SS: Sadka Kiya Yun Ishq ka_IndxP1_NwStryTsr_p72_:D - Page 37

Chapter 5

As he applied cold compresses, Nidhi enquired abt wat had been done regarding her attacker. "Nidhi.. he ran away! Before security cud come and catch him. He jumped off from the fences and ran into the jungle!" "wat? U cudnt even catch him. Wats use of such tight security of bunglow!" "Nidhi I had thot I knocked him down unconscious! I shud have known!" "the lighting hadnt been fixed yet in tht part of garden. He took advantage of darkness and slipped away!" "huh!"she cried in anger. "Nidhi I assure u I m going to nab him!" "bt did u file a police complaint?" Ashutosh sighed. "We r doing everything Nidhi!" "bt thn y didn't police come to take my statement?" "Nidhi.. dad is against filing a police complaint!""wat?"

Ashutosh looked straight into her eyes and said,"u know I m not going to leave him!" Nidhi stared at him with frown and thn looked away in anger. "u need to recover first Nidhi.. Dad.. he is doing everything to nab him and he has assured me tht scoundrel will pay its price bt he jst doesn't want this issue to go to media and us to become a talking point of the town!" Nidhi took the icebag from him. "Put the mirror back.. I can take care of myself!"she said as she stood up from the sofa. "Nidhi!"he cried as he followed her to restroom. He took back the icebag from her hand. "Give me tht!" "One needs to take care of one's own things!"she said curtly! "Nidhi please!" she ignored him and searched for the mirror in thr bedroom. He pulled her and made her sit on the bed. He bent down on knees against her on the floor. "Nidhi u don't trust me?" "Its not abt trust Ashutosh!"she cried,"u wudnt know!" She clenched her teeth fiercely! "I wudnt know? I wud've thrashed him to death had I not had concern for ur condition first!""huh..wats the use.. u complied to ur father's orders!" Ashutosh sighed in frustration. As much as he wanted her attacker behind the bars, he was helpless against the power and influence of his father. His father had things settled with both doctor and police before he cud even know! "Move.."Nidhi cried taking a different meaning of his silence. "Nidhi.."he grabbed her hand and cried tenderly as she tried to move away,"u need to rest rite now. We will sort out this matter I promise!" She pulled away her hand as she cried for the mirror again. Ashutosh sighed and stood up to put the mirror back for her. She determindedly looked into the mirror at her bruises. She was going to make tht scumbag pay for every bruise he had given her. Her bruises didn't pain her anymore. Ashutosh stared at her from the restroom doorway and sighed heavily. He had to talk to his dad! He stepped in and placed his hands on her shoulders from the behind,"Nidhi u need to have scans.. get ready" "Thnks bt I will manage by my own and do please tell me abt the fees of doctor as well. I wud prefer to pay for my treatment by my own!" "Shut up and get ready!" he left her thr closing the door on her.

Nidhi locked the door and was hardly able to control her tears. She had felt helpless many a times, bt this was worst of all. First, she cudnt save herself and now, she cant even file a police complaint. She knew wat an influential man like Mr. Mathur wud've done and can do! Bt she had to b strong and stand for herself! Thr was no one bt herself to fight this battle! She quickly got refreshed and stepped out of the restroom with a new determination. Ashutosh was already waiting for her with purse and keys. She tried to ignore him, bt he was persistent and even threatened to carry her to the car if she didn't relent! A silent rage was storming inside her, bt she cudnt lose control over herself and erupt jst like tht! "Nidhi put on a scarf or something!"he asked. "I m not ashamed of my bruises and contusions Ashutosh. In fact, every time I wud get a pitiful look, it wud remind me of the battle tht I have to fight by my own!" "Nidhi..!"he cried tenderly and pulled her close. She tried to look away and wriggle out of his hands. "Nidhi.. look at me please!"he cried again. She looked up at him. She was feeling this pain because she had started expecting something from him. Had she not, she wudnt've been feeling this hurt. She reminded herself again. "u don't trust me.. really?" thr was pain in his voice tht Nidhi cud feel, bt she controlled her reactions well. She was determined not to weaken this time. "I will talk to dad and we will fight this battle together!" "U don't have to get involved in this really!"she said. "shut up!"he cried. She looked straight at him,"u don't realize how far this can go and how badly it can affect ur life. This is not a situation to act rashly! U cannot take an emotional decision. Think practically Ashutosh! Trust me, I know wat I shud b doing and I know u shudnt b getting involved in my problem!" "U let me decide tht okay! For now, the scans!" Nidhi sighed as he stubbornly drove her to the doctor.

When thy wer back, Ashutosh made sure she had her pills and her compresses before she was tucked well into the bed! He ran a tender hand thru her hair before ordering,"Don't u get out of this bed! Give everything a rest for now. Even if u want to fight ur battle all by ur own, u will need to recover and get ur strength back ASAP! So rest well! I have asked for some CCTV tapes from the party. I will go thru it and try to track tht scoundrel. We will gather some proof before we go to police. Bt u take care alrite!" He patted her head and ordered the servant to be by her side till he returned. Nidhi sighed as she watched him go away. The injection tht she had taken was taking effect and she was feeling drowsy. Her face had been paining, when she spoke, wen she ate or even drank, and more so today. She had refrained herself from taking painkillers anymore coz it made her drowsy bt Ashutosh and tht doctor had tricked her into taking a painkiller injection. Huh! she frowned as her eyelids became heavy! Ashutosh's face ordering her to have her breakfast flashed before her eyes before thy finally succumbed to the drowsiness!

When Nidhi woke up, it was lunch time. She got up and enquired after Ashutosh and learnt he hadn't been back yet! Her lunch had arrived bt she wasn't feeling like having it as her mind went back to the incident. The first thing tht she needed to do was to talk to his dad before he returned. She determindedly got up from the bed to get ready and to call Mr. Mathur wen he himself arrived at her doorstep! She was surprised. No! Actually she shudnt. She knew exactly y he had come! Her servant took thr leave and Mr. Mathur formally enquired after her health. She replied him in brief indifferent tone. "Nidhi I thot u wer a smart girl!"he finally spoke after brief mulling silence of him! "Really.. shud I feel honored tht u finally noticed my smartness for ur own benefit wen u had jst ignored me wen I stepped in as ur daughter-in-law for the first time!"Nidhi opted to b blunt and frank! "This arrogance, this overconfidence and rash attitude is wat leads a girl like u down!""or it is wat makes some ppl fear of a rebellion!" Mr. Mathur smirked,"Girl, u don't know wat u r playing with!""huh..i shud b saying those words Mr. Mathur. I m young blood and v r unpredictable!" He scoffed,"Turning Ashutosh against me is not a wise thing to do girl!" Nidhi smiled,"Told u v r young blood and unpredictable! I wudnt do tht! I m smart!" Mr. Mathur tried to study her closely,"Girl.. stop playing these games! Let me tell u.. for me my name and the reputation of my company is everything to me! I have struggled hard to get wer I m. U shud know tht I wudnt compromise it for anyone's or anything's sake! I repeat - anyone! I have sacrificed a lot and put on hard efforts to gain back the trust of my shareholders. I don't want to drag my or my company's name in yet another unwanted issue! I don't want any negative publicity at this crucial time. U get tht! This complaint wudnt b filed!""oh yeah.. v all know wat grt sacrificies have been done!"she replied sarcastically,"ur name and money takes precedence over ur blood relations and even humanity!" "Look girl, I have assured Ashutosh and I assure u too. Ur attacker will b caught and severely punished accordingly! Its matter of prestige for me as well! And I m not going to sit back silently and allow someone to prowl around my den and breach its security at one's fancy! I have already instructed the police and thy have already started working on it unofficially! U will get justice so forget this complaint and try and cooperate!" "so u r still bothered more abt the prestige and security of ur house tht is breached.. and wat abt the residents of this house! Wat abt the daughter-in-laws of this house who are attacked and tried to b molested by ur guests right inside ur bunglow premises! Isnt it any disgraceful a thing for u? Or have u bargained it for money as well!" "Girl I m not going to repeat myself again! I jst came here personally to throw some sense in ur brain as I care for Ashutosh and I see tht he cares for u! allrite, otherwise I wudnt have even bothered!" "yeah.. care? Really or is thr any selfish motive behind it too!" Mr. Mathur glared at her. "U really have no respect for a woman's esteem! V don't exist in ur world. V r merely a tool tht u can use till u like and thn throw thm away and fabricate a fine story to suit ur means and hide ur ugly past!" Mr. Mathur eyed suspiciously at Nidhi! "Wat do u mean! How dare u accuse me like tht!" He barked with fury! Nidhi stared at him with deliberate silence. "U had been playing a very unfair game Mr. Mathur!"she finally said,"if u show a little compassion, a little consideration, I will think again!" Mr. Mathur laughed,"oh ho! So u have guts to threaten me or u r simply an utterly foolish girl to lock horns with a powerful man like me!" "Mr. Mathur ppl often underestimate small uninfluential ppl out of thr arrogance and pay a heavy price.. I thot u wud've been a wiser man!" "Nidhi u r not jst insignificant, u r nothing! U have no power, u don't have enuf money, and u r an orphan! If u think u can stand any chance against me, its plain stupidity. I wud advise u to back off. Don't involve Ashutosh in this! He has no say in my matters. This is my house and here it happens exactly as I say! U get tht! If it was I who brot u into Ashutosh's life thn I can b the one who can boot u out of his life as well! Bt I don't want any drama with this issue. U will get a good place to stay, a good food to eat, good money to spend, and even justice for the assault on u! U shud b grateful for everything tht I m doing!" "u always want tht rite! Ppl remaining obliged to u for ur kindness and keep serving u faithfully without ever questioning a thing! Mr. Mathur some things r beyond money. If its matter of prestige of ur name, thn its matter of prestige of my dignity! That man tried to assault me, molest me, and for me thr can b no lesser a punishment thn he spending the remaining years of his life behind the bars, thinking and repenting abt wat wrong he had done! The justice is not in a temporary punishment Mr. Mathur, the justice is in the realization, regret, and repent! Ur way wud jst make men like him fear ppl like u, bt thy wont stop attacking women like me! Thy wudnt stop fearing women! And it wudnt change thr thinking abt us and thy wudnt stop ill treating us! Mr. Mathur I urge u to stand for those women! I m daughter in law of ur son! Doesn't tht mean anything to u! Wat if it was ur daughter in my place, wud u have acted in similar fashion?" "yes!"he said firmly,"Nidhi I believe in doing a right thing bt not at the cost of something more invaluable to me! And this company, this name, this wealth is the most invaluable thing for me and I wud do anything to retain tht! U can take my way of justice if u like or else keep ur mouth shut!" "Mr. Mathur, I m sorry bt I wudnt keep my mouth shut!""Girl u r crossing ur limits! I can make ur life hell! Its jst becoz of Ashutosh tht I m even talking to u! Understand tht u stand no chance! U wud b wasting ur time and money after it! U really wudnt know wen things wud b pushed under the rug quietly and u wud b jst rubbing ur heels in vain! And u know I wudnt have to try hard for it!" Nidhi stared at him. He waited for her final answer. Bt the answer didn't come and instead Ashutosh appeared at the door!

"Dad?"he cried and stared at the stern face of his dad and thn at the stubborn determined face of Nidhi! The tension betn thm was pretty palpable. "Ashutosh I came here to explain this girl! I tried hard bt looks like she is pretty stubborn or plain foolish or stupidly foolhardy!" Saying this, he turned on his heels and walked away! Ashutosh looked at Nidhi questioningly! Nidhi took a deep determined breath and pulled out her small worn out suitcase from the cupboard. Ashutosh was alarmed,"Nidhi wat r u doing?" He caught hold of her suitcase as she pulled it across the room towards her side of the bed! "Don't worry Ashutosh. I m not leaving jst yet! I am keeping it here, right infront of my eyes, so tht it wud constantly remind me of things I need to do and to plan and brace myself for the battle tht I need to fite and win! U know its bitter bt true, tht I stand no chance against ur father rite now!" Ashutosh sighed deeply! "Nidhi'"he cried defeatedly! "I know Ashutosh u tried. U tried to appeal against ur father's orders and perhaps for the first time in ur life and thts y he was very furious at me! He doesn't want u to get involved in my affairs and neither do I!" Ashutosh stared at her and Nidhi had no clue wat was going inside his head bt he was gazing at her intently. Thn finally he moved from his fixed posture and he put his hands on his hips as he sighed. He looked up at the celieng and looked back at her and frowned,"does tht mean all my hard work of this morning goes in drain!" "wat?" He grabbed her arms and pulled her close gently,"Nidhi I think I was the only one who saw his face clearly enuf to identify him! Do u remember anything abt him?" Nidhi sighed,"I was grabbed from back. I cudnt look at his face and thn he dragged me into bushes and before I cud realize anything he punched me!" Ashtuosh's jaws clenched tightly! Nidhi lowered her eyes and tried to put it in brief. "In short I didn't have a good look at his face. It was dark and I was barely consc.. I mean I didn't get a chance!" He stared at her and ran a soft hand thru her bruises. "Does it pain a lot!" "uh.. a bit more today.. especially wen I talk for too long!" "and u still don't stop!" "uh..i cant!" "well from now on no talking and complete rest!" "Ashutosh I m not..!" "shush!""I.." "Shush!" he made her sit down on the bed. "had ur compresses?" she opened her mouth to say something again, bt he put a finger on her lips!"shush!" "Ashutosh I m not physically ill!"she finally yelled and thn uttered a soft ouch at the end! "its paining a lot today.. It didn't feel this painful yesterday!"she cried softly. "it happens! Wer does it pain?" He pointed at a bruise on her cheek and asked,"here?" She nodded a yes! He softly kissed it. "And?" Her eyes twinkled and she pointed to an area on her other cheek. And he repeated his soft kiss thr. "And?" He kept on asking and she kept on pointing at every little spot of bruise on her face. At last Ashutosh pecked her slightly swollen lips before slowly nuzzling down her neck. It had tasted so wonderful yesterday and he desired to have a taste of it again. Nidhi gasped at the sudden touch of his lips and his deliciously savoring soft tongue. She fell back on her palms as she opened her neck up for him. He advanced upon her bit by bit and continued his tasty exploration of her neck and ears and the sides of her nape. She kept on falling backwards onto the bed in half daze and he kept on advancing over her assuming a towering position, taking care so as to not to hurt her bruised parts. Finally, she slumped on to bed in a helpless state at his relentless delectable pursual. With a sweet side smile, he grabbed her hair gently and nuzzled behind her ear. A sweet gasp escaped her lips as she cringed like a touch-me-not! He kept caressing her ear delicately as if it was a soft petal of a rose. Ashutosh paused to look at her face. She was flushing with strange redness and he loved tht look on her face. He traced along her jaw to her protruded chin and suddenly nibbled it softly yielding an instant soft gasp from her lips! Her hands clenched at his shirt as he traced along her neck downwards till he reached the button of her kurti! Nidhi shut closed her eyes as he opened the first few buttons of her kurti! Her heart thumped wildly and its beats pounded on her eardrums! He grasped her possessively and slowly nuzzled into the soft skin of the groove betn her softness. Nidhi gasped loudly and pushed him away as she turned abruptly over to throw herself away from him. "ouch" she cried as she hit her face roughly on the mattress accidentally! "Nidhi.."He yelled and pulled her back instantly. She was holding her cheek and grimacing in pain. He sighed and nodded. "Time for ur compresses. Did u apply any since morning?"he inquired as he readied the ice bag! "huh.. u tricked me to a painkiller injection. I was busy dozing off!" He chuckled as he softly applied the ice on her face,"tht was fun wasn't it!" "thrs is no fun in lying on the bed all day long. I m going to office from tomorrow!""Nidhi u still have good amount of swelling! And the skin is still slightly red! It wud need a day more of cold compresses and thn u will need to start hot compresses to expedite the healing process. Doctor has prescribed a medicated cream as well tht u will need to apply regularly. This discoloration wud take time some to go off!"he stopped and looked at her face. Nidhi sighed,"Bt I cant lay around doing nothing when I know I have a lot to do! I got to go Ashutosh. "she said thoughtfully and thn uttered,"Early bird gathers more worms..ever heard of tht u need to b ahead to prepare urself well!" "Lady u jst shut up and leave the rest to me. U r gonna rest till this swelling subsides and ur skin gets back its original color and I will see tht u comply to ur regimen strictly!" Bt she twitched and frowned stubbornly, which earned Ashutosh's glare. Bt thn she suddenly remembered something and exclaimed,"Oh No! I forgot to inform Mr. Sharma!" He smiled. "u did?"she asked. "And ur Miss was inquiring after ur health and was greatly pleased to learn tht her husband was taking a good care of her and tht u wer allowing!" She eyed narrowily at him as a mischievious smile accompanied his statement, especially at the last part!,"And wat else did u reveal?" He laughed,"wat else r u suspecting? Surely I wudnt reveal to her abt how many delicious kisses u had allowed and'" Nidhi's face flushed instantly.."and all the intimate things tht we attempted thr after!" She punched him hard in his stomach! "Ouch!"he cried out loud,"y!!!" "U hurt me here!"she pointed at the part he was compressing on her jaw and muttered. "really?" he cried putting back the icebag. "Thn it needs a special treatment!"he grabbed her and advanced over her jaw. "Nooo!"she squealed followed by a low ouch! He pinned her on the bed and applied soft kisses on her bruised cheeks before venturing down on her neck and to the opened buttons of her kurti! Nidhi's face flushed hard and her lungs temporarily stopped breathing in an anticipation of his eager desiring lips touching her unexplored skin. She gave out a loud uncontrolled trembling sigh as his lips rubbed against her. She clenched at his shoulder as he explored her very gently and lovingly along the depth tht shaped up her soft bulges! A sensation of thousands buds blooming at once rose in her body. If thr earlier touch was of hesitation and thrilling anticipation, this was more of exploration and acceptance. His lips ran warmly and softly against her skin and it felt to her as if he had suddenly switched on all the buttons of those pleasing sensations and she was raided on and captured by those sensations! He explored her methodically taking care of her reactions and repeating wherever necessary! And it looked like he had every intention to take this forward by throwing open the remaining buttons of her kurti as well and explore more of that desired area! Nidhi shuddered pleasantly at the mere thot. Bt he ventured up following the trail along the neckline of her kurti back to her neck tracing the soft protrusion tht was slightly visible. And he got a glimpse of tht black beaded thrd tht lay hidden behind her kurti. Nidhi cud feel the trail of his lips tht was left over lingeringly on her skin as he moved up. It was an innocent move, comparatively, and yet unbeknownst to him it proved more provocative to Nidhi! A sensitive Nidhi could even feel the soft striking of his rhythmically blowing breath as he trailed along. Wen he reached his destination, he nuzzled into her ear and whispered softly,"u r beautiful Nidhi.. very beautiful!" A deep red color spread on her face, which was distinctly visible against her bruised coloration. He gently kissed her reddened cheeks as she turned shy with lowered eyelids and thn kissed softly betn her brows,"u r a darling!" he said softly as he moved away from her. Nidhi was drenched in the waves of sweet feelings tht rose and splashed her in thmslvs! This feeling of being loved and sought for makes u feel grt abt urself and thts y it was so desirable! She took in a deep breath. And u feel like reciprocating it! "had ur lunch?"she asked. He suddenly remembered he hadn't any! "u hadn't had ur lunch yet?"he asked. She smiled.

Mr. Mathur called him up for some work while thy wer still having thr lunch together and Ashutosh instructed her to rest well till he returned. Nidhi bid him good bye. Her eyes fell on her bag tht lay on side and she sighed very deeply. Her body had been relishing in those pleasing sensations tht he had provided. She cudnt seem to forget his tender loving touch and she knew she cudnt ignore or refuse him even if her brain screamed for it! This physical pleasure was seeping into her brain and corrupting her decisions! She took her pills and laid on the bed. Her gazed turned towards the side wer Ashutosh had been lying last nite and she cud still feel his hand on her head. She breathed steadily as the drowsiness started to take over her eyes again and slowly her eyelids started to sink with heaviness. She visualized him lying beside her in a peaceful sleep. Her hands wanted to ruffle thru his soft hair and her lips wanted to trace tht rugged skin of his jaw tht had always looked so attractive and inviting. And she wanted to trace down his neck and love it back the way he had done! And she too was very curious to know wat lay beneath that layer of buttoned shirt! Her thots wandered pleasantly in tht semi-drugged state and was about to doze off with tht last tickling thot wen she suddenly threw her eyes wide open! God! Wat was she thinking! She sat up on the bed flushing heavily. Her sleep seemed to have vanished suddenly! She got up from the bed. She urgently needed to engage herself in some distracting and useful work instead! She pulled out an old bag deep down from the last drawer of thr cupboard. She decided to go thru Ashutosh's mom's belongings once again to get any further clue!

"Here.."Ashutosh gave her a packet,"it contains copies of the CCTV footage from tomorrow nite and a rough sketch of tht rogue as I remember! It also has the address and contact details of the detective agency we've employed. We've gone thru the list of members invited and thy are tracking the ppl who entered and left the premises from the main gate tht nite and wether anyone had been on sick leave suddenly these two days. Bt it was such a huge party and thr wer so many guests and thy wer invited with thr families. Its gonna take some time. Nidhi I think I have met this man before bt I don't remember wer." He sighed frustratedly! Nidhi opened the packet and went thru its contents. "Thanks bt.."she paused before continuing,"u don't need to get involved in this any further.. I will tackle on my own!" Ashutosh turned to her and glared! "oh yeah.. the grt Miss Braveheart!" "u don't understand!" "Wat I need to understand from this bruised look on ur face.. Tell me!" "I know I cudnt save myself bt tht doesn't mean I need someone tagging behind me!" Ashutosh turned in anger and smashed his hand against the wardrobe,"Dammit!"he yelled! Nidhi got up from the bed and went by his side,"Here.. let me apply some cold pack!" she offered as he shook his hand from hurt. He stopped and glared,"I don't need it!" bt she took his hand to apply the icepack on his bruised knuckles. He had banged so hard tht thy wer scraped and bleeding! "I have already decided tht I will move out of this house!"she said. He snatched his hand away. "because I have nothing to give u?"His eyes welled up with tears! "don't get emotional, think practically Ashutosh! u know ur father is never going to let u support me!""so u want to fite this battle alone.. rite.. is tht wat u want to do rite.. bt tell me wen I m the prime witness of this incident thn how r u going to win it by pushing me aside! tell me!" he yelled angrily. "I will tell a story which will not involve u!""and u hope to win on basis of ur false and questionable testimony!! And wat chance wud it stand without the substantial evidence of these tapes! Or r u planning to tamper with thm too?" Nidhi turned away. She had no answer. She wanted to fight this battle bt she had no way out of this problem. She cudnt involve Ashutosh. As much as she wanted Ashutosh to get out of his father's shadow, she didn't even know if he was ready yet to deal with the situation it wud lead to. "u cant act rashly.. think abt ur future!"she cried. "Do hell with my future!"he cried. She was afraid of this. She didn't know if he cud take the social sting and stigma of his bitter past. She didn't even know if he was prepared for it if his father disowned him! And she had even a bigger battle to fight with Mr. Mathur after this. She had to bring justice to his mom. Bt Ashutosh had to think abt everything before taking any decision! And he wudnt do tht if she stays around him for too long! She gathered herself determindedly and declared,"I m moving out tomorrow!"

Ashutosh turned at her with shocked angry face. The suitcase tht Nidhi had pulled out earlier had rattled him. Everytime his eyes laid on it, it reminded him of this invetible separation! "so wen u have decided on ur own everything thn y r u even telling me!" "I cant stay here any further second Ashutosh..u know tht!" she cried. He stared helplessly at her and Nidhi's heart melted looking at his poor helpless state! He turned to go towards the pool. He stood glaring angrily at the woods! For the first time, he hated his life! Nidhi slowly walked up and stood beside him. He ran a defeated hand thru his hair and sighed deeply. "its too soon Nidhi.. u haven't even recovered!" "I will recover, coz I know I have to recover!""jst shut up ur stupid philosophy!" He cried annoyingly. Nidhi smiled. "and u know I m not embarrassed to roam around with this black-blue face!" Ashutosh turned to her and ran a tender hand over her face. "I will not stop u Nidhi..bt u will not go till u r completely fine and I get a detailed account of wer and how u r going to manage ur stay!" "I am not liable to give you my any account!""U do! And U know I m not going to let u go until u do tht and I m satisfied with it!" He stared at her with a frown and Nidhi cudnt help smile,"and wat if I don't and run away instead?" "Thn I will really need to chain u to bed and it starts from this very moment!" saying tht he picked her up. She yelled bt thn held her cheeks in pain. He smiled and led her to bed and laid her pinning her hand up above on the bed. "now say yes!"he demanded. "No!""Say tht u will stay here till u recover!""No!""Say tht u will not go till I m satisfied tht u will remain safe and sound to wherever u r going!" "No.. No..definitely NO!" "Thn u know wat I m going to do!"he threatened. He tied her hand to the bed with her scarf as she struggled to break free! His eyes moved over to the buttons of her kurti and his hands followed thm! "Wat r u intending?" An alarmed, Nidhi barked. His hands almost reached her buttons. "Nooo! this is..this is abuse..blackmailing!" she cried inspite of the pain. His hand moved up and cupped her face and he gently kissed her bruised parts. "And this is for the pain u got from all the yelling tht u had been doing! I was intending to jst tie u here till u said yes! Wat did u think?"he said cheekily as he picked up the icebag to apply on her face. Nidhi glared at him. "say yes!"he demanded again, bt she didn't relent and acted stubborn. It was almost half an hour tht her hands had been tied up. He finally sighed and let her arms loose. "U r pretty stubborn.. had it not been for ur health I wud've been more severe on u!" "Huh.. such a poor excuse for ur softheartedness!" He cudnt help laugh at her remark. She rubbed her arms and put away the ice bag from his hand. She then laid back on the headrest. Ashutosh joined her thr.

"so tell me wat r u planning!" "well for now, I m planning to live as a PG!""wer?""Probably at Sharma's. I didn't want to bother Miss. She is bedridden and u know' bt if I don't, Miss wud feel extremely bad and wud probably sever all ties with me!" "hah! Good old Mrs. Sharma!" Nidhi glared at him as he rubbed his hand triumphantly! "bt I will stay thr only till I will b able to afford a rented house and thn one day I will buy my own house!" "Nidhi its not safe for a single woman to stay alone..especially after this attack, I don't want u to!" "Oh don't worry, I m going to take up those self-defense classes. Ashutosh one cant stay in shell forever for fear of something. One has to go out and fight. besides I want my own house. I don't want to b a PG forever. And I have always dreamt of having one!" She sighed dreamily. "I wud've rented a small 1 room kitchen rightaway if I had enuf money, had I not paid for my course fees and study material!" Ashutosh turned his face away as he cudnt meet her eyes. Never had he felt so helpless and angry at himself! Damn he! He had no money to support even his wife! "Nidhi one month and I wud get my salary and.." "No.. its okay!" Nidhi flushed in embarrassement! He glared at her,"I m ur husband okay!" "U r not!"she said stubbornly. "I will make myself one if u don't relent!""stop threatening me with these fake threats.. u know laws of domestic violence against women have become stringent. Wat if I file a real complaint for ur fake threats!" "u can do so if u please bt I m not going to take ur rubbish anymore!" he said with such cute annoyance tht an instant chuckle escaped her lips and he turned to look at her fondly. He ran a hand thru her hair and said,"u will b safe and fine rite?" Nidhi hid in his chest without saying anything! He was making it harder and harder for her to go away! She was worried abt his future and she was worried abt his lonliness aftr she left!

A week passed by and she had put tht incident on a backburner for now! She knew delaying it cud weaken the case, bt she wanted to b full proof with all the evidence to strengthen her case and force police to take immediate action and put the culprit behind the bars! Ashutosh had been working hard on it and giving her daily updates abt the progress on the case. And for some reason, his father seemed to have gotten an impression tht she had finally given up, may b coz she was still staying in his house. Bt for the most part thy had avoided each other. Nidhi was still undecided abt the case bt Ashutosh had stubbornly declared tht he was going to appear as witness and give the true account of the incident wether she agreed or not! And wud even file a complaint if she didn't! He was jst waiting to get hold of the culprit with all evidence! So eventually Nidhi had to agree! Meanwhile, he had been taking good care of her. He had started warm compresses on her now. And she had started her job again bt Ashutosh hadn't allowed her to go unescorted. And thy tried to spend as much time as possible with each other. He hadn't been to his private lab and she had started cooking for thmslvs in thr kitchen. In the nights, thy wud sit by the pool to have dinner and talk abt thr day at work! In the mornings, Ashutosh wud jog and Nidhi wud sit and study in the garden. On Wednesday, thy also visited the pond early in the morning as Ashutosh had promised. And on Saturday, she had finally visited his private lab and had dozed off to sleep in the chair itself wen Ashutosh got too busy with his experiment! The word abt the attack on her had spread as she hadn't been shy in narrating the incident or hiding her contusions and it wudnt take much time to reach his father's ears and infurirate him further! So finally by the end of the week, Nidhi decided to move to Sharma's. The case too was nearing a closure. The person in question had been identified by Ashutosh, bt he had been out of town and his return was awaited before a formal complaint and an arrest was made.

On the last day, Sunday, Ashutosh had a treat planned for her. Nidhi was surprised and excited at the news! And further surprise came, when he gifted her a fine georgette saree with bold pink printed roses on a white background. Thr wer sequin green stripes along its border and on the upper border of the saree, thr was embroidered rose design lace. Nidhi looked at it and thn looked at him. It had been a total surprise for her! "Sorry Nidhi.. its not as expensive as I had wanted!"he remarked. "Good, otherwise I didn't have an expensive blouse either to match with it!"she replied as she went in to change. "oh..how stupid of me.. It didn't occur to me tht u will need a matching blouse!!"he cried at the door. She chuckled at his ignorance. And even if he had tried to get one, he cudnt have guessed her size for the blouse! A blush appeared on her cheeks as she wondered if the matter of size and perfect fit of the blouse even occurred to him. She gazed at herself in the mirror as she smiled and put on pearl drop earrings and a pearl bracelet to match with her saree. "Nidhi!"he cried impatiently at the door. And she sighed. These past week had jst been the same. He had avoided coming closer to her bt thy had shared such fine genuine moments together. Thy had made each other forget tht a separation lie in wait for thm! She sighed and braced herself and putting on a cheerful smile, she stepped outside. He looked at her from head to toe and thn murmured tht he wud start the car so tht thy can first drop her suitcase at Sharmas meanwhile she can go and say a teary goodbye to the pool, the garden, tht fountain, and those fishes! Nidhi huhed and went away! Ashutosh waited for her and wen she joined him in the car, she kept on looking at him all the way while he drove to Sharma's silently. He had again tuned in to his favourite B/W era melodious songs!

Aise to na dekho.. ke humse khata ho jaaye!

Khoobsurat si koi.. humse khata ho jaaye!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWkmH4Y-VWU

"u seem to like Devanand!" "not exactly!" "u luv his songs!" "yes." Nidhi was eager for a conversation bt he was keeping it brief. Bt the songs tht played one by one had a small quiet smile playing on her lips. The other one tht she liked the most was also an old time classic. Its lyrics wer pretty cute!

Ek but banaunga tera aur pooja karunga..

arre mar jaunga agar pyaar main dooja karunga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZEjVXk5XIM

After thy dropped her suitcase and took thr blessings, Ashutosh took Nidhi to a remote hill away from the city. It was lush green and Nidhi had fun time climbing up to its top. Saree didn't seem to bother her infact, she was loving to sway it in the strong wind tht met thm as thy climbed up! Wen thy reached at the top, the sun was abt to set! "Its beautiful isn it!" he said gazing at the red-orange sky and the yellow sun tht was too eager to set! "U can roll here on this green grass as much as u like Nidhi gazing at tht picturesque sky!" he said fondly. Bt Nidhi smiled at the beautifully colored sky and sat down quietly on the slope of the cliff tht provided a complete view of the setting sun infront! She laid herself and outstretched her hands as she breathed in deeply. She stared at the sun for a while and thn glanced up at Ashutosh, who was still standing and staring at her. She outstretched her hand to him and he took it and laid at a distance beside her with outstretched hands. The sun slowly set down quietly and darkness started to set in as thy quietly laid on the soft carpet of grass with thr fingers entwined into each other! He had it tightly clasped and Nidhi turned to look at him. Thr was dull red light reflected back from his face and his short hair rustled in the strong cold wind. Nidhi had a strong desire to roll into his arms and nestle in the warmth of his arms. Bt he wasn't even looking at her! Not the way she wanted! He wud hug her and kiss her fondly many a times bt it was limited to affection and the passion tht she had witnessed earlier was missing. Y he didn't want, she didn't know. Bt since she had declared of her going away, he hadn't! A strong ache rose in her heart and she cudnt stop herself from rolling into his arms and clenching onto him. He patted her back soothingly. "Promise me tht u will take good care of urself Nidhi!" he finally uttered. Nidhi felt too overwhelmed to answer. "And apply all those defense techniques tht u have learnt.. without any mercy if anyone ever tried to attack u again!, not tht I need to advice u on tht tho!" Nidhi cudnt help chuckle. She sat up and asked,"and wat r ur plans after I leave?" He sat up and replied"y.. u want to know everything rite now or want to save something to talk abt wen I will call u!" "u will call me?""y I thot u wud b addicted to my bickering by now..i wudnt want u to b deprived of it!" "huh!"she rebuffed. Bt he kept silent so she asked,"daily?" "yeah.. y u thot u wud get rid of ur husband so easily!" "huh.. I thot so Not!" He chuckled and thy got up to climb down as it had started to get really dark. On thr way back, thy had a nice dinner at a highway dhaba. Thy had been provided an old style cot and each table had a lantern to provide the light. The food was amazingly traditional in taste. And Nidhi learnt tht Ashutosh loved the baingan ka bharta a lot! And he was very fond of the lassi as well! Later, Ashutosh dropped her at Sharma's and thy bid each other a final good bye!

"U didn't cry?"he asked wen he called her up aftr reaching his room."Huh..i thot u wer the sad lonely old man here!" he sighed and looked around his room. "tht is very mean Nidhi!""I m mean girl remember!" "yeah..i remember. It wasn't long time ago u know!" Nidhi kept silent! She was still wearing the saree he had gifted. Her room was small bt pretty. Thr was a comfortable bed and thr was a huge window tht faced the road. She walked up to it and gazed outside! "u know thr is no garden here!"she said. Ashutosh felt a deep pain. "so r u going to shift to bunglow?"she asked. "No!" "bt ur dad wud insist I think, now tht I have left ur life peaceful again .. u know!" "Nidhi I thot u knew him better!" Nidhi sighed. "bt one thing has turned out to b good for u, u can spend ur nites in ur fav place in the world now.. ur lab!"she said cheerfully. "yeah!"he said bt didn't sound cheerful tho. Thy remained silent for some time. Thr was lot tht thy wanted to say and cud've said. Bt even those words tht wer left unsaid wer better understood. "Nidhi we will file a complaint as soon as tht scumbag returns. We have been tracking him and this time we will fit a tight noose around his neck and he wudnt b able to get away!" Nidhi didn't reply. "u will talk to ur NGO rite?" "yeah!"she said. Thn Ashutosh replied in a low,"I.. I wudnt b able to accompany u.. for now..u know tht!" She sighed,"I know!" She cudnt ask for more thn wat he had already done. She didn't know how he was going to tackle his dad and persuade him to let him give testimony, bt he had assured her, he wud.

Thr was silence again. Ashutosh laid on his side of the bed and glanced at the other side. "Nidhi.. keep applying the cream and those few dark marks wud vanish soon!"he said tenderly. Nidhi held the grill of her window and said,"u know.. I will get to know today if these roads r really as quiet as those gardens in the nite!" "Lady.. u r going to get some sleep!" Not tht she was going to get any tht nite, Nidhi sighed. "Close the window and go to bed!"he ordered. "uh.. don't order me!""u want me to come down and take u back!" "Stop threatening me!"she yelled. He laughed and thn said softly,"Nidhi' jst lay in bed and close ur eyes.. u will get some sleep..okay..! Will call u tomorrow.." "hmmm'"

A month had passed and she had officially filed a complaint. The reluctant police had to relent coz Nidhi had involved active social activists and National Commission for Women into her matter. With all the solid evidences and testimonies of both the doctor and Ashutosh had led the culprit behind the bars, who was none other thn a junior assistant working for Mr. Saniyal, some Daksh Bhardwaj! He had her eyes on Nidhi for long and tht nite he had been so drunk tht he had lost his senses. He had kept eye on Nidhi and wen he saw her going in those dark parts of the garden by the pond, he had followed her thr. He observed her for quite a while and wen he was assured tht no one had seen thm coming thr, he tried to pull Nidhi into the bushes. The party had been going on full swing inside and her distant screams wer not going to reach anyone's ears! The security had been busy guarding at the main gate and the bunglow. So Daksh had tried to advantage of the complete darkness tht grappled tht part as apparently even the lights tht illuminated the garden had been turned off. Bt wen Ashutosh came looking for Nidhi, he heard her scream and ran to save her. Taking the heavy blows from Ashutosh, Daksh acted to faint and wen Ashutosh was out of his sight, he climbed off the fence with the help of a nearby tree and fled! At office, he cited an emergency and fled out of town till the matter settled down and returned only wen he felt it was safe! And as it was known, media sensationalized this news and Mathur Dye and Chemical Company's name came to limelight for all the wrong reasons! Thr share price had plummeted as the investors cudnt keep faith his ways much angering Mr. Mathur. Nidhi had been worried abt Ashutosh bt he had not been in contact with her after the statement he gave against Daksh. Bt she had cleverly called up her Mom under pretext to talk abt some documents tht needed to be signed regarding tht will of her relative and enquired abt Ashutosh indirectly. She was relieved to learn tht he was okay bt tht some sort of tension was going on betn him and his dad and Rohan was not intrsted in keeping him thr. Her mom censured her for trying to ruin her sister's life by raking up this incident! Nidhi had asked her if she wud've reacted the same way had the attack had been on Ritu instead of her and her mom didn't have any answer!

She was pacing anxiously in her room wen Mr. Sharma knocked on her door and informed her tht Ashutosh had arrived to take her away! A stunned Nidhi stood thr in shock for a while bt her cell rang bringing her out of her shock. "wud u not come out to welcome ur husband!"he cried from the other end. Nidhi threw open the door and rushed into the living room. Ashutosh stood grinning at her. His suitcase lay beside him. Nidhi stared at him and thn at the suitcase. Mr. Sharma thn cleared her confusion and informed her tht Ashutosh had come to take her to thr own place. He had rented some flat and wished to take Nidhi along with him. Nidhi was too overwhelmed to react as she kept staring at him. It wasn't until she took a sip of water tht she got a grip on herself. Finally aftr some quick refreshments, thy took blessings of Sharmas and bid thm good bye. Thy took an auto to thr new residence. Bt Nidhi kept quiet all the way and Ashutosh kept staring at her and asked softly wen thy wer abt to reach,"wont u even talk?" Nidhi turned her face away. Ashutosh smiled as thy reached thr building.

Ashuosh opened up thr flat for her. It was completely empty. The curtain-less windows threw bright light inside illuminating tht one room kitchen flat. Ashutosh threw open the windows of tht lone room and fresh air rushed inside the room as he cried,"this one has a garden Nidhi.. its small bt its nice see.." Nidhi turned away to go into kitchen. Thr was a small balcony attached to it. She went into it as she cud hardly control her emotions. Tears flooded her cheeks and she sobbed convulsively as she tried to muffle its sound beneath her hand. A strong hand pulled her back into the kitchen against her protests and enveloped her into his chest. "Shush Nidhi please!" he said tenderly. She mumbled something like "U shut up!"into his chest. "u know wat I can do to u for wat u did to me?"she cried breaking the hug and wiping off her tears furiously. He nodded a sincere no! She got on her toes and bit him nastily on his shoulder! "Ouch!"he cried as he staggered back rubbing his shoulder"crazy girl.. r u out of ur senses!"he yelled. "This is for making me cry this way. U know I hate to cry. I have never sobbed this way in my entire life!"she cried. He felt overwhelmed with overbrimming emotions. He pulled her close and cupped her face overwhelmingly. His eyes deepened with desire as his lips inched towards hers with an urgent need. Nidhi felt tht overpowering need to kiss her rising in him as he grabbed her and came painfully close to her lips, bt he didn't! He successfully refrained himself from kissing her and turned away and rushed into the balcony to get some fresh breath of air and to cool his raging desires. Nidhi stood in her place feeling shocked, stunned, and hurt. She turned to kitchen top to pick up the water bottle. She gulped some water down her dry throat and thn closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. After a while, she walked upto him to offer him water. Ashutosh sighed and took the bottle to wet his throat! "Tell me everything or I m going to kill u!"she said. Ashutosh chuckled as his thots drifted back to the conversation tht turned an eye opener for him!

That day, he had went to inform his dad tht Nidhi had left him. His dad had erupted in anger,"I knew it. I knew tht girl was going to b nothing bt a menace! Marrying u off to tht girl was the biggest mistake of my life Ashutosh! I m glad tht u didn't fell for her charming deceptive ways! U know Ashutosh she was a wrong girl for u. Absolutely wrong! Jst like ur mother.." Ashutosh stared at him with a shock! "Deceiving, manipulative, selfish, and heavily opportunistic!" "Dad!"he cried. His father got up from the chair and came up to console him. "I know its hard to believe Ashutosh. U cared for her genuinely and thts was the only reason I was tolerating her! U thot she cud b ur real wife. I too took a pity on her coz she was an orphan and agreed to make her my daughter-in-law. Oh bt she married u jst for money Ashutosh. Otherwise why wud a girl agree readily to marry a man double her age! She had always her eyes on my money Ashutosh. Bt I guess her hopes dashed wen she learnt tht u wer adopted and an orphan too and u didn't have much rite in my company! And thts y I think she tried to instigate u against me Ashutosh!" Ashutosh rose up from his chair as he looked disbelievingly at his father. "oh she had been so ungrateful to her foster parents as well! She had jst bt disgraced thm! U know she is going to inherit some wealth from a distant relative of hers! And to inherit tht and to prove her pitiful condition as an orphan and tht she is not cared for by her foster parents properly, she started a job! Disgusting!" his father cried. "How did u know dad!"he asked. "oh I know Ashutosh.. bt foster Mom is clever enuf to not let tht go in her hands! She is going to give to Ritu and Rohan has already decided tht he is going to invest it in our company! Ritu is a fine example of how a daughter in law shud b. She thinks abt her family. Bt this Nidhi is completely moneyminded and very selfish Ashutosh! U remember the way she tried to squeeze money out of me! 50 k for shopping! Huh! only a fool wudnt get her intentions. Bt I had my faith on u my boy. U didn't let her have the money and I think tht enraged her. Ur blind faith in me enraged her Ashutosh and she wanted a revenge and thts y she tried to pit u against me! I think this whole attack incident is a sham Ashutosh! U don't know this girl. I have gotten her every little detail abt her Ashutosh. U wudnt believe wat a temptress she is! She is notorious for her wayward ways Ashutosh!" Ashtuosh's anger rose up sharply! "And I m sure tht this attacker was one of her men, her lover!"Ashutosh clenched his fists! "I know how outrageous this is and ur anger is justified Ashutosh. I think she plotted this whole incident so she cud turn u against me by gaining ur sympathy. She pretty well knew I wud never agree to file a complaint. U know she tried to blackmail me! She told me tht she wud file a complaint if I didn't relent to her wishes. She wanted me to give u half a share of this company! So tht later she can transfer it to her name" Ashutosh glared at him. How cud he speak such plain lie abt Nidhi! "And wen I didn't relent do u know wat ugly dirty plan she resorted to! She tried to dig up ur mother's past Ashutosh!" Ashutosh stared at him alarmingly,"how did u know dad?" "oh.. the day I confronted her abt tht police complaint, I got suspicious of her intentions. I employed a detective to spy on her!" "U employed a detective!"Ashutosh cried. "yes.. and thts wen I came to know Ashutosh tht she had been rummaging thru ur mother's belongings left in tht guesthouse. Bt I have thm in my custody now. I m sure she mst b filling ur head with lot of nonsense and questioning my intentions for ur mother! This past week tht u tended her so painstakingly; she went behind ur back to meet some old wretched friend of ur mother to plot something against me Ashutosh! Bt I shut tht wretched old lady's mouth with money! Oh! thy r jst same Ashutosh. And Nidhi is jst the same.. she is jst one of thm Ashutosh!" Ashutosh controlled his raging anger. If it hadn't been for his helpless state, if it hadn't been for the money tht he needed to give Nidhi a home or if he wasn't concerned abt Nidhi's safety, he wud have have confronted him right thn and thr for talking such foul thing abt Nidhi! Bt he knew wat he was capable of. And it wasn't prudent at all to confront him in his rage. He had to tackle him cleverly! "ur mother was jst the same Ashutosh." he continued,"She was also an ungrateful mean woman. She used me and Nidhi was using u! I know u r deeply hurt Ashutosh. I know and understand this betrayal! Bt she was not worth it! U try and forget her! Its good tht u haven't registered ur mrg yet! I can handle her if she goes to court! I m with u Ashutosh!" he grabbed his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "ur lab awaits u Ashutosh! Thr is no grtr a remedy thn work Ashutosh. Get back to it! Ur research project awaits u! We have a deadline of one month! Meanwhile, I will keep an eye on Nidhi!" "no dad.. thrs bt no need! We have all the proof and the police wudnt even listen to her! She will know soon tht she stands no chance. She will learn her lesson and if not, we will see wat we can do at tht time. Dad, please let me take care of things at her end by my own dad! It wud help me" he urged, his dad agreed, making Nidhi safeguard for the time being till he worked on his plan!

Tht nite Ashutosh cudnt sleep. His father's true face had been laid bare before him. He always knew he was a manipulative man, bt he had faith tht he wasn't a cheat. He cudnt b dishonest and deceitful in luving him the way he did to him as a child. It was hard for him to believe tht it all wasn't true! Tht thr was a grtr scheme behind his loving him! Bt now he dbtd tht! He dbted tht he even really cared for his wellbeing or was he jst an instrument to amass huge wealth! He had dedicated his whole life to a man who has lived nothing bt a deceit! And for wat.. for a life tht is as fake as plastic mask! For an identity tht was acquired inappropriately and build up on a false dignity and honor! It cudnt b his life! He cant b son of such deceitful man! His heart had ached and cried as his world shattered around him and it was only after talking to Nidhi tht he cud find some relief. Thr brief general conversation had provided him solace. Her resoluteness and self-belief encouraged him to fight back. Tht day when he took Nidhi to tht hill all the while he had kept telling himself tht he had to b the mountain tht stands tall on its feet and is undettered come wat may! Wen he had gazed at tht sky and its infiniteness, Nidhi's words had echoed in his head tht nothing is impossible! Thr r infinite possibilities jst as tht vast universe tht had still remained largely unexplored and tht it wud only take some guts to explore it! And he had long back decided on tht day itself wen he saw tht helplessness in Nidhi's eyes at not being able to file the complaint tht he was going stand by the truth. And for tht if he had to face the truth tht ugly bitter truth of his life, he wud. All he needed was the courage to go forward with his belief. Bt tht he wud try hard to convince his father as best as he cud before he took any drastic step, bt this one conversation had turned his world upside down!

Nidhi squeezed his hand gently to bring him out of his thots! "I have left him Nidhi!"he said,"forever!" "Bt..bt'"Nidhi was lost at words and a sudden fear grappled her mind at the thot of his uncertain future. "yes.. he has disowned me Nidhi..and I no longer carry his name after me!"he said. Nidhi gulped down. She breathed in deeply as she tried to put everything together in her mind. "bt ur.. job.. I mean.. ur job.." she cried. "bt of course I resigned before he cud kick me out! Actually he cudnt kick me out!"He smiled. Nidhi stared at him. "I learnt to b manipulative from my beautiful wife!" he said pinching at her cheeks. "Nidhi I knew he wud try to stop u or harm u the moment u filed the complaint so I deceived him into believing tht without my statement ur case wudnt stand a chance. And tht u will learn ur lesson of a bitter defeat! Nidhi..he was spying on u and I cudnt keep in touch with u after the complaint or he wud know tht I had testified against him! Later, I convinced him tht looking at the furore of the general public against such offenders like Daksh it was prudent to cooperate rather thn oppose coz it wud jst malign thr image more! And tht it mite turn out to b a beneficial thing aftr all after these initial hiccups, plus once the research project tht I was working on was a success, things wud fall in place and tht our market strength wud increase on goodwill! And to my advantage, even Rohan supported me! And thts how u remained safe and sound post complaint my dear wife!" he said. "Bt u cud've called me aftr tht, wer was the need to give me shock of my life?"she complained. He chuckled,"Nidhi.. bcoz I needed money to get deposit of this house. If dad had any sucipicion regarding my intentions, I wudnt have been able to carry on with my job and wudnt have been able to secretly squeeze out crucial and key information abt this research project safely. Nidhi remember once u said tht effectively it was I who was running this research department and without me, thy cannot function! I took advantage of the tht and I made him accept my resignation. He cleared out my gratuity and PF and salary without any fuss and in return I provided thm with the missing crucial information to register the patent! He was shocked and furious bt I made him accept this situation tht I no longer wanted to b a part of his life! And thnkfully, neither was Rohan nor was ur family interested in keeping me thr Nidhi! So here I am at mercy of my wife!" "huh!""Nidhi.. PF and gratuity wud take time. Bt I managed enuf to pay deposit for this place out of my salary bt I cannot pay its monthly rent and our household too wud b need to b run by u, my wife.. till I get a decent job!" "so can u take ur poor husband back in ur life? I will b a good househusband I promise!" he said. "No!"she said and turned away! "Wat.. y?"he cried following her. "first of all u didn't consult me before finalizing this house and tht garden is too small for my liking!" "huh!" "plus if the rent agreement is to b made in my name thn officially I m owner of the house and not the one who pays the deposit and I, the owner, doesn't need an unskilled servant who cant even cook!" she said and ran away giggling! "Wat!"he barked and ran after her,"u forget tht this house is too small to hide!" "and u forget mister tht I can bite!" she retorted as she moved around the house dodging him. Finally he caught her as she yelled and squealed playfully! "Say yes Nidhi!"he demanded. "u cant order me!"she retorted. "say yes or I wud b doing to u, wat I shudnt b doing!"he threatened. "and wat do u intend to dare?" A mischevious smile played on his lips as his eyes travelled over her lips teasingly. Nidhi's cheeks gathered a slight blush bt he cried lifting her up on his shoulder,"to throw u out of this balcony!" Nidhi squealed as she found herself carried into the balcony,"wat did u thot?" he asked mischeviously as he placed her back on the ground. Some faces peeked in thru the adjacent balconies hearing thr noise. Nidhi reddened in embarrassment! "v r going to b bad neighbors!"she cried.