Parvati stood at the foot of the bed while her husband paced around, trying to control his anger. She was upset with him for behaving so rudely with Gaurav. He had helped her from falling, and in return Rudra shoved him away harshly and threatened him. She knew what he must've been thinking, but she waited for him to speak to her.
Rudra finally stood in front of Paro and said, "I don't want Gaurav here. I want him out of the house by tomorrow morning."
"Major Saab," she said. "He hasn't done anything wrong. I tripped and he saved me from falling."
"I don't want anyone touching you Paro! He had his hands all over you!"
"No he didn't! Gaurav would never do something like that!"
"I just saw him with my own eyes!"
"You misunderstood the situation!"
"So are you going to ask him to leave or not?"
"No."
"No?!"
"No."
Rudra couldn't believe what she was saying! She was defending Gaurav, rather than supporting her husband. Paro didn't even budge; she was standing her ground. He saw the look of determination in her eyes and knew she wouldn't change her mind. Rudra wasn't going to back down, but he knew that if he stayed with her in the same room for one more minute, he would end up saying something that would hurt her. So, he barged out of their room and made his way up to the rooftop.
The cool night breeze began calming the fire in Rudra. He didn't want to be angry, but seeing Gaurav touch Paro didn't settle well with him. But then again, no man would like it if some other man was touching his wife. Rudra stood staring at the night sky, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't want to fight with Paro, but he didn't want another man trying to get close to her. He was sure that if Gaurav made another attempt to do so, he would put a bullet through his skull.
Rudra was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the man he didn't want to see walk up next to him. A few moments ago, Gaurav had gone to explain to him what had happened. He saw the Major storm out of his room and head up to the rooftop. When he glanced in the room, he saw Paro sitting on the bed wiping the tears from her face. Gaurav knew he had to talk to Rudra. Ever since they first met, he knew the Major didn't like him. He could feel it as the silent daggers in his glare stabbed him. Paro may have spoken to her husband about him, but Gaurav knew she didn't tell him everything. That was something he was going to have to do, man-to-man, face-to-face. If he didn't, Rudra would most likely try to kill him. It was better he heard it from him than someone else. Gaurav knew he had to reduce the tension between them, at least for Paro's sake. Rudra had taken what he saw the wrong way and now it was his job to clear the misunderstanding.
Gaurav, with his hands in the pockets of his white kurta, looked up at the sky as he spoke to Rudra, "We need to talk."
Rudra looked at him and answered, "You need to leave. The only reason you're still breathing is because I care about Paro, and she wouldn't forgive me if I hurt you."
"That's why we need to talk. It's about her. I think you should hear this from me rather than someone else."
Rudra looked back up at the sky, "Speak."
Gaurav took a deep breath, "When we were younger, I did love Parvati."
Rudra stared at him angrily, but Gaurav continued speaking without looking at him.
"When we were younger I did love her. A lot. I used to follow her around and ask about her all the time from Mami-sa. When Paro used to play with Pia, I would join them just to be around her. It was like that for a few years. I even threatened to marry her if she got me angry enough."
The Major wondered why he was telling him all of this. Was he asking to get hit?
As if reading his mind, Gaurav said, "I'm telling you this because I know she never told you. She never thought of me as anything more than a friend, and I accepted that. I promised her that I would be there for her like I am for Pia. Sometimes I wished she'd love me, but I knew it was never possible. Whether you like it or not, Rudra, I will always care about her. It's in my nature, but I will NEVER try to take more than what I'm destined to have. I know you don't trust people, being a BSD Major and everything, but I swear on Parvati that I haven't been trying to come between you two, nor will I ever try to."
Rudra had now calmed significantly after hearing those words from Gaurav. He did love Paro, but she never loved him and he was never going to force himself on her, but he would always care for her like he did for Pia. Rudra stared at the man next to him for a long time, contemplating something.
In a calm voice, Rudra inquired, "Did you ever tell anyone you loved her?"
"Just Pia," Gaurav replied. "I tell her everything."
"Did you ever tell Paro?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Gaurav finally looked at Rudra. In his eyes, the Major saw an unspoken sadness. There was great sense of control that was masking the pain within those eyes. Rudra was surprised to see such a look on Gaurav's face. He was taken aback, but continued to look at him, curious to know the answer.
A faint smile appeared on Gaurav's lips as he said, "You know how she looks at you with those eyes filled with love? How she looks at you like you're all that matters to her? How she stares at you, almost into your soul, in hopes that it will intertwine with hers?"
Rudra slowly nodded.
"I saw her look at you like that when we first met at the BSD. I've only been in this haveli for a day, but I can see it. Whenever you're around Paro, she looks at you that way because you're the most precious thing in her life." Gaurav paused, "...In all my years with her I never saw her look at me...the way she looks at you."
Rudra stared at Gaurav, unable to come up with the right words. He tried to say something, but he was incapable of speaking. The pained look of Gaurav's face expressed more than he ever could have. In that moment of silence, Rudra knew he judged him wrong.
Gaurav continued, "I spent my younger days waiting for the day she would tell me she loved me, but that day never came. I gave up on Paro when I left for Mumbai. I figured that destiny would play its game if it wanted us together. I love her, but not the way you love her. I love her like I love Pia. We weren't meant to be together. Paro was always meant to be yours, Rudra."
Rudra found himself still unable to say anything. Respect for Gaurav flooded his heart. He had been so wrong about him. Not all people were bad, and the proof was right before him. Under Gaurav's quiet and playful disposition lay a mature and wise man. This was something he failed to realize. After ages of silence, Rudra finally admitted what he had been thinking, "I was wrong about you."
Gaurav raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"I was wrong to think that you were trying to take Paro from me. I just saw you touch her and I went blind with rage. I guess I was just-."
"Jealous?"
Rudra nodded.
"If I was in your position, I would've done the same thing."
Gaurav's honesty and care was so visible in his eyes that Rudra felt his defensive walls crumble.
"You should go talk to Paro. I saw her crying."
Rudra nodded and quietly walked back inside the haveli, to Paro. He found her sitting on the bed, looking down at her hands. He closed the door behind him and approached her slowly. He could hear her sniffling. Gaurav was right, she had been crying. She hadn't noticed his arrival until he sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. Paro looked at him, tears streaking her cheeks. Yet, Rudra's guilty expression was still visible to her.
"Forgive me," Rudra said softly.
Parvati didn't respond.
"I talked with Gaurav."
"Did you ask him to leave?"
"No. We just talked. I realized I judged him wrong. I still don't care for him around you, but I understand that he doesn't have any bad intentions. He's...not as bad as I thought he was."
"So...he and Pia can stay?"
Rudra nodded, "Do you forgive me now?"
"Yes."
He gave her a small smile as he gently caressed her cheeks, wiping away the tear streaks from them. Paro held onto the hands that held her face so lovingly. Talking to Gaurav had calmed Rudra down greatly. He needed it. There was so much he didn't understand, and he thought Paro was hiding it from him. But the truth was she didn't know about Gaurav's feelings. Gaurav had kept everything bottled up inside, and had finally shared it with him, the husband of the woman he once loved. He pulled Paro close. He didn't want to fight with her, but their emotions got the better of them. Rudra received forgiveness in the form of a feather-like kiss on his lips. At that moment, nothing else mattered but Paro. His Paro.
Gaurav had made his way down from the rooftop about an hour later. It was almost midnight. He felt a burden lift off his shoulders after he had spoken to Rudra. He no longer felt like he was the Major's enemy. The fog of misunderstanding seemed to have cleared between them as Gaurav courageously told Rudra his truth about Parvati. It took guts, but he knew he had to or else the Major would never trust him. Hopefully tomorrow would bring them one step closer to a mutual friendship.
He was heading towards the kitchen to get some water when he heard a soft clanking sound coming from the dining room. Gaurav slowly crept towards it to find Pia sitting at the dining table with a bowl of kheer in front of her. She had just filled her spoon with some and had it halfway to her mouth when she saw Gaurav standing next to her with his arms crossed. Like a child who had just been caught with their hand in a cookie jar, Pia's eyes grew wide.
She smiled nervously, "Bhai...what are you doing up so late?"
"I could ask you the same thing," he glanced at the bowl in front of her. "Really, Pia? Kheer? This late?"
"Please bhaiya? I haven't had it in so long."
He sighed at sat down in the chair next to her, "Fine, but you have to sleep after this. We have a long day tomorrow."
Pia smiled and nodded, "Okay."
"I talked to Rudra."
"And?"
"I told him the truth, about how I felt about Paro."
"...And you're still living?"
"I explained everything, and I think he and I came to a mutual understanding."
"Well, I hope so. But only time will tell I suppose."
As she continued eating, Gaurav smiled watching her. He hadn't seen Pia so happy in a long time. He hoped that it would last awhile. Maybe these two weeks in the Ranawat Haveli will be good for her. However, he couldn't forget about the reason they were even in Chandangarh. And she couldn't forget even if she wanted to. Gaurav's face suddenly lost its smile. Pia, who had just finished eating, looked at her brother happily, only to have her smile disappear upon seeing his stern look.
"Have you told Paro yet?" he asked seriously.
"No I haven't had a chance to," she replied.
"Are you going to talk to her?"
"I don't know. I want to tell her, but I don't want her getting involved."
"I think you need to talk to someone besides me about this. Maybe she will help you with this too."
"Bhai, I don't think this is something she should get involved in. If she knew anything she would've said something. Keeping secrets is not in her nature."
"Okay, but we need to talk to someone. We need someone who knows their way around Chandangarh."
Pia thought for a minute before she jumped as an idea came in her head, "What about Rudra?"
"I don't know if he'll help us," Gaurav said hesitantly.
"If there is anyone that can help us then it's him."
"Pia, if we ask him to help us, you will have to tell him everything. And I mean everything. Are you going to be able to?"
"I don't have a choice. We need his help. I need his help. If I have to tell him everything then so be it, but...I need to know the truth."
**********
I know I left you on an interesting note. What truth are they talking about? Why do they need Rudra's help? We will find out in the next chapter!
Thanks for reading! Leave your comments and feedback below!
Anupamaa
