FF: Unloved (Complete) - Page 62

As Parvati's injuries healed, Rudra calmed down a bit. It took a few days for him to return to his normal self. His initial sadness at his failure to protect his wife had dissipated and he was now more alert around Paro than ever. However, as he moved forward, Parvati still thought about the incident. Mohini had come to the Ranawat home the following day in an attempt to force Paro to take back her statement and get Sumer released. Before she could say anything, Rudra came and refused to have her do so, stating Sumer got what he deserved and if she knew what was good for her she would leave. Dilsher had used many of his resources to make sure Sumer and Shantanu would serve a long sentence in prison, with no chance of parole. There was no way they were going to get away with what they did, Rudra and Dilsher made sure of that. Although this brought some peace to her mind, Parvati couldn't help but feel upset. She didn't understand why there was such a deep hatred for her, when she had done nothing wrong. She was trying to move forward with Rudra, but it seemed that more and more people had a problem with it. Were people that against her marriage to Rudra?

Rudra noticed the tension in his wife. There were times when he found her doing household chores, lost in thought. When he tried to ask her what she was thinking about, Paro would disregard it and ignore the topic. He knew that the attack still bothered her, even though she wasn't traumatized anymore. She had once again been taunted and insulted, and that was something someone doesn't forget about so easily. Even though she didn't seem as affected by it this time around, he still sensed the hurt she was internally struggling with. This didn't settle well with him and Rudra knew he had to figure out a way to get her to forget it. But how?

It didn't take long for him to figure out a way to bring a smile to her face. One evening, Rudra came home early from work and put his plan into action. He walked in and immediately went to his room to change without saying a word to anyone. He came out a few minutes later and told Paro, Mala, and Dilsher that he would be up on the terrace for a little while and he didn't want anyone to disturb him. Although the three of them didn't understand his request, they agreed and left him alone. He spent most of the evening and night up there, doing who-knows-what and only came down once to have dinner.

Mala and Dilsher asked Parvati if they knew what he was doing up on the terrace, but she told them she had no idea. It was possible that he just needed time alone, away from everyone. There were times when he had gone on the terrace and just sat there, staring aimlessly into the beyond as the sun set across the horizon. Maybe this was just one of those times. However, Rudra never stayed up there this long. It would've concerned them more if he hadn't shown up for dinner. It was well into the night now, and the stars and moon were most likely visible from the terrace, but Rudra still hadn't come down.

Parvati wondered what he had been doing on the terrace for so long. He hadn't spoken a word to her or his parents. It was getting late. Dilsher and Mala had already gone to bed, leaving Parvati to be with herself while her husband was doing his own thing. She wondered if she should go to see what he was up to, but then backed down knowing that he wanted to be left alone. If Rudra wanted her with him, then he would have asked her to come with him to the terrace, but he didn't. Without anything else left to say or do, Parvati decided to go to bed. However, she didn't make that far. As soon as she reached the hallway, she heard Rudra's voice behind her.

"Paro, wait," he called out to her.

She stopped and turned to find him right behind her. Seeing the playful smile on his face confused her. Parvati could tell by the glint in his eyes that he was up to something. She raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Where are maa-sa and bapu-sa?" he asked.

"They went to bed a little while ago," she responded.

"Already?"

"It's almost midnight. Bapu-sa has work tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, right. I forgot."

"Just because you have the day off doesn't mean he does too."

"I know that."

There was a moment of silence before Parvati spoke again, "Do you need something?"

"You," Rudra answered. "I just need you right now."

"Meaning?"

"Come with me."

"What?"

Rudra took her hand in his, "Come with me."

Parvati didn't understand what he wanted, but went with him anyways. It was when he pulled her up the stairs that she realized he was taking her to the terrace. He opened the door and let go of her hand. She looked at him, confused. Rudra smirked and gestured her to go up first. She did, but halted in her tracks after a few steps. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight before her. There was a blanket spread out on the ground with dozens of pillows placed in a seating position. In front of the laid-out blanket was a large white sheet that hung from the ceiling. Behind the blankets was a small table with a projector on it. If the moon hadn't been out, it would have been pitch black. Parvati's eyes roamed the scene in front of her before turning to Rudra, who now stood by her side.

"What is all of this?" she asked.

"A surprise for you," he answered.

"For me?"

Rudra stepped forward and grabbed the remote next to the projector. He pressed a few buttons and the projector clicked on, revealing the surprise. Parvati gasped in astonishment as her favorite movie began playing on the white sheet like a movie theatre. Rudra's heartbeat quickened as he waited for her to say something. However, what he didn't expect, was for it to skip a beat as a huge grin broke out on Parvati's face.

She smiled, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai."

Seeing her smile, Rudra couldn't help but smile back as he spoke, "I remembered when we went to go see DDLJ and you told me that this was your favorite movie. Tonight, we're going to sit here and watch it as many times as you want."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Parvati looked back to the screen. She truly had not expected him to do such a thing for her. This was the type of stuff they did in those cheesy, romantic movies. She wondered why he had done this for her. There was no special occasion, at least not as far as she remembered. Suddenly, her smile faded, making Rudra wondered what was wrong. He frowned. Did she not like the surprise?

"What's wrong?" he asked rather concerned. "Do you not like it?"

She shook her head and faced him, "No, I like it. No one has ever done anything this nice for me before."

"Then why do you look upset?"

"Why did you do this?"

"I just wanted you to forget all the bad that has happened recently and try to be happy. In the last few days you seemed lost somewhere, almost distant and I didn't want that. So I came up with this idea in order to try and bring a smile to your face."

Parvati was touched by the gesture. He was trying to make her smile, and he even remembered something she had told him in passing long ago. It was true that what happened with Sumer and Shantanu still bothered her, but seeing that it bothered Rudra as well made her realize how much her sadness affected him. She knew that they had grown closer since their marriage, but the fact that her pain and sadness was felt by him was something she hadn't come to fully grasp until this very moment. The vows during their marriage where they promised to be together during the good and bad times...they were truly fulfilling them. For Parvati, that was a deeper form of intimacy she had yet to experience until now. As this revelation dawned upon her, she couldn't help but smile and stare at Rudra. What did she ever do to deserve him?

"Rudra," she said softly as she took her hand in his.

He looked at her stunned. This was the first time she made an effort to come close to him. Rudra laced his fingers through hers, relishing her touch and savoring her warmth.

"Thank you for this."

"You don't need to thank me," he said casually.

"I do, and I need to tell you one more thing. I am happy."

"Are you really?"

She nodded, "Very. Come on, let's watch the movie."

He nodded and let her pull him to the set up seating area. He pressed play' and sat down beside her while she kept her eyes on the screen, fidgeting in eager anticipation. Rudra couldn't help but chuckle at her cuteness. He leaned back against the pillows and watched his wife next to him, who was too into the film to notice him. He knew he wouldn't be watching any of the movie because he would be too busy watching her. Rudra loved seeing the different emotions that ran over his wife's face while she watched movies, and this time was nothing less. She smiled while Rahul and Anjali fought after the basketball game, laughed when little Anjali called her dadi sexy', and shed a few tears when Anjali left the summer camp and returned home. However, the emotion he enjoyed seeing the most, was during the rain scene between Rahul and Anjali, where they danced in the gazebo. As that scene played out, a pink tint appeared on Parvati's face as a smile played on her lips. Rudra wanted to kiss those flushed cheeks and pink lips, but he couldn't on so many levels. Realizing where his thoughts were heading, he forced himself to look away from her to control himself.

When the movie finished, Parvati looked at Rudra with hopeful eyes and immediately he understood what she wanted. He grabbed the remote and pressed play' again, replaying the movie for the second time. She smiled in delight, but quickly frowned as a chill breeze struck her, sending shivers down her spine. Seeing this, Rudra quickly pulled on the blanket and covered them both with it. However, Parvati was still cold, but didn't want to leave. She looked at Rudra hesitantly and found him staring back at her, concerned. He saw her struggling with herself for some reason and he didn't understand why until she she spoke.

In the softest, child-like voice, Parvati asked, "Can I sit closer to you?"

He blinked a few times, unsure if he had heard her correctly, "Say what now?"

"Can I...sit closer to you? It's cold."

"Uh yeah. Sure."

Slowly and cautiously, Parvati scooted over to Rudra. She leaned against him, her back against his chest. He moved his arm around her and was surprised when she didn't pull away as he did so. In fact, she leaned in closer and held his arm. It initially felt awkward as both of them stiffly sat there. However, as soon as they relaxed, the tension lessoned. Parvati felt her heart beat wildly in her chest. She had never been this close to Rudra before, and now that she was, she didn't feel bad about it. In fact, she liked it. She took in his warmth, basking in it as she felt his hold on her tighten. Rudra didn't know how she would react to him holding her close against him, but seeing that she didn't resist he couldn't stop his heart from leaping with joy in his chest. This was their first attempt at getting closer. As they both sat there, they could help feeling that this moment was just so...right.

That night, Rudra and Parvati didn't get to complete the movie for the second time. Halfway through, they had fallen asleep on the terrace. Rudra was lying on his back with an arm around Parvati, with her head resting on his chest. The silence had surrounded them and comforted them as they drifted into a deep slumber, unaware of the dawn that was to come. For the first time in a long time, Rudra and Parvati had gotten the best sleep of their lives.

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Okay...That. Was. Adorable! How cute was that? Oh gosh! Let me know what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below!

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