The Enchantress | COMPLETE | AbhiGya Fiction

6. In Pensiveness

Abhi looked livid for a second, but then he exhaled a deep breath. I could empathise with him, he too was in a dilemma, he craved me as much, but he had his own barriers.

"Pragya..." he begun again, "I don't want us to be awkward like this. It might be a phase for you but those were the best days of my life..." he said softly looking deeply into my eyes. "I thought I could let it go Pragya. I truly believed I could – but yesterday when I saw you here, something changed. I know what we shared was for a very short span, but wouldn't you know, hell you're a writer Pragya! There is something between us, there always has been – we cannot ignore it after accepting it once. I am not asking you reprise anything, I know you have commitments. I seek only acknowledgement within your heart. That's all"

Life has offered me many such instances where I could show my moral strength, but with a loved one, I always failed. It was a moment when I should have walked off with dignity, but the darker part of me, the needy me, the me that didn't care about Mish, couldn't walk away. My heart was parched for long enough and I didn't have what it took to reject these small showers of joy and contentment. It happened that damned night when I chose my happiness over fidelity and all this begun, and it happened again today when I could have walked off, but I walked straight towards Abhi and hugged him in a tight embrace. I could feel his fingers gently cage my waist, and just as I was about to melt into him, my phone rang.

We both sprang away from each other, while I struggled to receive the call from Mish that told me my husband had reached Calcutta in the early hours of the morning. A lot of emotions hit me at the same time. I was still succumbing from the flush of my and Abhi's closeness, yet there was a tight knot in my chest hearing that Suresh had spent a night at my house with Mish and Mumma in my absence. It had become my natural reaction to guard my people from Mish and Mumma, and at that moment I was stranded between Abhi and Suresh for the first time. My old insecurities were back and the past I had shrouded away in the dark was ebbing before me – a past so dark that I lost sight of Abhi standing there and rushed away from the Mehra Mansion pushing aside a surprised Abhi saying, "Move, I have to go. Suresh has come home"

***

Bulbul:

We were sitting at the dining area and having breakfast when the doorbell rang frantically. I quietly got up to get the door – it had to be Di. As I unlatched the door to an over excited Aadi, who ignored us all and straight ran to his father, I looked at my Di, who was looking straight into my eyes with a coldness of death. I smiled.

"Hi di, did you guys have breakfast or will you join us?" I asked uncertainly.

"We are good." she replied curtly and walked inside. She glanced at Suresh who now had Aadi on his lap and was looking at her. She nodded and smiled politely and walked into their room, leaving us all in the dining space.

That's how di has always been. It's not like di would be hounding behind us when Suresh was around, she would still be stuck in her own room, but she would rather have herself present then not. I have witnessed this, Suresh and di's marriage was falling. I don't know how to react. She is my sister, it hurts me to see their falling marriage, but at the same time, I cannot help smirk thinking how unfair their marriage was to me. I don't hold grudges against di anymore, we are even now. But still, wasn't this evident? For how long can one deal with a loveless marriage?

We were having lunch, when Abhi texted me. He and Alia di wanted to come over for dinner at night since Suresh was here. I readily agreed. Somehow even after so long, Suresh and di together in the same house with us made me awkward, Abhi's company was going to be of great help to me.