Vaidehi - His Second chance

8. Four feet

"You took 45 minutes to bathe, and that wasted my 45 minutes," he exclaimed, his irritation palpable.

"Aren't you wasting your time by indulging in worthless conversation? Go and use your time to bath before your mother comes," I retorted, my patience wearing thin.

He sighed and walked towards the bathroom. "Well, I see, ever since I told you to start speaking, you've become a parrot. Good. Progress from goat to parrot."

His mocking tone grated on my nerves. "At least I'm not sulking like a monkey," I shot back, unable to resist the urge to retaliate.

As soon as the sound of the shower being turned on reached my ears, I sat down on the bed, contemplating my next moves. Today's schedule was a mystery to me; I had no idea what rituals or customs awaited us.

In a few days, I'll have to return to college. I can't afford to take too much time off. And I will have to bear this head ache named Sanskaar as well.

Honestly, I am done with this man in this little time only. Our vibes can never match. How on earth am I supposed to spend my life with him? Because divorce isn't an option.

So, I will have to become bipolar if I wants to survive with him. Right now, I can think of only one word about him. Of course Sam's favourite word - Asshole.

It is like this word is just made for him. Perfect.

And then suddenly the door of bathroom opened and stepped out Mr. Ass.. shit, no. Samaira, what have you done to my tongue?

Mr. Atom bomb stepped out. Water drops falling from his hair strands , which are all over his forehead. Thankfully he is dressed already.

No more wastage of time.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his attention entirely focused on adjusting his hair strands. Just as I was about to nod in response, I hesitated.

No, I am not a goat.

"Yes," I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

"Good. Now listen carefully," he continued, his words falling from his lips like drops of rain on parched ground. "I hope you remember what I told you last night, and I am repeating it again. Keep it in mind for a lifetime. Stay away from me as much as possible. There's no need to put on a show of being the perfect husband and wife in front of my family. They know me well enough. But at least maintain that facade for the media. You wouldn't want to tarnish your father's chances of winning, would you? Speak your mind freely, because I am not here to decipher your thoughts and expressions. You'll have to speak out everything. And most importantly, maintain a minimum distance of four feet from me at all times."

I regarded him with a bored expression, as though he were just another professor giving the most boring lecture ever.

Shlok was the only man who could engage me with his words. Stop it, Vaidehi. Forget about him. But how?

As we made our way down the stairs, memories of Shlok flooded my mind, clouding my vision with tears. Damn it, why did he have to occupy my thoughts at a time like this? I cursed myself for being so clumsy, for always finding a way to embarrass myself. Just as I placed my heel on the next step, I misjudged the distance and felt my foot slip.

But before I could plummet down the stairs and add another chapter to my book of embarrassment, something miraculous happened. I didn't fall.

Instead, I was enveloped in a cloud of dark, intoxicating , addictive scent that momentarily chased away my fear. Opening my eyes, I saw my husband almost leaning over me, reaching out to prevent my fall.