Your arms are my castle,
Your heart is my Sky,
They wipe away tears that I cry.
- Cascada (Every time we Touch.)
Suraj smiled down at her, his fingers finding the crevices of her palm, mingling with her fingers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, drinking in the sight of their grown up childhood love.
Chakor tried to digest the image of the man in front of her. Images of the teenager version of him kept appearing in her mind, and she stared in awe at how well he had grown. Puberty had definitely hit him like a bus.
The baby fat on his cheeks was all gone, they were now sunken in, and his jaw line was now well defined. A two day beard covered most of it, though. His Adam's apple stood out proud on his thick neck. His voice hadn't broken when he had left, and she was desperate to hear his voice now. His chest was a wide expanse, and she was sure his embrace felt like Home, what with those strong muscular arms of his.
She suddenly met his gaze, going weak in the knees as she saw him looking her up and down the same way she had been doing. He was just staring, but Chakor felt like she was being touched all over, and as his eyes ran over her small figure, she swore her body was on fire.
He looked up at her, meeting her eyes, and she quickly looked away, bashful. Her cheeks were a bright pink, and he swallowed, trying to restrain himself from doing... things. She noticed the bobbing of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, finally getting enough courage to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a while, before Chakor, teary eyed, crashed into him, engulfing him in a tight hug. He was taken aback at first, but after a few moments, he draped his arms over her small figure.
And Chakor swore at that moment, that she had never felt so safe, so protected. He didn't hug her so tight it hurt, nor was his embrace so loose it seemed casual. No, it was just right. It felt like they were both pouring in the feelings they had held for over 10 years into that one hug.
With an arm around her waist, he leaned back a bit to get a good look at her. His other arm came up to wipe her tears, but she kept crying continuously, tears streaming down her face as she held that hand. He smiled slightly, patting her head softly, before coming forward to peck her forehead. He suddenly snorted, and Chakor looked up, confused.
"Ab yakeen ho raha hai hume, ki tera saal baad ghar laut rahe hai," he pulled her towards him as he said 'Ghar,', only she could make him feel like he was, indeed, Home. "Bohot badi ho gayi ho tum. Aur bohot khoobsurat bhi." He smirked slightly, and she blushed, looking down at the ground, trying to find something interesting. He brought her hand up, kissing the ring. "I'm really happy Chakor, that you've kept this ring safely. It means a lot to me, and seeing you wearing it, I can't say how elated I am. It's my whole World in one frame,"
He spoke English with an accent, must have been the effect of staying in London for all these years.
He suddenly noticed the mohur, and gripped her hand tightly, a primal look on his face. She gasped sharply as pain coursed along the length of her arm due to his sudden tightening. He released her hand almost immediately, his look softening a bit, finally morphing into one of concern. "Sorry," he whispered.
Exhaling slowly, he rested both his palms on her shoulders. "Chakor," his voice made her gulp, "maaf kar dena humein. Bohot samay laga di humne wapas aane mein. Par ab hum yahan hai, aur vaada karte hai tumse, ki jald se jald yahan se le jaayenge tumhe." Giving a slight squeeze to her shoulders, he turned away, looking up at the sky. Chakor noticed the veins in his arms popping out as he clenched his fist. "Humein ab koi nahi rok sakta tumhe iss narak se le jaane se. Humara woh raakshas baap bhi nahi!" Suraj growled lowly, and Chakor came and caught hold of his arm. He turned toward her, taking her hand in his huge one.
"Par Suraj Babu," Chakor uttered and he frowned. "Sirf Suraj," he whispered, and Chakor gulped. "S... s... Su... Suraj," she managed to say with great difficulty, and Suraj smiled wide. "Agar hum yahan se chale gaye, toh sab gaon waalon ka kya hoga? Unhe kaun bachayega? Unhe kaun azaad karega?" She searched in his eyes for an answer, only to be glared down by him.
"What about the villagers?" He asked annoyed. "Hum kyu parwah kare unki? Jab tumhe tabele mein kaid kar ke rakha tha, kya unme se koi bhi aaya tumhe bachaane? Arey jab tumhaari kalai par yeh mohur laga rahe the, kya unme se koi aage aakar bola ki 'Nahi Maalik, Bachchi hai, aisa mat keejiye?' Nahi! Sab chup chaap khade ho kar tamasha dekh rahe the! Tho ab unki chintha tum kyu kar rahi ho?!" Suraj screamed at her. The smile had vanished from his face, his eyes were almost red.
As much as she was against it, she had to admit he had a point. She shook her head, looking up at him determinedly. "Woh sab puraani baatein hai, Suraj. Iss gaon ke sabhi log humara parivaar hai, aur..."
"Kya parivaar!" Suraj dismissed her words with a swift wave of his hand. "Hosh mein aao Chakor!" Suraj shook her. "Hum kuch galat nahi bol rahe hai, Suraj Babu!" Chakor returned with equal ferocity. "Yeh sirf humari azaadi ki ladaai nahi hai! Humne dekha hai humare gaon waalon ko tadapte hue! Azaadi unka pura pura haq hai! Aur aap humse kaisi maang kar rahe hai? Hum kaise unhe yahan peeche chodkar chale jaaye? Aap maane ya na maane, Suraj Babu, woh sab humara parivaar hai, aur humesha rahenge! Agar unko bhi azaadi nahi mili, toh hum bhi yahan se kahi nahi jaayenge!" This time it was Chakor who screamed, and Suraj held the back of her neck, pulling her towards him.
"Samajthi kya ho apne aap ko? Jagat maata ho? Koi zaroorat nahi hai tumhe unke baare mein sochne ke liye!" She crashed into his chest as he put an arm around his waist, his grip taut. "Aur agar tumhaare iss 'parivaar'," he hissed the word, "ko tumhaari bhi utni hi chintha hoti, toh aise tumhe maut ke muh mein nahi dakel dete. Tumhaari shaadi Vivaan se nahi hone dete," he growled, his eyes red and savage, as he fisted a handful of her hair.
Chakor gaped at him, her jaw slightly slack as he talked about her marriage to Vivaan. "Aapko... kaise...?" "Ek hi chhath ke neeche rehte hai hum. Toh humein aur bhi chokarna rehna padta hai humare dushmano se." He let her go, breathing heavily. "Yeh sab uss chudail ki chaal hai! Usse pata tha ki hum laut rahe hai, toh yeh shadyantr racha! She's trying to kill two birds with one stone!" He shouted again, facing the sky, his arm covering his eyes.
"Two?" Chakor asked, confused.
"Obviously. Unhe pata hai ki tum humaari kamzori ho, toh iska pura pura faida uta rahi hai woh!"
"Aur dusra?"
Suraj looked at her incredulously. "Yeh tum humse pooch rahi ho Chakor? Kya tumhe ab bhi samajh nahi aaya ki Ranjana kya karna chahthi hai? Arey woh kyu tumhe apna bahu banana chahthi hai? Ek Bandhua ko?" Suraj asked her. "Socho Chakor. Tum ek National Champion ho. Tum hi ek insaan ho jo in sab logon ki azaadi ki ladaai lad sakti ho. Bahu banaake Rajvanshi khaandaan ki shaan bada nahi rahi hai woh, tumhaara career barbaad karke, un sab ko Bandhua banaaye rakhne ki yojna hai yeh!"
Precap: "Zaroorat pade toh uss Mandap se uta le jaayenge tumhe, par Dulhan to tum humari hi banogi!"
CID
Bigg Boss 19
