FF: Unloved (Complete) - Page 37

When Rudra had finally managed to drag himself back home, he locked himself within his room. He ignored the worrisome glances and questions from his parents, even as they stood on the other side of the locked door, calling out to him to explain what had happened.

"Rudra open the door," Dilsher ordered as he knocked on the door.

"Rudra beta, please," Mala pleaded. "At least tell us what happened."

Rudra shouted angrily, "There's nothing to explain! Just leave!"

"You can't lie-."

"I said leave!"

Mala was taken aback by the anger in her son's voice. Never had Rudra raised his voice on her. It was clear that something terrible had definitely happened between Rudra and Parvati. Mala wanted to continue to try to get him to talk, but before she could resume knocking on the door she felt Dilsher wrap his arm around her. She looked up at him and he shook his head, silently telling her that nothing they do right now would get through to Rudra and that it would be best to leave him alone for the time being. The two of them slowly backed away from Rudra's bedroom door before turning and leaving completely.

Inside, Rudra was pacing back and forth like a lion. Sadness was an emotion that was now long gone. Hurt and anger now flooded him as he thought about what had happened between him and Parvati. Her words replayed like a broken record in his mind. Images of her tear-stricken face flashed before him every time he closed his eyes. He ran his hand roughly through his hair before grabbing a fistful of it. How could everything have fallen apart so quickly? How could he have lost her? How did this happen?

Then, Rudra snapped. His anger had finally built up to a point where it exploded in full swing. He flipped a small table, smashed the bottles of colognes on his dresser, threw the decorative vases against the walls. He even slammed his fist into the wall so hard that it managed to leave a dent. It went on through the rest of the night; he didn't sleep at all. As dawn broke, Rudra observed the evidence of his frustration around him. The shattered remnants of objects, the debris, the torn pages of books...it all laid scattered around the now-destroyed bedroom. But he looked at it all indifferently. He didn't care because, to him, none of it mattered.

Rudra hadn't even bothered to clean the mess. Instead, he got ready for college like always. He knew that he would have to confront Parvati sooner or later. Even though she had asked him to stay away, he knew he wouldn't be able to. It was going to take great strength on his part to do so. After all, it wasn't that simple. Rudra loved her, and he couldn't instantly stop just because she told him to. When he was finally dressed, he grabbed his bag and left. He didn't even bother to acknowledge his parents, who were waiting for him at the dining table with breakfast. They didn't know what had gotten into their son, and wondered if he was okay. It wasn't until they saw the destruction of the room that they realized the depth of hurt and anger Rudra was going through.

~

In the days after the confession, Parvati and Rudra had become distant. The after-class meetings had completely stopped. They no longer sat around on the grass and talked mindlessly. They stopped meeting at the library to study together. Even in class, they no longer sat next to each other. If they happened to come across each other accidentally, Parvati wouldn't acknowledge him. In fact, she would refuse to make eye contact with him. Rudra would try to look away, but wouldn't be able to resist glancing back as he recalled all the memories he had with her. He couldn't stop loving her, after all. It was as if they were complete strangers to each other and it internally tore him apart. Parvati had gone back to her original, lonely state, while Rudra became the silent, angry character on campus.

It wasn't long until people began noticing the distance between the two. Originally, their constant togetherness had been the talk of the college. After all, Rudra was the BSD General's son, a highly prestigious image and name. Whatever was going on in his life was somehow brought into the spotlight. So when Parvati became a figure in his life, rumors had spread like wildfire about what their relationship was. However, this distance between the two of them now sparked the interests of many. They began wondering what had happened. Did they have a fight? Why are they ignoring each other? Aren't they friends? Did they break up? Were they even together to begin with? These questions were continuously asked among the students, and no one could find the answers. Finally, one person had the courage to find out by confronting the ones whom the rumors were of.

It had happened right after Sengupta's class. Class had just ended, and the weekend was just about to start. Parvati exited the classroom, keeping her head down so she wouldn't have to look at Rudra as she passed by him. She was walking down the hall when her path was suddenly blocked. When she looked up, she was surprised to find Laila standing in front of her, looking at her from head to toe. Parvati remembered the hurtful things she had said to her before and how Rudra had defended her. This time, however, Rudra wasn't there. She was alone once again, and from the look on Laila's face, she knew that. Parvati braced herself for the cruel words that she knew were about to come.

"So," Laila said. "Where are you going, Parvati?"

"Home," she answered.

"Is Rudra dropping you?"

"No."

"Oh?" Laila mocked. "Why not? You two are friends right? The least he could do is drop you home?"

"Laila, just let me pass."

"What happened between the two of you? I mean, you two were always together and now suddenly you're not."

Parvati glared at her, "It's none of your business."

"Oh come on. It's not like it'll remain a secret for long anyways. Everyone is talking about it. Just fess up. He dumped you, didn't he?"

"Just leave me alone."

"I bet he did dump you. I don't blame him. I mean, he's so...and you're so low class."

Out of nowhere, Rudra's voice boomed through the hall, "Laila!"

Parvati turned and saw Rudra walking up to them angrily. He had seen Laila walk up to Paro, and knew that she was up to something. Laila was never particular about Paro, and rarely gave her the time of day unless it was to berate her for her own amusement. When he heard her insult Paro, that crossed the line. Rudra wasn't going to just stand by and let anyone insult the woman he loved. In that moment, he disregarded Paro's words about him staying away. Rudra stood right behind her, his body emanating a protective aura over her. His furious glare was focused on Laila, who was looking back and forth between him and Parvati. It was clear she was seething under her skin.

"The only low class person here is you," Rudra stated. "Didn't I tell you before to leave Paro alone? Obviously you don't have enough common sense."

"Excuse me? How dare you-," Laila said.

"No, how dare you? You have no right to talk to Paro like that. Understand?"

"I was only asking-."

"No. You were insulting. And as for your questions, Paro is right. It is none of your business. What goes on between me and her stays between me and her. If anyone has a problem with that then they can come to me. You're done, Laila. Get lost."

Laila huffed and stomped away angrily, upset that she got nowhere in her interrogation. When she was gone, Parvati looked up at Rudra and was surprised to find him looking down at her. She could see the hollowness in his eyes, and it forced her to look away. They had lost the ability to express his emotions; the once brown eyes had darkened to pitch black, an indicator of the emptiness he was feeling. Deep down, she knew she was the cause of it. He continued to stare down at her, but didn't utter a single word. His eyes scanned her face and, once he was sure that she was okay, Rudra walked away. Parvati watched him leave sadly, not once bothering to look back. Even though she had asked him to stay away, he came and defended her like before. He was there for her, like always. His confession had been replaying in her mind. I love you, Paro...I won't stop loving you. She wanted to go to him, talk to him, understand why this was happening between them. Something, anything. But she knew the situation was more complicated than she had let on. It wasn't about him. It was about her. Parvati wiped the single tear that escaped her eyes. Whatever was between them was wrong, a mistake...then why did a part of her feel like it wasn't?

**********

Yeah I know you still want to throw your chappals at me, but trust me I know what I'm doing. Tell me what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below, please.

Excerpt from the next update (you do not want to miss this one):

Something in Paro finally snapped. Rudra watched as the expression on her face changed from anger to something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

In a firm voice, Paro commanded him, "Take me home."

"Why?" he asked.

"You want to know the truth about my past? Fine. Take me home. I won't just tell you the truth. I'll show you the truth."