FF: The Beautiful and the Condemned (Completed) - Page 28

Varun came running through the halls of Tejawat Haveli searching for thakur-sa. He carried an unidentifiable object wrapped in a red cloth, which he held against his chest. His two week limit was up today and he still had some money left to pay back. The bundle in his hand was the last amount the he was able to scrummage before the deadline met. He hoped it was enough. Varun ran through the back door and found Tejawat sitting out in the backyard, reading the morning paper. His two bodyguards stood by the chair he was sitting in. One of them saw Varun coming towards them. He bent down and whispered something in thakur-sa's ear, causing him to put his paper down and acknowledge Varun's presence. Varun stopped in front of Tejawat, trying to catch his breath.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Tejawat said. "It's been a few days since I'd last seen you around here. I'm assuming you have come up with the money, knowing you value your life dearly."

Varun handed a bodyguard the bundle wrapped in red, "Here's the last little bit I could scrounge up."

The bodyguard opened the bundle and checked it's contents. It was just stacks of money. He handed it to Tejawat, who carefully counted each and every note twice. Varun stood there, waiting for thakur-sa to give him his final verdict. But the longer the silence went, the more nervous Varun got. Thakur-sa's expression hadn't changed at all. His lips remained in a fine line as he looked back from the money to Varun.

Tejawat finally looked to his guards and said, "Kill him."

Varun's eyes popped out of his sockets as he slowly began backing away, "What? But thakur-sa...we had a deal! I...I paid you back. All 80 lakh!"

"These rupees are counterfeit! Who are you trying to fool? I spent my younger years counterfeiting money and I know the difference between a real rupee and a fake one!"

"Thakur-sa, please let me explain! If you give me one more day I will come up with the money!"

"This is the last time you play games with Thakur Param Singh Tejawat!"

One bodyguard grabbed Varun and kneed him, causing him to fall to the ground. He was now on the ground with his hands held behind his back. The other bodyguard pulled a gun out from under his kurta and pointed it at Varun's head. Varun tried breaking free, but it was no use, the guards were ten times stronger than he was. Even if he tried to escape, Tejawat's men would surround the haveli, preventing him from getting out alive. He realized that this was it. He shouldn't have tried to fool Tejawat. Once bitten, twice shot, as they always say.

The sound of a single gunshot resounded through the haveli. The men working inside the home didn't even look away from their work. They continued on as always. The two bodyguards wiped the splattered blood from their face and clothes, then looked at Tejawat to hear what further instructions they had. Thakur-sa ordered them to clean up the bloody mess, dispose of the body properly, and take the fake money along with them. The bodyguards began doing as they were told while Tejawat sat back down in his seat. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number. Now that Varun was gone, he had one more lose end to finish.

~

Rudra had awoken to the sound of a phone call. He was fast asleep on his bed, his limbs sprawled to completely cover the bed. The ringing sound caused him to awaken. He cursed whoever was calling under his breath. He looked at the time on his clock. It was six in the morning. He would've given whoever had called a piece of his mind if he hadn't looked at the caller ID. It was Tejawat. Rudra sat up and answered the phone.

He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, "Yes thakur-sa."

"Varun couldn't repay his debt," Tejawat stated. "He's dead."

Rudra was now wide awake. He immediately comprehended why Tejawat had called. His heart pounded in his chest.

"Kill Parvati and dispose of her properly," Tejawat ordered.

The line went dead, but Rudra still kept the phone to his ear. Slowly, he dropped the phone. The day had finally come. Thakur-sa had finally given the order to kill Paro. Rudra's heart was beating out of his chest. Kill Paro? So soon? Well, it wasn't soon. Two weeks had passed by, and the deadline was two weeks. He had been expecting this, but now that the time had come, he was backing down.

He got out of bed and stealthily opened the floor doors and crept down into the cellar where Parvati was sleeping. Rudra hadn't chained her up the last few days. The element of trust established between them paved a path for them. He refused to chain her up, and she refused to run away. After that day, Rudra found himself smiling more often, but only when she was smiling. She began disclosing more of her past to him, and in return he did the same. He told her more about his parents than he had with anyone else. Even during the bitter parts, Parvati sat by him, comforting and reassuring him that everything was okay. He now knelt down to look at her fast asleep on the ground. She was wearing one of the other outfits he had given her: A pink ghagra, a black choli, and pink dupatta.

Even in her sleep, she was smiling. Strands of her hair barely touched her lips, blocking the view of her soft petals. Rudra carefully moved the strands away, and Parvati flashed her teeth at him but did not fully wake up. Unconsciously, her hand grabbed onto his. Rudra felt his breath hitch. In the last few days, Parvati had made a place in his life. He liked having her around. Her presence seemed to make everything better. His heart was dreading the idea that she would be no more. He began thinking that maybe if he talked to Tejawat, then maybe he could find a way to keep Paro alive and...

He was weaving dreams. Rudra shook himself back to reality. Tejawat was right, women would bring down even the strongest man. How could he even think about going against thakur-sa's order? Parvati didn't mean anything. She never meant anything. She was a prisoner who was destined to die by his hand from the very beginning. He took a deep breath and forced the jallad to awake. Rudra got his hand out of Paro's grip and went to the weapon's table. He grabbed his gun and screwed on the silencer. He then loaded the bullets and went back to the sleeping beauty, oblivious of the fact that Death was creeping over her like a shadow.

He aimed that gun at her forehead, right in the center between the eyes. With one shot, she would be death. It would be quick and painless. She deserved that much. It was just one shot. That's all he needed to do...take one shot. He looked down at the innocent woman sleeping. Memories of them together flashed in front of him like lightning. Each one more imprinting than the last. Rudra found his hand beginning to shake and his eyes beginning to sting with unshed tears. Her words slicing his heart and breaking his determination.

"Paro. That's what everyone calls me."

"Why didn't I die with them?"

"Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"Rudra?"

"Rudra."

"Don't call yourself a jallad, Rudra."

"I trust you Rudra."

"I trust you."

"Even if it's just for a little while, please smile..."

Rudra dropped to his knees. He slammed his fist into the concrete ground. He couldn't kill Paro. He cared about her. She mattered to him. Both the human and jallad agreed with this fact. He couldn't go against thakur-sa's orders. But, how could he kill the only person that mattered to him? That ever meant anything to him? The one person who was able to tame the jallad and understand the real Rudra'?

Rudra got up and walked out of the cellar, taking the gun along with him. He didn't want the vile instrument anywhere near Parvati. In a heated rage he did the only thing he could do. He marched into the kitchen and opened a cabinet near the sink. He pulled out a glass and a large bottle of liquor. He quickly filled his glass to the brim and gulped it down. Rudra paused for a minute, took a few deep breaths, and refilled his glass before gulping it down again. In one hour, he chugged half the bottle down. He felt his senses blurring. He staggered around his home, glass in one hand, liquor in the other. He cursed himself for ever caring about Paro. It was because of her that he was so conflicted. He wished he'd never met her. Then the mere thought of not having her in his life made Rudra sick to his stomach, and not because of the alcohol. Why was he forced into such a situation? In anger he threw the glass against the wall, causing it to shatter and fall to the ground in pieces.

The crashing sound woke Parvati up instantly. She sat up and looked around, thinking that Rudra was in the cellar. But he wasn't there. She saw the cellar doors were open and Rudra's shadow suggested that he was pacing back and forth. Wondering what was wrong, Parvati jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs. Rudra was pacing like a predatory lion waiting for his prey to arrive. She saw the bottle in his hand and then looked to the broken pieces of glass on the ground. He had been drinking. But why?

"Rudra?" she said. "What is going on?"

Rudra halted and turned around to look at her. For the first time, she saw his eyes filling with unshed tears. It immediately concerned her and she ran to him, "Rudra what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?"

"You," he gritted through his teeth. "It's all because of you."

He pushed her away roughly, causing her to stumble back in shock.

"It's all because of you! Why did you have to come into my life! Why did you have to start trusting me and caring about me! How dare you try to tame this jallad!"

"Rudra I-."

"Shut up! Just shut up! I didn't say you could speak!"

Parvati zipped her lips as he continued.

"I don't even know what is right and what is wrong anymore! And it's all your fault! Thakur-sa was right. Women can bring down even the strongest men. They make us weak! You've made me weak! You have no right! I should've let thakur-sa kill you when I had the chance. God, I wish I had never met you!"

Those last words stung Parvati. She hadn't expected him to say something like that to her. The distance between them had lessened in the last few days, but what he said made her feel like he catapulted her back to square one. The tears that were gone from his eyes appeared in hers. Rudra, who was huffing and puffing after his fiery declaration, suddenly realized what he had said. He was overwhelmed with pain and guilt as he took in Parvati's hurt look. Her small, dainty hands were clenched at her sides. The effort to not break down was etched on her face, and that smile, which had been practically plastered on her face for the passed few days, had vanished. What had he done?

Rudra clumsily tossed the bottle to the ground and stumbled towards her. He took her face in between his hands and gently caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. She noticed him swaying as he tried to remained balanced. Paro held him by the collar of his white kurta to stabilize him, but never broke eye contact.

Although his words slightly slurred, he spoke in a much gentler voice, "I didn't mean it, Paro."

She remained silent.

"I would never let thakur-sa hurt you. I don't regret you entering my life. Every time I try to convince myself otherwise, I feel sick. It's like, my world is about to come crashing down if I ever think of that happening."

Before realizing what was happening, Rudra pulled Paro into his arms and held her close. She stood there with her hands by her side, stunned. His weight was suddenly becoming more than she could bare. She began stumbling back against the wall. Parvati grabbed onto him and pushed some of her weight on him, so they were balanced. She could tell her was passing out, and fast.

"Rudra," she said. "Rudra, look at me."

He slowly pulled away and looked at her dazed, "Hm?"

"Come on, you need to lie down."

Parvati held onto his arm as they slowly walked to the bed. Rudra dropped down on it and immediately sprawled his limbs. He was in a deep slumber within seconds. She quietly adjusted his pillows and covered him with a blanket before sitting with her back against the headboard and leaning down to pat his head like a child. In his own way, Rudra had apologized to her. He didn't regret her being there in his life. But what was the cause of the sudden outburst? His words had nicked her heart, and she wondered what caused such a drastic change in him. She didn't think she had done anything wrong. Maybe there was some pent up rage towards her that he was trying to get out. But then he acted to tenderly towards her. In the last few days, he had been caring and honest with her. Why was there now a sudden distance between them?

She had thought that Rudra wanted her to stay, but did he really? Or did he, deep down, want her gone? Was she projecting her desires on him? Parvati didn't want to leave. With Rudra, she felt safe. She felt happy. She felt...wanted. But it was possible that he didn't feel the same.

Paro leaned her head back against the headboard, closed her eyes, and whispered to the only one who was listening, "Hai Bholenath, I just want Rudra to be happy. Am I making the right decision by staying here? I wish I had a sign to tell me that what I'm doing is right."

Bholenath's answer came from Rudra. Parvati opened her eyes, only to have them widen as she saw Rudra move his head to her lap and wrap his arms around her waist possessively. Her heartbeat went up to her ears. As she tried to get out of his grip, he pulled her closer to him, snuggling his head against her. Even in his sleep he seemed angry. The frown lines were visible on his forehead. She could feel that he was still on his guard, like any warrior. Knowing Rudra wouldn't let her go any time soon, Parvati let out a sigh and began stroking his head, gently running a hand through his soft black hair.

She could feel his grip loosen. The frown lines disappeared as an expression of content painted his face. He continued to sleep. Parvati saw his lips moving, as if he was trying to say something. She moved her hair to one side of her face so it wouldn't tickle him. She leaned down and listened to what he was mumbling.

With each breath Rudra released, he softly murmured, "Paro...P-Paro...Paro..."

Parvati would never be able to explain to Rudra how she felt when he had called her name. She would never be able to convey her gratefulness to Bholenath for giving her her answer. She would never be able to tell Rudra how her eyes filled with tears of happiness that threatened to spill on his face. She would never tell him that she softly whispered his name over and over while she lovingly stroked his head. Parvati would never be able to tell him that it was that moment that she had lost her heart and soul to him.

Because it was in that day that Parvati realized she had fallen in love with Rudra Pratap Ranawat.

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