TejRan : In Every Heartbeat

Part-43

"Ye....yeah...." He fumbled realising how he was looking around.

"All the men have gone to the terrace....tu ab jaldi ready ho...."

He nodded at his mother and went to his room and immediately gave an amused smile.

There stood Teja wearing the yellow anarkali that he had bought for her with the dupatta half on her shoulder and half on the floor. His bed was covered with her stuffs. He quickly scanned the bed to see the foundation leaking on the bed sheet. There were a couple of lipsticks laying and an eye shadow palette kept opened.

"Yeh wing liner kabhi same nahi hota hai dono side ka...." She huffed like a kid as she tried to draw her liner by holding the mirror of her compact close to her face.

Karan chuckled silently. She was a mess. She might try to look poised and elegant but this was the real her and he fell in love with her a little more. Only if it was possible at the first place.

"Uff finally...." She threw the liner on the bed and smiled in satisfaction seeing her symmetrical wing liner. "So baby pull me closer at the back seat of your rover...." She started to sing and took a lip liner.

"Okay if you insist....but then rover toh neeche parked hai...." He said with a smirk.

Teja gasped and looked at the door to aee him standing leaning on the door frame with his arm crossed near his chest. She immediately looked at his bed and gasped more. The foundation was on the sheet.

"I....i am so sorry....i will wash it....i will clean this mess....i....aunty insisted that I used your room to get ready....i had said mai guest room mein...." She panicked and started to pack the makeup into her pouch.

"Our room...." He immediately corrected her making her look at him. She blushed a little and continued to shove her makeup into her pouch.

"I will clean the bedsheet...." She said biting her lip in embarassment.

"No need....come...." He held her hand and took her to balcony. Theh stood facing the bandra-worli sea link with the city shining bright with the diwali lights.

"Happy Diwali Teja...." He whispered in her ear from behind her and she felt something cold on her neck. She immediately looked down to see him making her wear a pendant. An evil eye pendant. "Jab jab mai nahi rahunga tumhare saath this will protect you...."

"Karan yeh....you got me a dress yeh kyun...." She said feeling uneasy with the expensive gift.

"Did I say anything when you got me the glares?" He whispered huskily running his palm down her arm.

She gasped at his touch and at the information. How on earth did he know I got a pair of glares for him?

"I saw it on the bedside table...." He chuckled reading her train of thoughts.

She turned around to face him and smiled looking at him. He was still not ready wearing his silver kurta which was kept ironed at the closet. His hair was messy from the tiring day.

"Tired?" She asked softly removing the hair from his forehead.

"Yeah a bit....but strangely this feels different....yeah we keep meeting after work....but coming home to our room to find you just hit differently....aisa laga saari thakan chali gayi...." He said in his softest tone and she could feel what he was feeling. "I cannot wait to experience this everyday...." He said almost in a whisper and caressed her cheek with his knuckles.

"Happy diwali Karan...." Her face was shining from the light of the diyas kept on the railing of the balcony. She tiptoed and tugged on his shirt urging him to lower himself. He chuckled and bend down a bit as she kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger there for a few more seconds than usual.

*****

A week had passed after diwali and it was more or less an uneventful week for them with work and casual dinners before he dropped her off at her place.

It was a sunday evening and to say that Karan was furious would be an understatement. He paced in his room as Omi stood by the bed not knowing how to calm him down.

The last five minutes were hell for Karan. He had to process a lot of information. And he wasn't ready for it at all. Not when he got to know that Teja had willingly gone to his ex and spoken to her. About him. About the bullshit that she kept spreading. Requesting her not to do it.

"Karan bhai....it was a civil conversation and you have to calm down to understand the context...." Omi said closing his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Karan so angry.

"To hell with the context....mujhe samajh mein aaya Omi tune kya kya kaha....i have heard it all and I fucking have ears...." He shouted at him.

Teja flinched standing at the door. Omi had messaged her to come to his place quickly because things had spiralled out of hand. The moment she had come to his place, Parvez had opened the door. Thankfully his parents were at her house spending their evening together. She could hear his screams. She quickly went to his room and flinched seeing his anger.

Karan saw her stand near the door.

"You Dr. Tejasswi Prakash....what the hell do you think of yourself?" He went to her and said in a dangerously low voice. "Who has given you the bloody right to cross your line?" His voice had risen by the end of the sentence.

"Karan you need to relax...." She moved forward to hold his shoulder but he moved back immediately.

"Do not dictate me what I am supposed to do....and do not tell me to relax when you have shown the audacity to walk up to her and seek help for something....help for me from her....do you even know what all she had said about me and my family?" He screamed at the top of his voice.

"Ka....karan....i was just trying to help...." She gulped.

"Help?are you freaking out of your mind...." He couldn't believe his ears.

"I....i saw you....I saw you....your team....sab pareshan....last week was difficult...." She tried hard to form a proper sentence but her voice had given in.

"You know what?isiliye kehete hai to date someone from the same profession....because then people won't know head or tail of an issue but will interfere anyway just to show rights...." He scoffed. Just the thought of someone from his life asking help from that woman had shut all the rational part of his brain.

Omi stared at Karan in shock as the words slipped out of his mouth. He looked at Teja to find her stare at him blankly. Her eyes were red with tears dropping down her cheeks.

"Now please can I get some privacy in my own room or should I leave?" He said looking at the balcony and Omi saw Teja took a few steps back looking at Karan's back which was facing her. Almost as if she didn't believe it was him.

"Teju...." Omi muttered and quickly went to her fearing she might fall. Her steps looked unstable. She gulped and turned around and walked out of his room quietly to give him privacy.