Part 3
Pallavi side glanced the aged man sitting beside her for the hundredth time in the past times. She had started to have these super wierd feelings since he made himself confortable beside her. Everytime his shoulder brushed with hers the tingling sensation would arrive back but she had no idea why. Technically this man was around the age of her father, then why so wierd. She shrugged the thought trying to not think about wither of this man or the man she left behind on the road, her husbans, Raghav. After the entire revelation of what lead to this deal wedding broke her so bad because somewhere closer to her heart she had started to beleive in him and then he just flipped. She got the idea of his anger, hell even she would be angry if her sister and mother were in line of mistreatment but she atleast expected a little trust from him. A little confrontation where they could have just talked this indifference and misunderstanding between them. She would have helped him out too but alas he just chose the jerk Ragahv Rao style over sanity.
Ragahv was enjoying the looks on his wife's face as if she was trying to decipher something at one moment and then anger in next moment as if she was cursing someone. Well he knew the curses were surely for him and he understood her point of view too. It was stupid of him to never have trusted his gutt and heart when it shouted him to trust her. And he knew that somewhere these small doings he had been doing to get her forgiveness were not enough but it was just so new to him. All these feelings when she was closer to him. The feeling which always encouranged him to grab her hand whenever she was beside him and never let go. He had made himself aware of the fact that it was all because she was now his priority or was it just this?
Pallavi was tired as hell from before and it was just 7 in the evening. The bus was mostly empty as expected so she thought maybe a small nap wouldn't affect her , also this nap might keep her awake at night just so she could keep herself and her luggage secure like a watchman. In no time her eyes gave up and her head too slipped to the man beside her as she made herself comfortable.
"Isko kya hua?" Raghav's heart jumped with concern. Had she fainted again but the light breathing from her confirmed that she was just asleep.
'Lagta hai so gaya hai. Ab merese 24*7 aise ladega toh thakega hi." he chuckled putting her head more comfortably on his shoulder.
The light touch broke her sleep as Pallavi was super conscious of her environment even in her sleep.
'Oh sorry uncle pata hi nahin chala kab aankh lag gayi. Aapko koi pareshani toh nahi hui na." she asked being apologetically.
Raghav smirked as an idea popped in his head but he missed her closeness beside her and now she sat a little far from him.
"Lagta hai beta tum kaafi thak gayi ho?" he asked playing his first card.
'Han shayad thora sa." she chuckled in reply.
"Lagta hai tumhara pati tumse bada kaam karwata hai?" he asked trying not to sound suspicious.
"apko kaise pata main shaadi-. Oh sindoor aur mangalsutra." she slapped her head lightly. It was knew to her that people understood her as a bride as she never got this chance previously.
"Apko koi idea nahin hai ki woh kaisa hai." she felt at ease talking to this man maybe because she missed talking to her aai and baba sharing her misery. Maybe?
"Itna bura hai kya?" Raghav asked suspiciously very interested in knowing her thoughts about him.
"Bura nahin hai bass high maintenance hai." she giggled, "Bahut ladta hai mujhse." she replied.
"Ladta hai toh isme bura kya hai. Ladte toh sab hai." he side ganced her making sure he wasn't crossing any boundaries.
"Problem uski ladai se nahin usme toh mujhe bhi maza aata hai.Lekin uski harkaten itni zyada irritating hai ki kya bataun. Jab dekho main The Ragahv Rao. Mujhse dangerous koi nahin. Main don hai. Yahi bolta rehta hai aur ab dekho shaadi ke baad bhigi billi bana hua hai."she explained in mischif remembering how she irritated him for the keys after their wedding.
"Tum Raghav Rao ka biwi hai?" he asked since he was liking the talks between them. He hated when she felt silent with him ignoring him. He loved their rants and fights too.
"Badkismati se haan. Agar woh mujhpe thora sa bharosa karta na toh shayad na hoti. Shayad hum apni life main khush hote. Alag Alag apni sahi jagah par." she smiled sadly, "Main bhi kya faltu ki baaton se aapko pareshaan kar rahi hoon. Aap kuch khayenge?" she asked like an obedient school girl.
"Nahin mereko-" he started to refuse but as soon as the smell of food from the container hit his nostrils his stomach growled. This was her smeel. the smell of food she cooked when he was at the orphanage as Ramaswami. He never got to taste her cooked food after that since the scenarios in their life went bizarre but he wasn't gonna miss the opportunity now.
She handed him a box of poha while she kept the other one for herself.
"Tumko pehle se bata tha ki tum merese milega?" Raghav asked.
"Ji?"
"Woh tum 2 dabba laya hai." he pointed at the big 2 containers.
"Achcha yeh woh-' Pallavi didn't wanted to accept that she got another conatiner packed for Ragahv but forgot to leave it in the car for him but this was a stranger who wouldn't go and tell ragahv and boost his ego right?
"Yeh woh bass kisi aur ke liye tha. Socha tha usko dedungi par bhool gayi." she replied smiling while eating her own looking at the scenery outside.
Raghav understood who she meant this for and smiled at his wife's concern. He was sure that she was gonna forgive him one day soon, all he had to do was try harder to make this relationship that he formed in hatred to work like a normal one.
Since the previous nap never lasted Pallavi felt her eyes give up as she slept peacefully after consuming her medicines. Raghav kept her head on his shoulder careful enough to not wake her up this time as he too kept his head on hers drifting off to sleep keeping her closer to him under the shawl just the way he likes it.
A few hours of deep sleep later Pallavi woke up to something soft. Looking around she felt unfamiliar with the enviroment. It felt like a hotel room where she layed on a soft bed. A state of panic strucked her mind as she felt scared of what might have happened. She remembered being on the bus beside an old man and then sleeping after the medicines. The old man? She thought. Didi he kidnapped her? But she kept an alarm on her phone to wake her up before the stop. it never rang. She heard the bathroom door open and came out the same old man but walking a little different this time. The white color had also faded away from his head and it felt so young.
"Dekhiye kaun hai aap?Aur mujhe kahan lekar aaye hai?" she shouted commanding for answers. her aai had once taught that in such situations if she portrayed herself as confident and not a scared person the person opposite to her might loose their command a bit.
Raghav moved a hand through his hair. His saree ka dukaan, always so naive.
"Kya hua koi problem hai?" he played along finding her worried expression amusing. She was trying so hard to fake confidence and it was evident to him.
'Dekhiya aap jaante nahin hai mujhe aur na hi mere pati ko. Ek baari Raghav ko pata chala na toh-" she halted in her way as she felt the man's beard hanging a bit from the other side of his cheek. And things made a little sense to her.
"Kya karlega woh?" Raghav raised his brows coming closer to her.
"Kuch Nahin.Kamzor hai woh aur ek idiot bhi par main nahin." she replied coming more closer to him.
Raghav looked at her in confusion and in a second his stucked beard was ripped off which left a tingling pain behind on his skin.
"Ouch. Saree ka dukaan pagal hai kya. Koi aise kheechta hai daadhi." he cried in pain.
"Han toh koi aise apni biwi ka peecha karta hai. Usse kidnap karta hai batao?" she snapped back keeping her hands on her waist. Ragahv smiled at his doings as he came ahaed grabbing her waist, pulling her closer to him. He looked what the proximity did to them and her shocked face.
"Main toh apna promise nibha raha tha saree ka dukaan. Bola tha na ki tumko akela nahin chodega." he whispered into her ear sending shiver down her spine. He meant very word of what he said and maybe something had already been initiated here.
THE END.
Hope you liked it.
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