Posted:
Chapter-6
Vijay stood leaning against the tree, shrouded in darkness far from the festivities trying to reason with his heart. But it was not paying attention to him. Even now from this place, his eyes sought out the love of his life clinging to that middle aged uncouth, illiterate bas***d. Bile rose to his throat as he saw Aru took that scoundrel's hand and put it around her waist, leaning against him and posing prettily for a picture. Love of his life???He just met her yesterday, how can she be the love of his life?? He asked himself. There were plenty of fishes in the sea...she was nothing to him...but his heart continued ignore him. And god... it hurt!!
"You know, you shouldn't be so obvious" A girl's voice interrupted his inner turmoil, jolting him. He looked at his right from where the voice came in. In the muted glow coming from the brightly lit function area he saw a girl standing pretty close. From the look of her makeup, dress and diction she didn't seem to be a villager as well. Just his luck. So engrossed was he in looking at Aru, he hadn't even realised he was not alone anymore.
"I don't know what you mean." He said irately. He just wanted to be alone right now.
"You have been looking at her whole evening."
"I don't know what you mean," he said again. Why couldn't she just leave and let his heart break in peace?
"You are Aru's client from California? Aren't you?? I am her sister. Dharmista"
"Vijay" he introduced himself gloomily. What did she want to tell him? Not to creepily stare at her sister? He knew it too that he shouldn't be doing it...but couldn't help it regardless.
"The wound will be there for a while but the pain will fade away, changing into a dull throb. It will get easier. Trust me." She said calmly.
This time Vijay really looked at her, "How would you know?"
"Why won't I?" She said sadly, looking at...no she couldn't be...was that even possible?...she couldn't be looking at Mukhiji. Vijay was dumbfounded, seeing at who she was staring at.
"It is all a sham, can't you tell?" She continued, still looking at Mukhiji wistfully. Vijay saw Aru playfully twist Mukhiji's moustache laughing at something he said. Everyone in the small circle of people they were standing was laughing.
"What do you mean?" He asked confused.
"They are pretending. All these caring, laughing, and lovey dovey looks they are bestowing each other...it is all an act. An act to fool everyone. I don't mind my pain, but my heart breaks thinking what Aru must be going through...how long can she keep up this ruse of happiness before she breaks?"
"Aru is not happy with him?" He asked bewildered.
"No one is happy with anyone in this bloody village. And it is entirely my fault."
"Your fault?"
"Mukhiji and I, we were...are... in love. The day we were supposed to get married my ex husband tricked me and kidnapped me. Everyone thought I ran away. And my parents made Aru marry Mukhiji. They both didn't want this marriage...but they went through it thinking of the scandal. And now I have returned and they know everything, it still doesn't matter. Even though he loves me, Mukhiji can't just divorce Aru and marry me, after all he is the Mukhi of this village, what would people say and think? And Aru...my sweetest sister, sacrificed all her dreams and ambition to rot in this village for the sake of my parent's honour, suffering day after day in this loveless marriage. She is so young...her whole life was ahead of her...but now...it's all dark."
"They don't look like they are pretending. She seems really happy." Vijay said still trying to process all this information.
"Looks can be deceptive. Don't believe everything what your eyes let you see. Even though I know it is all pretend, I still hurt seeing them together. Because I love him so much. So many times I have tried to leave this place...but Mukhiji doesn't let me go. He wants me to stay here with him even though we can never give our relationship a name."
"And Aru knows all this??"
"Yes. My poor sweet little baby sister. She knows all...but she is helpless, she knows there are no way out. So she plays her part well in front of the villagers. At other times...I just wish..."
"What do you wish...?"
"I know my life is ruined...but I just wish one day some knight in shining armour will come and whisk my sister away from this dreadful life of hers. She deserves more ...she doesn't deserve to get punished for the crimes I committed. She deserves soo much more..." Dharmi wiped a single tear running through her cheek.
"Yes she does." Vijay agreed.
-----------
Aru was actually glad that Mukhiji was taking this long to come to their room. The party was over but Mukhiji stayed outside with some members of the panchayet discussing something important. Good for her...It was giving her time to carry out what she planned in leisure. She lit the candles and diyas she brought with her while coming home from factory decorating every inch of the room. Then she freshened up; brushed her teeth, hair, touched up her lip-gloss, made sure her Kajal was not smudged. Then she splashed her nerve points with her favourite perfume. She knew Mukhiji loved this smell. He never said it in words, but her sixth sense said that he did.
Done.
Now the hardest part. Where to place herself?? In the bed?? like a new bride??nah..that was too cliche..in the sofa?? That was too far from the bed. He might not even see her. Maybe she should stand. But who knew how long it would take him to come up and how long she had to keep on standing???Uff...Aru was so nervous her tummy was rumbling. She placed a hand on her tummy to calm it down. How can she be super excited but damn scared at the same time?
She remembered Mukhiji's look of astonishment when he realised she was wearing THE EARRINGS. Then he smiled and carried on as if nothing happened. Well, what did she expect from the one and only Mr. Stickler of Propriety and Decorum. God forbid he showed some kind of emotion for his wife in front of people...the world would end that instant.
She sat on the edge of the bed and began to tap her feet. Why was he not coming??
---------
Mukhi entered his room when he couldn't loiter outside anymore; praying Aru had already fallen asleep. Surprise was waiting for him when he saw the room lit with so many candles. However, thankfully Aru was sleeping curling on her side of bed, still in her lahenga. He took few steps when she bolted to a sitting position like a spring.
"Oh! you are still awake?" Mukhi gulped.
"Where the hell have you been?" She asked crossly.
"Those people...they were not letting me leave. It is so late. You must be tired. Why don't you fall sleep?" he said and quickly turned to escape to the washroom. A long shower awaits...
Why don't I fall asleep?? Aru's mouth fell open. She put so much effort to decorate this room only for tonight, been waiting for him wearing this heavy lahenga, suffering the most uncomfortable pushup bra for god knew how many hours...For goodness sake, she freaking shaved her legs for this weird specimen of Man and he was asking her to go to sleep?? Was he for reals??
She bolted out of the bed and charged towards her husband before he could escape. She grabbed him and turned him towards her taking hold of his shirt collar stopping him on his flight.
"WHY DON'T I FALL ASLEEP?" she asked gripped his collar harder."Why, Mukhiji why do you think I am not falling asleep?? Tell me. Why do you think?"
"Aru---",He said trying to loosen her hold from his shirt.
"Yes, me...you have to tell me today...why do you always run from me?? Why do I have to be the one always chasing you? Yes I admit, I asked for some time in the beginning but that doesn't mean I asked you to treat me like some freaking untouchable pariah all the time. Tell me what is it about me that make you run away from me?? Do you think I don't understand anything?"
"Aru-- -"he said again, shaking his head, hurting seeing her hurt.
"Do you think I don't have feelings? Tell me what am I doing wrong??" Aru asked, her beautiful eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"Aru, it is not you...it is me" Mukhi said miserably, taking her face tenderly in his hands.
"Tell me only one thing...did you purposefully come late tonight hoping I would fall asleep, even after you saw me wearing---" two tear drops escaped her eyes rolling down her cheeks, but Mukhi wiped them off gently.
He had to be cruel to be kind. He would tell her everything tonight, what was stopping him. "Yes. Yes I did and I hoped you would be asleep." Aru shook his hands off her and ran to the bed. She gathered her knees to her chest and began to cry earnestly. Mukhi came over and sat by her side.
"Please don't cry---I hate to see you cry."
"Then why do you make me cry so much? Hurt me all the time?"
"Aru, listen, you have your whole life ahead of you. I know you think you love me but you are still so young...still so immature, innocent...I was the first man who was practically shoved into your life and you adjusted yourself to my presence...you think you love me...when in actuality I am just a coping mechanism you are mistaking for love. One day, the blinkers will fall off your eyes and you will realise how wrong you are...then you will see me for what I am... a 43 year old man and not some hero you like to romanticise like you do now...and then you will start to hate me and yourself. If we take the next step in our relationship, there will be no turning back. And I don't want that for you."
"You still want me gone, even after admitting that you love me?"
"Yes I love you, but I should not. It is not fair to you. I am not right for you. It is not proper. You deserve some prince but all you got is me. You deserve so much more, Aru. Try to understand. I am giving you option to live your dreams instead of wasting away here with me. You can start fresh all over in the city. Free and no strings attached. Then one day you will meet the man of your dreams and live happily ever after with him. "
"Yes you are right. I deserve more. But a prince won't do. I deserve more than a young, empty headed, self absorbed fickle prince we get nowadays who doesn't even know what an honest day's work means." Aru took his face in her hand gently, realising the war raging inside him. Her husband was a man of integrity and honour and he would bleed to death before he took advantage of someone; which was exactly what he was thinking he was doing right now...taking advantage of her. She continued softly, "I deserve a KING. A King with a kingdom of his own. A kingdom which he built toiling day and night, working honestly, living for his people. I don't want to be a stupid princess; I deserve to be a queen, his queen. Because only he can make all my dreams come true, no one else can."
"Aru--" Mukhi's voice broke.
But before he could say something she continued, "I don't know how to make you believe that I love you. But know this much, I love you, only you...forever and ever...I have given you my heart long time back...whether we take this relationship further or not doesn't matter...because there can never be a turning back for me. There never was. I have already given myself to you completely, body and soul. I can never give my body to anyone but you. Now it is up to you whether you want me or want to throw me away." Aru gave him options instead.
Mukhi crashed his mouth on hers, kissing her fervently with all the pent up passion he had been holding carefully for so long. "I don't deserve you Aru" He said between his nibbling kisses all over her face, "But I don't want to let you go. You are mine."
"Make me yours." Aru whispered. Her fingers going to his shirt threads, impatiently untying them. His own were undoing Aru's blouse trying to get it off her. His mouth latched on to the mole on her neck and he sucked. He had wanted to do it since forever. "I was stupid to think I could let you go Aru...you are my drug...I am addicted to you." He gasped. Aru by then had his shirt open and was running her fingers through the mat coil of his chest hair. It felt divine to feel him like that. Her touch made him more ardent. He pushed her back to pillow his lips capturing hers once again, his hand cupping her breasts possessively. Aru moaned into his mouth, curving towards him more. His mouth started to shift down and Aru tunneled her fingers through his unruly hair, tugging them hard but allowing him access nonetheless.
Both of them were devouring each other as if there was no tomorrow. When he had untied her lahenga she didn't notice nor did she care. Shyness was not even in the equation. All she wanted was to be his in every possible way. She wanted his complete possession so that never even in his imagination he could think of sending her away again. Mukhi raised his head and locked his eyes with hers. "Are you ready Aru?" She knew what he was asking. She entwined her arms around his shoulders; nails digging into his bare back, bringing her body ever closer to his. "Yes I am ready." She replied in a sure voice.
Next : Chapter 7
PS: Where would I be without you Ayesha??🤗
Fan Fictions
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
