Undying Love |✔

Chapter 14- The Knock

The source of light illuminating our room with a low golden green glow was coming from a lantern. It was sitting perfectly on the only shelf in our room. What made it a little more bright was the moonlight shining from a small window to the left; it was enough for me to see Rohini's fearsome face clearly.

A feeling of dread consumed my whole being as I looked into her eyes that were wide with fear. Her cream colored skin was now pale, and all the blood had drained from her face, leaving a white patch behind. Her livid posture and trembling fingers, which were now trying to conceal a gasp coming off of her lips, did nothing to ease my worry but made me go on my alert mode.

It wasn't something I got to find on a regular basis, but it was enough to escalate my heart beat. I got up instantly to reach for the lantern to find out who was knocking in the middle of the night on a door of a hut that was secluded from the rest of the households.

Just when I was about to reach for the lantern, I felt Rohini's fingers fold around my Pajama bottoms as she tugged at them. Her gesture halted me in my tracks and I looked down at her.

She shook her head vigorously and tried to speak. She struggled to utter any word out loud and what came out was merely a whisper, "Don't go, Aditya, please,"

I clamped my fingers over hers and assured her as best as I could.

"Rohini, just let me go and see who's knocking on the front door, okay? I will be back in a jiffy,"

Oh the contrary, she tightened her hold on me.

Meanwhile, the knock sounded again.

Hearing that, I pushed myself away from her hold after one reassuring glance. I clutched the lantern in one hand, and in the other, I took out a knife from my sack hurriedly. It was one of the few things I'd come up with in case of an emergency.

She called out for me again, but this time I was already out of the door.

I heard her follow me but I didn't stop.

It wasn't until I reached for the front door, I heard Aamir's sleepy and yet hesitant voice, "Who can it be?" to Rohini, to which she replied in a broken whisper, "I don't know,"

Without delay, I opened the door slowly and steadily, with my heart beating frantically in my chest, and over a thousand scenarios playing in my mind like a movie.

The first thing I saw when I opened the door to only an inch, was flip-flops, and I flipped.

"Freaking hell!" I shouted

He saw me with bafflement but managed to shout back at me. "What the hell?" and clutched his chest like an old man he was.

"What's wrong with you, boy? And who closed the door while I was out?"

I wanted to punch or throw something at him for scaring us because these few minutes felt like literal hell. But, I only muttered obscenities under my breath and slammed the door shut to face him.

"Don't lock the door, Amit is out as well," he spoke without even sparing me a glance.

Was he serious and not to forget blind?

"What were you doing outside in the middle of the night?"

He didn't answer and reared back with a question of his own. "Who closed the door?"

This time though, our dear Aamir finally decided to open his mouth.

"Me, but I didn't close the main door. It was the back door,"

"Exactly, that's why I had to knock on the front door,"

What was going on here? I'd no idea. All I could think was how these people didn't seem to understand the severity of this situation. Surely it was just a knock, but it was a knock full of warning.

I couldn't take this anymore, and I snapped.

"Sam! What were you thinking, knocking on that door in the middle of the night?! Don't you have that pretty mouth of yours to use?! Couldn't you call out anyone's name? There were a thousand scenarios playing in my mind and you see her?!" I pointed my finger towards Rohini whose face was still pale. "She was so scared when she heard you knocking on the door, thinking who it might be when all of us are sleeping. It was not funny! And all you can do is ask me not to close the door? What the hell were you doing outside with Amit?!"

I had lost all senses and I'd forgotten who I was even speaking to. I didn't care an ounce about that old silly villager right now.

"Don't shout at me, boy. I forgot to feed my lover there, and Amit was sitting with me talking about everything and anything,"

Jeez! Please tell me it's a nightmare.

"Lover, who?" I managed to ask somehow.

"My goat," he replied.

What? A goat? Was he being serious right now?

"You really went to feed a goat at the middle of the night? What kind of a man does that?" I asked.

"Hey, now. That goat is not just any goat. He is my darling,"

"Are you kidding me right now?" I snapped at him, yet again and raised my voice.

"Nope, not at all." He answered with a straight face.

I couldn't take this anymore. I turned to go to the kitchen to drink water after looking pointedly at Sam, which was more or less a glare. But when I saw Aamir, my anger emptied on him too.

"And you! I'm so glad your sleep finally decided to disappear. Are you blind? Couldn't you check who was out before closing the door? If you would have just checked one last time, this never would have happened!"

He muttered an apology, but I didn't even care about it at all. I made my way to the kitchen and poured a glass of cool water for me from one of the earthen pots. After drinking it, my throat, which had felt very dry because of all this drama, was at ease a bit.

All the while I was drinking water, those two were talking in very hushed tones, maybe about that god awful goat. I blocked everything out from my mind, poured a glass of water for Rohini as well, and headed in her direction.

Although some color had returned to her cheeks, her eyes were still wide and her fingers shook slightly when I handed her the glass.

I squeezed her hand and took her in my arms. She came willingly and laid her head on my shoulder.

Neither I nor did she speak anything. We were conversing silently while holding each other. Somehow she snuggled deeper in my chest and I tightened my hold on her.

We had our own worries, our own reassurances and our own way of letting our fears go as we both held onto each other desperately.

Everything faded, the past few minutes, the hushed conversation of Sam and Aamir, and all fearful thoughts that had invaded our hearts and minds only a few minutes ago. All that mattered was how we were both safe, and away from those villagers.

After a few minutes, Amit entered the hut and asked the same question he had asked a couple of hours ago.

"What are you guys doing here sitting all together?"

I shook my head and got up as Sam and Aamir tried explaining the situation. I said my good night to them and headed for our room with Rohini by my side.

"Wait," Amit called out to me and I turned around.

"Be ready to go out with Sam tomorrow. He will be needing some ingredients for our stay,"

If I had been in any other situation, I would have questioned him with 'why me?' But I only nodded and disappeared. I wanted to get away from these people, who were very confusing, and at times, exasperating.

The night wasn't easy; in the silence of the darkness, those thoughts occupied my mind again and made me restless.

Rohini too struggled in her sleep as nightmares occupied her mind. I tried to soothe her as best as I could. But every time she whimpered, she managed to make my heart ache.

~*~