Hello folks... This is sort of continuation of my last OS : Adieu, my love.
And this is specially dedicated to Toral, hope I didn’t made you wait a lot dear🤗
Pallavi watched the scantily dressed woman with cold indifference as she slipped her hands to the buckle of her husband’s belt and gave it a bold suggestive tug.
“Mia moglie ci ucciderá entrambi” the meaning of the phrase spoken in italian was lost on Pallavi but his husky laughter followed by girly giggles gutted her deeper than any sharp knife could have. The pain didn’t shocked her, though. She wasn’t, afterall, as immune as she liked to believe herself to be. But there was no need to advertise it.
“Long time no see, Mr Raghav Rao” Having sat in the dark room for over three hours, waiting on him, her vision was better adjusted to the darkness than his. Hence,allowing her to witness that she had successfully managed to surprise her errant husband. Shock, even.
She revelled gloomily in her small victory as he groped in the darkness for light switch until her eyes squeezed shut against the bright onslaught.
“Long time, indeed!” a strange peace diffused through her body at the familiar voice but it was quick to evaporate.
His obvious elation at seeing her, that childlike silly grin made him glow. He was literally sparkling. And the sparkle gave her headache, made her feel nauseated. All these years they’d been apart, she’d prayed with everything in her for him to be happy. But seeing him actually thriving on his own, without her, hurt her.
The dangerous hardness of his face was replaced by boyish charms. It galled her to see that while the past three years has turned her into a living fossil, this man had been aging backwards. The oversized hooded shirt and distressed faded jeans made him look like a man in his early twenties rather than his actual thirty.
As he approached her clearly intent on embracing her, he stumbled on her shoes which she had kicked out in the middle of the room. But caught himself with a feline grace.
“Careful there! Those shoes costs more than your one year’s earnings. You wouldn’t want to ruin them.”
His grin widened at her cutting words but his extended arms fell back to his sides.
“You know, the swagger in which you walked out without a penny in your pocket. I thought you’d make it big. Playing guitar on the unnamed streets of Italy in day and illegal spray paintings in the dark alleys by night. You disappoint me, dear husband!” her tone was condescending and nose scrunched up as she took in the room with a single sweep.
He laughed as she had expected him to. His rich, aristocratic laugh seemed so out of place in the cheap motel room that had definitely seen better days. The carpets were worn out, chairs begging for reupholstering, the canopy over bed looked fresh out of trash yard and the poor ventilation did little or nothing to diminish the scent of rotting wood.
“You seem offended by my humble abode. I don’t remember you being so superficial. But then again, I hardly remember you, at all” he replied with a lopsided grin and a leisurely glance that was just short of insulting.
The sardonic words spoken in a casual manner made her mocking smile vanish as thoroughly as though it never had existed.
“My bad...” his features softened. “Saree Ka Dukaan, I...”
“It’s Mrs Pallavi Raghav Rao, for you. Despite you dereliction of our wedding vows and running away from your responsibilities at the first chance you got, I’m still you legally wedded wife. And it’s going to stay like that no matter how much my wayward husband whore around like a dratted vagabond”
“Whoa! You sound vulgar” he lifted his hands in shock, too over dramatic to be anything but mockery.
“And you sound unrepentant” she countered.
“About what?” the protest was automatic but devoid of any anger.
“I’m not here to shriek at you like some heartbroken hysteric harpy. It is in excessively bad taste these days” she fanned herself with her hands trying to slow down the heaving of her chest.
“Spoken exactly like a cold ice queen” he bent down to inspect her shoes.
“Comparing your shoe cost with my hard earned money was low. Even, for you.” he said feigning offence.
“And that “I hardly remember you” was cruel. Even, for you.” she failed to stop her giggles from escaping her. Her laughter was contagious, setting off Raghav. Soon they were huddled together on the worn out carpet, weak with laughter.
“I missed you Saree Ka Dukaan”
The feeling of relief was almost dizzying but she wasn’t ready to close her eyes. Not yet. An odd sensation unfurled in the pit of her stomach as though he were stroking her hair. But he wasn’t. He was simply watching her.
“I’d have believed it. Had I not received you fresh out of another woman’s arms just few minutes ago.” she scowled as her glance flicked to the doorway.
He gave her a crooked grin, designed to charm. “A man’s bound to have friends...”
“Ah! Do you know Keerti got married? She welcomed a daughter few months ago. Amma got specs. Jayati Jewels is flourishing. I promoted Harish. And Farhad...”
“Is still tailing me around the world like a bloodhound” he finished for her.
He knew? Of course, he did. But the question was did he care?
“That damned Sherlock is the reason I reside at cheap motels, contrary to what you think. The man’s got no life”
“He cares for you” the fact didn’t needed to be pointed out but she did anyway.
“So meeting me here’s a co incidence?” he asked.
“No... I was looking for you.” she replied.
She’d been... looking for him. From the day he left. Never stopped.
“And, now, that you’ve found me. What can I do for you?”
“I want a baby.” There! She couldn’t have phrased it more plainly.
“What?” he asked, amused.
“An heir, Raghav.”
She wasn’t getting any younger and Amma’s grief after Raghav left was too much to bear. Pallavi’s love for Raghav was her burden to bear. She’d never blackmail him by professing her love, now, to give up his search for “his peace”. But having a grandchild will give Amma a reason to wake up everyday and to her the child will be a hope, a hope they’ll create together that’ll always keep him tethered to home no matter how far he fly.
“If it was a sperm donor you were looking for to sire a child. Travelling across continents is a bit extreme.” she felt his withdrawal from her like a knife to her gut. Her eyes watered but she willed herself to not show any weakness.
“I thought you’d be grateful that I decided against raising a b*stard with your money, under your roof, in your name. I want a child and ,of course, you have to father it.”
Raghav called himself all kinds of fool for believing, even for a second, that she was here for him. All she needed was a sperm donor and once the duty is performed, he’ll be missed as a father same as he’d been missed as a husband that is - not at all.
“Get out...” with grim pleasures he watched shock and uncertainty play out on her features.” Or I’ll do the honours of throwing you out myself.”
She flinched at his harsh tone but the panic in her eyes told him that she didn’t doubted his words.
Still, she sat there, challenging him to go ahead and do it.
“Pallavi..” He lovingly cradled her face. “With an absentee father and an unhappy mother, any child of our would be a hot mess.
“Then... then come with us, Raghav. Come back home.” He closed his eyes at the words he’d been dying to hear from her but he didn’t wanted to be her last resort when she always had been his priority.
“I’ll walk you out...” he hauled her up on her feet.
“Do I repulse you that much? Is the thought of bedding me so appalling to you?” his eyes widened at her innocent questions and then narrowed.
She was stubborn. But never mind that. The endurance of her pride was limited, he knew.
Pinning her to the nearest flat surface he could find, he pressed her trembling palm against his hungry flesh.
“Do you feel it, love?” the endearment came automatically to him. “Honestly, no matter how many girls I kissed nobody managed to set off my bestial mode like you do. I even worried about my virility. But since, now, you can feel the evidence of my arousal throbbing against your shaky fingers, let me warn you that if you didn’t leave, I’ll take you up on your offer”
“If it was your idea of threatening me then let me tell you, you’ve done a sloppy job. I’ll say it is a win win situation for both of us.” she held his gaze boldly but her fingers pressed against the length of him were still trembling.
“Then be warned, sweetheart. Whatever that’ll transpire between us in that bed will not be lovemaking. Because love’s got nothing to do with it. It’ll be fuuking. Primitive. Hot and hard.
Pallavi flinched at his harsh words at the same battling with the last shred of her pride to beg him on her knees to look at her with kindness, once more. To not be so cruel.
“Take off your clothes.” he ordered hopping onto the bed.
A blunt refusal was right there, he could see it in her eyes but it never made it to her lips.
With trembling fingers she gave the sash at her back an angry jerk and it came undone. The maroon silk pooled at her feet, sliding smoothly over her shoulders.
Her glance was an accusation. Her indignation loud and clear. And much to his amazement, he found himself looking away from her.
“You don’t have to do this. Just say the word and you’ll be allowed to leave as freely as you came in” he had no idea how he’ll do that. Because he was already loosing control and they haven’t even started yet.
She climbed into bed with him avoiding his chivalrous offer.
“For God’s sake woman! You don’t have to look like a sacrificial lamb. I didn’t forced you...”
He was rudely cut off by a kiss. A kiss, slow at first, getting urgent and more hungry with every passing second and angry at last. He welcomed the sweet onslaught allowing her to pour all her pent up fear and frustration into a long, long kiss.
With a swift moment he pulled her beneath himself as the pent up force of three year abstinence roared through him
Slow. Slow. Slow. He counselled himself in his mind. She’s right here. She ain’t going nowhere now.
The warmth and willingness of her body astonished him as his every kiss, every bold move was met with equally feverish response from her.
Once she was ready to take him in, he pushed into her and immediately felt her flinch, full-bodied.
“You damned little fool” he cursed as the realisation knocked the breath out of him.
“Is... Is something wrong with me?” Pallavi managed to speak between her muffled sobs and laboured breaths.
“I’ve hurt you.” a tears escaped his eyes.
“It’s supposed to hurt the first time, Raghav.” she traced the path of his tear with her finger.
He knew her first wedding wasn’t consummated but how come she not do it despite being an adult and having a long courtship with Mandaar. Asking it was a wrong thing to do and Raghav stopped himself in time. He felt fortunate and foolish at the same time.
“But you need not feel brutalised and used” he cradled her face in his palms and caressed her forehead with his thumb.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck and Raghav felt like he was home.
“Hold me Raghav, your mere presence makes the pain go away”
Raghav knew there was a single emotion in this world that makes a person seek comfort from the same place that was the source of pain. Love.
“I love you” her words couldn’t have had a more perfect timing. “I know you won’t believe me... That’s why I never dared to say this before. But despite the pain I’m glad that your arms are still around me. Please don’t let go Raghav... After those torturous three years nothing feels close enough.” the innocent admission made his arms tightened around her.
“No, I won’t ever let go.” he reassured her blowing the stray wisps of hair away from her forehead.
“Let’s get you a warm bath” he was about to ease back from her when she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him back to herself.
“No! Our child will be conceived today. Let’s complete it Raghav. Please.”
He wanted to tell her that there’s very low probability of conceiving a child right after her first time but when she looked so convinced of the miracle who was he tell her otherwise.
As he lost the count of strokes, he felt her accommodating him. Then he collapsed atop her. Emptied. Breathless.
PS : According to reliable sources, Pallavi conceived her twins the same night. You’ve read about them. Haven’t you?
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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