She seemed so exhausted and he wondered if she was taking care of herself. Bawali, she could do anything except take care of herself. He heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. He hoped it was bhabhisa, Sunheri even Kakisa. Anyone who could make soft rotis for him at this late hour. He never understood how to keep his own rotis from turning so hard.

Paro rubbed her eyes but she still assumed her eyes were playing tricks on her. Maybe she was still dreaming. "Didn't you find ghagras in the almirah?" he asked observing her attire. She remembered how the Jallad never liked her touching his things. She took a step back and tried to focus on the man infront of her. He looked exactly like the man who had handcuffed her to tree before blowing up a jeep to fake her death. She was confused now. What happened to her happy dream of her husband?

He saw the myriad of expressions on his wife's face. He stepped closer and backed her to the refrigerator. "I asked you a question, I want an answer," he said as her eyes widened. His gaze wandered from the doe eyes to the flushed cheeks. He wondered if his presence was causing this reaction. His hands trailed up the sleeve of his blue kurta. Her lips quivered as she tried to say something. He bent his ear close to her lips to catch her words, "Say it again." "F...fire," she stammered as a lump went down her troat. He grinned. His fingers trailing on her velvetty skin had a scorching effect. Soon the fire of desire will be evident as her eyes would shine.

Her heart was beating so fast. He was standing so close but she could see a glow behind his head. The kitchen was getting too hot to be a nightmare. She pushed him off with all her might and reached off to turn off the gas. He reeled around and was shocked by the sight in front of him. The kadai will oil was on fire and Paro was rushing towards it. His entire world just stopped turning.