Prithvi... [Volume 4]

Chapter 101

Nandini felt a painful twinge of regret as she followed him. His understanding had only strengthened the wish to prolong the sweetness of the moment. But it was too late in the night, and Kadambari knew they were together...

The lights went off, and the darkness was absolute. Then he grasped her hand to lead her out of the room, and her spirits rose.

They were going to spend the whole day together, Nandini mused as they headed out of the room and turned left. The thought was filling her with a euphoric joy. And for now, she could savour the togetherness till they reached her room.

And maybe she could give him the gift as well. But was it worthy of being given at all, Nandini pondered in trepidation while they wove their way through softly lit halls and passageways. A clock in one of the rooms revealed the time to be twenty one minutes past twelve. She had wished him on the right day.

The birthday was his, but she was the one who had received a priceless present. Her idea of a gift was awfully inadequate in comparison. But she hadn't thought of any other options. And now she didn't have the time to purchase something worthwhile.

The confusion had increased manifold by the time they reached a familiar foyer. Then her room's door came into view. She had to arrive at a decision. It would undoubtedly be wiser to wait and contemplate her options tomorrow. But she would expire out of anxiety by sunrise.

She stopped and looked at him diffidently. "Could you wait here for a minute?"

"Sure," Prithvi agreed, letting go of her hand.

"I'll be right back," Nandini said brightly and hurried to her room. She opened the door, rushed through the sitting area and entered the bedroom. Opening the wardrobe, she kneeled to access the left corner of the bottommost section and pulled out a bag. The bag she had given Sumer Singh long ago, and the one she had requested him to return two days back. She chose a bulging envelope from the contents. The bag was then stowed back into the wardrobe.

Nervous as well as excited, Nandini rose to shut the wardrobe. And then, she heard the noise of the main door being locked. She stilled for a moment, then ran to the sitting room.

The door was indeed shut. Prithvi was standing near the large and plush couch, intently evaluating it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, dumbfounded.

He gave her a look that said she had asked a daft question. "I'm sleepy and don't want to go back to my room. You'll turn hysterical if I go near the bed, so I'll have to sleep on the couch," he explained sadly.

Unadulterated fear took hold of her. "You – here- you cannot sleep in this room!" she exclaimed in a strangled voice.

"Who's going to stop me? You?" Prithvi asked derisively.

"You cannot - you have to go back to your room. Or – or I'll call Choti maa!"

"You won't take the risk of making her think less of me," he countered smugly.

Beside herself with anger and dread, Nandini stalked to him, distractedly casting the envelope on the short table in front of the sofa, and pushed at his chest, trying to shove him towards the door.

Standing immovable as a mountain, he watched her with admiration. "You're really strong."

She paused and glared at him. "Get out of this room!" she yelled.

"This is my first demand," Prithvi said briskly.

Befuddled, she looked at him. "What?"

"This is the first of my three demands. From this moment, for the next twenty four hours, you're not allowed to leave my side. I'll give you an hour or two in the morning to get ready. And you can take bathroom breaks," he granted generously. "But apart from that, you have to be with me all the time. Don't bother using my promise against me," he astutely forestalled her next rejoinder. "It was part of the deal that neither of us can use the promises to dodge the other's demand."