Road to the Ocean

Chapter 15: Restrained to Love

Parth has always been someone who was true to his heart but that moment he felt as if he was the mercy of a devil clasping his bleeding heart through her filthy claws, threatening to rupture it if he failed abide by her sickening demands.

For the sake of Niti's wellbeing, he would have to rectify the damage unintentionally created by him, by his heartbeats that began to crave for Niti just like the thirsty man would yearn for water in a desert, by his feelings that hastened his pulse and overtake his mind whenever Niti was in his arms. Niti was not at fault if he could not control those rising emotions. Disha's simultaneous threats declaring to destroy Niti's career was the foremost reason why he was barricading his feelings from penetrating too deep in his mind and soul. Though the novelty and intensity of his feelings for Niti overwhelmed him, he was surely devastated on the thoughts that his feelings would perish in the dark forever. However, it was becoming necessary to divert Disha and tame her down, she was such a loose cannon. He knew to what extent Disha could go to get what she wanted. She was simply one person not to mess with, so he began to astray from what was right to him when he first felt something for Niti.

The next morning Parth and Niti came to the sets looking doleful as ever. Niti was ashamed of how she reacted the other day and had left him without any explanation but at the same time, the fear of losing him has rendered her mind and heart restless. She noticed Parth from behind and immediately hollered.

"Parth!"

Her nervousness was visible on her face and her body shivered when his name echoed inside her heart as well.  He turned around to look at her. His face lightened up but his facial expression almost instantaneously became unreadable. He took long striding steps towards her to stop when he was under the shade of a small building where Niti was standing too, his feet almost touching her. The spot light faced him and that had risen, limned his handsome features as he glanced down to look at her.

Niti gulped down as his closeness instigated her heartbeats to double, making her blushed. He offered a gentle smile, making her breath hitched and splayed his fingers by running into her hair. The words faded away from her mouth when he unexpectedly enveloped her around his arms. All the devastating wretchedness she was experiencing for the last few days melted away as a deep sense of peace overtook her. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Sorry".

Suddenly the wind blew on her face and she realized Parth was still standing couple of feet away from her, looking tattered. She was hallucinating about him. She quickly wiped her sweaty face and began to shiver even more. She cleared her throat and began to march towards him.

"Hi!" She offered a smile hoping to converse with him about yesterday.

"Ya hi" that's all Parth said, while clinging to his phone. There was no endearment from his side like how it has always been. He didn't even look at her the way he used to whenever they come too close to each other. His feckless response to her greeting perplexed her that something wasn't right. All Niti could remember as reason behind his dry attitude was the way she boorishly behaved and left him hanging with doubtful mind. Remorse slashed her heart.

Parth shrouded his feelings by avoiding to look at her because he discerned his eyes would deceive the gruff tone that he would intentionally converse with her. The paucity of response was enough to push her away. Before Niti could confront him about yesterday, Parth imperiously began to question her about the pictures she uploaded on her instagram account. The bewildered expression on her angelic face sent him in a spasm of guilt and he flinched when he uttered harshly "I want you to delete all of our pictures Niti, be it in a group or single ones."

His words smacked her soul. Parth's attitude despaired her and she quivered, recoiling back couple of steps away from him.  Niti couldn't deduce the real facts behind his alluding declaration to end everything between them. She had no explanations of the things she wanted to confront. Parth watched her shattered helplessly, but he wasn't receptive to give her any explanations. Her security at that point was more important than her breakdown. He silently prayed that she would get over it soon.

"Don't say such things Parth." Niti finally managed to mutter in a halting manner.

"What should I say then? Do you know what people are assuming about us? They are making us as a real life couple just because we have taken some pictures together." He explained in an expletive phrase.

"So... You don't... Consider that anything?" Niti warily questioned his concession, unable to utter a cohesive sentence but Parth refused to divulge anything more.

"I am not here to tell you every single thing Niti. I am just not too comfortable with all these things." He was hesitant and demure as he turned around without meeting her eyes.

"Ok Parth, if that's what you want" she whispered in a cracked voice, tears blurring her vision. She dismissed herself immediately and left him without even saying bye. Parth swirled at her ebbing steps, his hand instinctively lifted towards her, his jaw clenched and his eyes teary. Though her back was turned he could depict she was wiping her eyes. He sought to run to her and hug her tight, comfort her and tell her everything would be alright, but he was so helpless. He clenched his fist and hammered it on the wall on his side and squawked Niti's name.

Richa who was standing near her office window has witnessed the broken hearts falling apart. She was stunned, but it didn't obscure her in any way because she surmise the reason behind the success of MaNan and its chemistry were only Parth and Niti. She only hoped everything would ultimately get settle down between the two and she decided to decipher about their relationship to make things work out. It wasn't going to be easy to distort the facts, but she didn't want to abandon her thoughts either.

Parth came back in his vanity and slouched on his sofa, feeling defeated and depressed. He indulged himself in convoluted thoughts of Niti. Within such a short time she has been able to carve her name in his heart and he knew he wouldn't let her lose anything she has achieved with her hard work. He knew he has enraged her and broke her heart and his resentments were detrimental to the feelings they shared, but he would not lose a chance to protect her from every danger, person or things effecting her life. He was lost in deep thoughts when his phone started to ring. Disha's name flashed on the screen. He picked up undesirably.

"Hey" He was penitent as he greeted her in a placid manner.

"Did you see what that Niti did?" She squeaked.

"What are you talking about?" Parth fumed over the phone.

"She deleted her pictures with you. Smart girl, I was getting sick of them anyways." Parth could almost picture the satisfied smirk on Disha's face. Her slight derision washed over him. Parth reclined back on the sofa in remorseful state. He excused himself and hung up the phone.

The erosion of the relationship has made an enormous impact on Parth and Niti. It was a decisive settlement, incorrigible to remain deciduous till they exist. It was far too complicated to redeem back from the corpse of the broken hearts because the truth had now been concealed.