"Par hua kya hai?"
"Bola na kuch nahi! Tum jao na yaha se Raghav!"
They had been at it for an hour now. Raghav had come by to see his Saree ka dukaan — not the shop he owned, but the woman who owned him. He had arrived all excited, hoping to surprise her. But he found her in front of her bappa, silently wiping a tear. A tear from those eyes he treasured. Those eyes that only deserved to sparkle in happiness, every moment of every day.
Raghav had been furious. Who had dared?
He had barged in, startling her from her prayers, demanding to know what had happened. Since then, he had asked the same question in a hundred different ways, only to receive the same response in a hundred different ways — that she was hurt, but she didn't wanna tell him because it wasn't as serious an issue as he was making it out to be. Of course, this was not what her words had said, rather what her eyes had conveyed. They were ridiculously honest, her eyes — they let out all the secrets her mouth kept sealed inside. Presently, she was trying to appear busy with her accounts book, but her eyes made it clear that it was just an excuse to avoid the discussion.
He cursed under his breath. He knew how stubborn she was, it was the quality that attracted him the most. But right now, her stubbornness was getting on his nerves.
"Pallavi, last time pooch raha main. Kya hua hai?"
She let out a frustrated sigh, then looked up annoyed at him. "Raghav please! Ab bohot ho gaya tumhara! Tab se bol rahi hoon na ki main theek hoon, kuch nahi hua hai — maan kyun nahi lete tum? Humesha bas Ziddi Rao banke rehna hai tumhe! Jao tum yahaan se, mujhe bohot kaam hai!"
What she was trying to hide from Raghav was the altercation she'd had with Amruta before leaving for DSE today. The girl had always been infatuated with Raghav, Pallavi knew, and she had not taken the news of their relationship well. Pallavi had ignored the initial words of jealousy, but some of Amruta's jabs... had hurt. "Hyderabad ke saare clubs mein dekh chuki hoon main use," she had said, "har ek ladki uske adao pe flat thi! Un sab ko chhod ke wo tumhe date karega? Ek boring, typical behenji ko? Apne aap ko dekha bhi hai tumne kabhi? Na kapde interesting hai na baatein... tum mein aisa hai hi kya jis mein interested hoga wo? Huh! Wo kya hai na, in bade bade logo ko charity karne ka bohot shaukh hota hai. So enjoy the few days of attention from him, bhabhi, kyunki aakhir mein aap wahi rahengi jo aap humesha se ho — Mandaar bhaiya ki VIDHWA." And she had stormed off, leaving the words ringing in Pallavi's ears.
She had tried her best to remain unaffected, but the words had hit home in a way that she herself couldn't comprehend. What was she upset about? Being called a widow? Wasn't the first time. The insult to her clothes and appearance? Pallavi had always been a self-assured woman... had that changed all of a sudden? No, she realised while talking to her bappa — what had hurt her was the very real possibility of Raghav seeing her as a charity project, to be treated to his goodwill for a few days and forgotten afterwards. The very thought terrified her, Pallavi realised as she felt tears running down her cheek. Has he really become that important to me? It had been a while since she'd let a man gain her trust — indeed, the first time since Mandaar — she wouldn't give it to someone who would shatter it so easily. She wouldn't let herself be at anyone's mercy like that. But Raghav... his emotions did feel genuine, didn't they? Pallavi had sighed, wiped off her tears and decided to use the day to compose her thoughts. But as usual, Raghav Rao had to interfere in her plans. His sudden entry and his persistent questions had thrown everything into disarray. She was not ready to share the topic with him right now, but the man was more bullheaded than even a bull would manage to be. Even now, as she tried to keep herself focused on her work, he was glaring daggers at her.
"Raghav. JAO. Please!"
He banged his fists on the table in front of her. "To tum nahi batayega mereko?" He realised he was shouting, and toned down his voice a little. "Tumko ye typical ladies jaisa kyun behave karna hai Pallavi?" he asked, exasperated. "Chupchap wo abla naari jaisa aasoon bahayega aur bolega 'main theek hoon main theek hoon' karke. Irritate kar raha hai tum mereko!"
"Bas!" She banged her own fists on the table and stood up to face him, her frayed nerves giving way to anger. "Bohot ho gaya tumhara! Aisi hi hoon main, ekdum typical! Fasaya nahi hai tumhe, pehle se jaante ho mujhe! Aise hi baat karti hoon main, aise hi kapde pehenti hoon, aise hi irritate karti hoon! Tumhare layak nahi hoon, yahi bolna hai na tumhe?"
"What? Pallavi, kya bakwas kar raha hai tum? Main—"
"Man bhar gaya na mujhse Raghav? Jitna timepass karna tha kar liya—"
"PALLAVI!" he roared, eyes red, jaw ticking furiously.
Pallavi shut up immediately. She had been venting whatever her angry mind was supplying her with. She couldn't even recall her exact words, but she knew she had crossed a line. He looked absolutely livid. She felt her mouth run dry. Deva, he's gonna kill me...
~~
Hehe, I was thinking of writing a bunch of shots on Raghvi if they had gone the organic way, love before marriage. Two people from completely different worlds falling for each other... there's drama in itself, right? Show mein to humein aisa milne se raha, so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading stuff like that 😛
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