Hi everyone. 🤗
Just wrote an OS on Vansh and Riddhima waking up after her drunken escapade last night. Do read and give me your thoughts. 😳
About Last Night
Riddhima opened bleary eyes to blinding sunlight streaming in from the open windows. She squinted against the harshness of it as a pounding headache made its presence known, beating a dull drum of annoyance that almost had her curling back under the covers. She tried to cover her eyes but found her right hand captured in solid warmth. Her husband was leaning against the headboard of the bed, watching her struggle in amusement even as he refused to let go of her hand.
“Good morning, Mrs. Vansh Raisinghania. Lagta hai badi gehri neend ayi thi kal raat tumhe,” he said with a smirk.
“Vansh,” Riddima stammered, “ mera haath chhodo.”
Vansh responded by pulling her hand closer. “Poori raat mera haath pakar ke kaati hai tumne. Itni aasani se toh nahin chodunga. Pehle yeh batao, pichli baar ki tarah mujhe yahaan dekh ke khud bed se girne ka plan toh nahin hai na tumhara?”
His wife gaped at him with wide eyes. Her hung over brain had just caught up with her and she’d realised that they had been sharing the same bed. She sprung up, snatching her hand away in embarrassment and proceeded to get up. But the world tilted before her eyes and she felt those solid hands again, this time on her shoulders, steadying her as she sat back on the bed.
“Pehle bhi kaha hai, mere bed pe kaante nahin hai. Side table pe lemon water rakha hai. Usse khatam karo pehle, jaise kal raat Ishaani ki vodka bottle khatam ki thi tumne,” he ordered her.
Riddhima picked the glass up obediently, thinking it wise to obey her tricky husband especially when her fuzzy brain had little to no idea what she had done or said the previous night after drinking that awfully bitter water. Her curious gaze followed him as he moved away to rummage in the cupboard before returning to kneel before her.
Vansh showed her the tablet in his hand. “Dawai hai tumhari headache ke liye. Khao.”
This order too she followed quietly and tried to ignore the way the sun had cast a golden halo around her handsome husband’s frame. “Kal raat...kal raat kya hua?”
“Yeh poocho kya nahin hua,” replied her husband. “Tumne mere liye meethi bhaat banayi aur mujhe khilane ke jagah khud khatam kar gayi saara khaana.”
“Sorry,” she breathed softly. “Mujhe pata hi nahin chala kab main aise....I mean pehle kabhi drink nahin kiya hai maine....pehli baar....sorry.”
“Maafi maagne ki zaroorat nahin. Kal raat tumhare banaye hue khaane ke ilaya kuch aisi cheezein bhi thi jinme bhot mithas thi,” said Vansh obliquely. “Mera pet ussi se bhar gaya.”
For a few moments she just stared at him in surprise, understanding his back handed compliment and internally fighting against the redness suffusing her cheeks even further. But by now her thoughts had cleared up and with glaring clarity came a frightening revelation. Kabir was here....no...Kabir is here....pretending to be Mr. DSR, the wedding planner. Her hands shook and Vansh grabbed the glass from her hand before she dropped it.
“Aisi aadat mat daalo, Riddhima,” said Vansh.
“Huh? Kaisi aadat?”
“Har baat pe meri zaroorat par jaane ki aadat.” His words held more meaning than they should. “Mere na hone pe khudko kaise sambhalogi?”
Riddhima finally got up in an effort to put distance between them. She didn’t want him looking too closely lest he figure out that she had more on her mind than just her drunken escapade.
“Aadatein bohot wafadaar hoti hai,” said her husband. “Ek baar lag jaye toh bohot mushkil se saath chhodti hai. Aur kuch aadatein aise bhi hai jo chhutne ke baad bhi apna asar chhod jaate hai zindagi bhar ke liye.”
“Mujhe aisi koi aadat nahin,” she denied. To him or to herself, she wasn’t sure.
Vansh smiled in amusement. “Toh phir mujhe hi aadat par rahi hai tumhari har kadam pe tumhare saath chalne ki, chahe woh kadam khushi se tumne liye ho ya koi musibat mein.”
She turned away to select clothes from her cupboard. She had to talk to Kabir and convince him to leave VR Mansion. It was too unsafe for both of them and she was still unsure how he thought he was helping her by scaring her with those ridiculous gifts. In the light of this new day, a few things were becoming more clearer than they had ever been.
First, Kabir had deviated from their plan. Second, as much as he pretended that he had been joking, she had not missed the derisive tone as he had blamed her for loosing track of the mission. Third, he had intentionally used their past and her emotions to play a game of cat and mouse with her. Fourth, she no longer believed that Vansh was a murderer but she was beginning to see that Kabir had some sort of unhealthy obssession with getting her husband convicted. And lastly...well, if she chose to deny his softly spoken question....that one word....if she wanted to avoid that complication until she absolutely couldn’t, how could he blame her after pushing her into this mess himself? And how did he think that things could go back to being the same as they were in the past once everything was over?
‘Jo Riddhima tumhare ishq ki keemat ada karne yaha ayi thi, woh apna farz nahin bhuli hai,’ she thought to herself. ‘Par mujhe kaise pata hota ki mere andar ek Riddhima aisi bhi hai jiska wajood ab Vansh se jud gaya hai. Lagta hai jaise tumhare ishq ki keemat chukate huye main ek aisi aag se guzri hu jisne ne mere andar kuch jala ke raakh kar diya hai. Tumse itne dino baad milne ke baad bhi tumhari maujudgi se mujhe sirf darr mehsoos hua. Khud ke andar jhakne se bhi main aaj darr rahi hoon....agar tumhara yeh ishq sach hai toh phir mujhe yeh apna sach kyun nahin lag raha.’
So lost she was in her her own thoughts that when Vansh put her hand on her back, she jumped in surprise. He gently pushed her aside to pull a light blue saree out and closed her side of the cupboard.
“Yeh pehen lo,” came the new order.
Riddhima blinked and accepted the garment. And then all thoughts of Kabir left her head as her husband held her cheeks to peer into her soul with his dark gaze. She could not prove it but she sometimes felt that this was not the husband she had married on that terrible day. This was some other Vansh being so concerned about her, just as she was some other Riddhima who could no longer bear to think of him as a murderer.
“Tum theek to ho?” he asked softly.
She nodded. But in her mind she could only think, ‘Nahin. Jo pehle sach tha woh ab ateet ke bure sapne jaisa lag raha hai aur jisse sach nahi hona chahiye woh mere itne kareeb aane pe bhi mujhe sirf sukoon milta hai. Main tumse bohot kuch poochna chahti hu Vansh, aur khud apne baare mein bohot kuch kehna chahti hu ab. Par humare beech jo yeh naazuk pal bante hai, pata nahin kyun inhe khone ka darr mujhe sataane laga hai.’
Finally she mustered enough courage to speak. “Ek baat poonchu?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Main mana karun to tum nahin poochhogi?”
Her spine straightened and she stepped away from him. All this nearness was not good for her sanity. She had to keep her wits about herself if she wanted to handle this man. “Maine tumhari jaan bachaayi aur pool se mujhe bahar nikaal ke tumne meri jaan bachayi. Humare beech ab koi karz nahin hai. Toh phir kyun aise aadat kharab kar rahe ho, khudki bhi aur meri bhi? Hum dono jaante hai ki humare beech kuch normal nahin hai.”
“Normal kisse kehte hai mujhe pata nahin,” said Vansh. “Mujhe bas itna pata hai ki tumhara khayal rakhna chahta hu. Ateet se aage badh kar tumhare saath aaj mein jeena chahta hu.”
“Ateet se nazrein milana zaroori hota hai warna woh aaj pe haavi ho sakhte hai,” she told him.
“Aisa kuch hai nahin jo meri nazron se bach jaye aur aisa kuch main hone nahin doonga jo humare aaj ko badal de.” Her capricious husband then smirked. “Subah subah bohot baatein karli lekin kaam ki baat ki nahin tumne.”
“Matlab?”
“Matlab kal saari raat bhukhe pet tumhare nakhrein uthaye hain maine. Kal raat tumpe karz hai mera. Kaise chukaogi?”
Riddhima considered his words warily. “Fair enough. Main bhi karz rakhne mein believe nahin karti. Kya chahiye tumhe?”
“Tumne khud pe jo rok laga rakhi hai, usse tod do.” Vansh gently closed in on his timid wife and laid a finger softly on the corner of her lips. “Yaha.....theek yahan.... kal raat kuch aisa khila tha jo bohot khoosorat tha. Usse phirse dohorane ka mann kare toh khud ko ijaazat de dena. Yahi mere karz ki keemat hai.”
Riddhima stared after him as he picked his cellphone and left the room. She touched the place where his finger had been and gradually a beautiful smile bloomed on her face. For a long minute she stared at herself in the mirror and then came to a decision.
“Yeh karz bhi chuka dungi, Vansh,” she told herself. “Par tumhari zindagi mein chhal se aane ka karz kaise chukau main? Ab humare aaj ko samajhne ke liye, mujhe Raagini ka sach jaan na hi hoga. Kyunki Kabir peeche nahin hatega aur main bhi zimmedaar hu usse badhava dene ke liye. Isse pehle ke woh phirse koi hadd par karein, main khud tumhari begunaahi ke saboot dhoondke usse dungi. Shayad tab tumhare aur mere beech koi karz ka naata na rahe, bus rahe toh......”
Riddhima shied away from saying more. She wasnt ready to speak that out aloud. Not yet.
——END—-
Thats all. Thanks for reading. :)
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