Sorry guys, I didn't realise that the Sai part in previous part was too short. Reposting that part with the first part of the planned Sai-Virat chapter I had previously scrapped.
Chapter 7: Titliyan
Sai hadn't been home for five years. She had missed belonging to a place. On most days, she felt like the wuthering winds, flying from one place to another yet never belonging. For the first time, Sai wanted to belong. As she slipped in and out of consciousness the weekend after what she would like to call an accident, she could hear faint chitter-chatter in her room. Her hazy gaze would often fall on a faint shadow in her room. She hadn't even dared to think it was Chavans or Virat. They were too peaceful for that. She occasionally winced in her sleep from the pain in her body and her wrist. Her winces would bring a figure she now recognised as Devi Tai closer to her as she held her to comfort her. Occasionally, she would feel the nurses or doctors bandage her wrist again. Sai could no longer keep track of days. But for the faintest moment, she felt home. In baby giggles, Shivani Bua's chitter-chatter, the small family that surrounded and occasionally the music Reyansh studied to. She would smile mentally unsure if her smile was expressed on her face as Purvi grumbled at Reyansh or as Reyansh chastised her yet again. Or when Purvi bawled her eyes and threw a tantrum when Reyansh held Devi Tai's baby.
"Puvi, nai," Reyansh warned Purvi, "Sai ko tang mat karo. She's sleeping. Don't even think about stomping or jumping on the bed,"
Purvi had mischievously lifted her leg to stomp only to stop herself, lie down and snuggle next to Sai. She snuggled into Sai's arms, ignoring Reyansh's stern warnings, and eventually fell asleep there.
~
Abba had always been the man in Sai's life. Sai didn't have a boyfriend, fiance or any other man in her life fit 18 years. While her friends dated, had affairs and moved in with men; Sai had dreamed of her Prince Charming. She had dreamed of a man her Abba would love and who would love her more than her Abba ever did. Maybe that's why she agreed to marry Virat Chavan. He had literally taken Abba's place in both the workplace and her life. So when Abba's money, life insurance and savings got transferred to Sai. Sai ignored her financial stability and remained dependent on Virat. Of course, he wasn't as bad as Baba was to Aai. Virat always made sure she had money on her, owned whatever she needed and was financially looked after. Maybe that's why Sai had grown to expect emotional support from Virat - love, affection, or any semblance of that sort.
He was always kind to her. In the first year if their marriage, he would take her out, treat her to dinners, lunches and often take on dates to beach sides. And Sai began falling in love with him. She wanted all of him. She grew possessive of him. She mistook any but of affection as a sign of unrequited love. And time went she forgot the first thing he said to her: I'll never love you. I have someone I love.
Sai hadn't expected the person he loved - his best friend - to be living in the same house as then. But she kept quiet. For she shared the room with him. Not Pakhi. He was here, wasn't he? Apparently, not. He kept his distance from her for a year. Never ever blurring the physical distance between. Their touches were platonic - as if formal - but always left her wanting for more. Sai had been an 18 year falling in love. She had been influenced by novels, TV shows and stories of those around her that she failed to differentiate between duty, love and infatuation.
Then one night, he touched her intimately. And she didn't push him away. That had begun their physical intercourse. Sai always anticipated for words of love, comfort or affection. But they never came. A few times over, when the novelty had worn off, it had felt empty. The emptiness slowly replaced by the fear that what if he took someone else's name when in bed with her. Over the last year, that had been replaced by the feeling of being dirty - as if being used - and Sai could never push that feeling away. That was it wasn't it? To put it bluntly - she slept with him and he paid for her needs. Sai, however, never could convince herself to leave. Despite reminding herself over and over that their marriage was but a contract, Sai had been raised in a small town and as educated as she was Sai struggled to escape the mentality that she had to be with the man she lost her virginity to for the rest of her life.
Sai didn't want to be a divorcee. She hated failures. And she didn't want the most important thing in her life to be a failure. So she started looking into annulment options rather obsessively. She didn't mind being tagged as someone of loose character but she didn't want to be tagged as a Chavan ex-bahu or Virat's ex-wife for the rest of her life. The mere mention of their name sickened her.
Sai couldn't remember if it was Virat who pushed her or it was her. The days following the eventful fall were eye-opening for Sai. Meals at Chavan Niwas were no longer an option. Aai would initially wake up a bit earlier than usual and pack meals for Sai. That stopped after Bhawini Kaku yelled and taunted Aai for feeding the manus panaut. Sai had politely requested Aai to no longer prepare meals for her. She had started dipping into Abba's finances then slowly realising that she had no other means to turn to. Sai had been careful to not withdraw much. She started looking for part-time jobs on campus and started summing together all the money she had taken from Virat followed by a plan to pay him back.
Virat hadn't been hers Sai had realised during the month after the fall. Heartbreak came slowly, almost bitterly, and it ripped her apart piece by piece. Her days that month were spent waiting for Virat. He would come back home, enter the room to freshen up and only return when he needed to sleep. He didn't touch her for a month - not as a friend, husband or lover. He barely spoke to her.
Towards the end of that month, Sai had taken her first step in leaving the house and him. She had waiting for him to come home as usual. She had given him the receipt stating that she had deposited the two years of her fees to him. "It'll be transferred in a day or two," she had said to him.
He had asked her about the money. She had ignored the question. It wasn't his business anymore. The next day, she told Aai that she had registered and finally got a room in the dormitory. She liked her flatmate Mira (one of her classmates) and would like to move to the dorm. She had told Aai that her exams were close and it was difficult to move with her fractured leg.
That night Virat had hugged her as she stared at the moon from their balcony for the last time. Probably, he felt her slip away. She had been spooked by his sudden embrace. She had felt his lips on the nape of her neck. Her vision blurred. This was all she was to him. It had taken her whole being to push him away.
"I have to get up early tomorrow. Plus I have packing left. And kal mujhe hostel bhi shift hona hai," she had said.
"Hostel?" Virat had squinted as he pressed his forehead as if awaiting another fight or headache.
"Maine Aai ko bataya ki main hostel shift hona chahti hoon. Aapko bhi bataya tha,"
"Mujhe? Mujhe kab bataya, Sai? And Aai? Aai ko kyun bata raha ho tum? Pati hoon mai tumhara!"
"Maine Aai ko bataya hai. Aur waise bhi mein hostel se Shivani bua ye yahaan jaungi internship ke liye," she had continued as if ignoring his anger.
She had watched him from the corner of her eye. He was mad, she knew. Enraged even.
"Sai, tum kahi nahi jaa rahi ho," he had snarled at her. "Aur tum yeh saare decisions akele kab lene lagi? Yeh decisions saath liye jaate hai,"
Sai had ruffled the pillows as she prepared herself for an early night.
"Wahi, toh main nahi manti, Virat sir," she had said to him. "Ki aap mere pati ho,"
Virat pressed the pressure points on his forehead trying his best to have a patient conversation with her.
"Sai," he started.
She instead had placed an extra cushion between the space in their bed.
"Good night, Virat sir," she had said. Yet, instead of goodnight, it seemed like she had said her goodbyes.
The next morning, her cheque had been encashed along with the notification that there was a payment option set up to his account and if he wanted to have it instead linked to another account.
Virat didn't meet Sai the morning she moved out. Or any mornings after.
~
Sai felt someone periodically check her temperature, his hand often lingering a bit longer as he calmly massaged her scalp. She had shivered at his thumb rubbing accross her forehead. Sai gained consciousness a few hours later to Purvi who sprawled all over and clutched to her hospital gown. And Reyansh on a lounge chair a few feet away from her, studying as per his usual routine.
He seemed calm, almost nonchalant, as he marked his books, took notes and watched a few videos to follow.
And in that soft comforting lo-fi music, Purvi's soft snores and the occasional sound of scribblings accompanied by soft hums - Sai felt home as she drifted back to sleep.
A/N Please do let me know how you like the story so far. Your comments are love! 
Longer A/N below because it’s a long one.
Apparently, it's also what they used to call royalty back in the day (adding Bai as a suffix). Too much trivia, no?
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