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The time had stopped.
A sudden coldness was surrounding them, hitting them to the core as they registered her words.
She proposed to them?
No fuck it!
She literally demanded them to marry her after only four days!
They could not help but wonder, was she the same girl who had run away from the club after that unintentional kiss!
The three men were rooted to their place, failing miserably in acknowledging what a girl she is.
After dropping the bomb of sudden marriage on them which was no lesser than a hydrogen bomb. She was standing in the middle of their triangle, clasping her hands together with her gaze on the floor.
The sudden silence in the room was soaking her heart, she could not help but laugh internally at this situation.
This situation was so similar to that night of the club.
Aadya could never forget how stunned she was when they had proposed to her to be their wife. At that time she was all alone and broken, their little wish of her being their only bride had given her a shock of her life.
And today it's nothing different.
The only change was that in place of her it was these three men were at the receiving end. She had made them speechless and god knows she was enjoying every second of it.
The silence dissolving in the room was echoing only one thing.
The sides have changed.
The hunter had become the prey!
Glancing up she looked at Rudra who was staring at her without blinking as if he was frozen in his place.
Aadya had no idea what her words had done to Rudra.
He was paralyzed at his spot. He could hear his heartbeat thudding wildly in his chest. No woman had made him feel like this. Perhaps the change was needed.
Even in his wildest dreams he had never thought that one day Aadya herself will ask the-- fuck it, order them to marry her that to in the time spare of four days.
He tried his best to subside this amazement from his mind by twitching his fingers which now have become unconscious out of shock but the only thing his body doing was sending all his blood to the south, to his manhood.
He wasn't sure about his heart but his dick surely liked her boldness. It liked it way too much.
He can't even blame himself for it. The way those words rolled down from her tongue was nothing but sexy.
She surely knew what a sexy voice she had and how to use it. Her voice was like a mild ice melting on the fire of passion.
Fucking seductive!
Aadya didn't have the slightest idea what her words were doing to the poor man. She was lost in enjoying the look on his face
Turning her neck a bit she glanced at Digvijay who was standing behind her.
Looking at him from the corner of her eyes she took a clear notice of his situation.
A little smirk found its way to her pink, chapped lips as she perceived the look of shock written all over his face.
Take it sir!!
She smirked like a cunning fox.
"Just wait and watch," her words filled with arrogance and challenge were roaming in his mind.
Aadya can literally shake their world with her one look, he had no doubt about it.
With each passing moment with her he was getting more ecstatic knowing what a little thing she is.
He had always wanted a bold and dominant woman however his Aadya was one step ahead of it.
She came with a little surprise of risk and carelessness and god knows this combination was fucking arousing.
His lips twitched from sides as he looked at her with appreciation as if blowing a love filled kiss on her way.
Aadya thinned her lips and mouthed, "no forgiveness no submission. Spend your entire life with me begging for my forgiveness."
She looked at him, narrowing her sexy cat eyes like she was ready to pounce at him like a fierce lioness at this very moment.
Looking away from him she looked at Vikram. Aadya knew he was angry because of today's incidents, the way Digvijay had compared her with Anamika it had made Vikram beyond furious.
However when her gaze finally met with Vikram's she felt someone had poured a bucket full of cold water on her.
She was expecting a surprised look on his face mirroring the other two. However he was anything but surprised.
Vikram was never a complicated man. He was what people say the one who wears his heart on his sleeves. A foul mouthed, arrogant, immoral and extremely hot womanizer.
But she had always connected with him as a person more than the other two because in some way they both were like each other.
They speak their mind, bluntly without caring about anyone.
They both were real to themselves and far away from the pretensiones.
But when he glanced up at her she could not help but see a fake happiness in his eyes with a forced smile on his face.
He was not being honest. He was not being himself.
Aadya was lost for words seeing the frowning lines on his forehead. She had thought he would grab her by the waist and crush her to his chest out of happiness and would murmur something naughty in her ears.
She grimaced seeing how he was trying to look happy when in reality he was anything but happy.
The air knocked out of his lungs as soon as he saw the look in her eyes.
He was caught.
She had seen through him. And only god knows what she must be thinking about the fake emotions he was trying to show.
He looked down glaring at the floor. His red eyes sharp as if making a hole on the floor. The veins on his forehead popped out in fury as he muttered something under his breath. He was furious with himself.
Gathering his courage he again met her eyes. Aadya could clearly see that something was bothering him but before she could ask what's bothering him a loud swearing echoed in the room.
"Holy fuck! Is this for real or I am walking around dreaming you motherfuckers!" Rudra cursed loudly, staring at her with his eyes widened.
Aadya's mouth twitched in disgust and she muttered, "you ain't walking around dreaming. Everything is real."
"For fucksakes I haven't thought in my life that a woman would command me for a marriage!" he muttered.
"Did you just curse at me ?" Aadya asked, seeing how he was mumbling underneath his breath.
"What!? No." he exclaimed.
"Do you really want to marry us after four days?" Vikram asked, hesitantly.
His question bothered Aadya. That's what I said. She wanted to snap at him, however she settled with a little, "Yes."
Digvijay grabbed her by her waist and murmured huskily in her ears, "Alright. Whatever you want babe. We will get married on the first of January."
Turning her neck she looked him in the eyes . He was resting his head on her shoulder while his hands were caressing the naked skin of her waist.
His close proximity was giving her bad ideas of letting go of the anger which was sitting on the tip of her little nose and his soft caress on her skin with that pouty look on his face was not helping her situation.
She closed her palms tightly and told him through her eyes,"You can't touch me like this. You have not gained my forgiveness so you better bugger off!! "
"This is my way of asking forgiveness. Holding you close to me and fulfilling your every wish," she could not ignore the message he was sending in her ways.
She sighed and unclasped his hands from around her waist. "It's not that easy Digvijay," she mumbled, shaking her head.
You have to beg my forgiveness only after that we can take the next step. Till then let me make your life hell as your wife. She bit back a smile at her bizarre thought.
As soon as she freed herself from Digvijay's holds she again found herself in someone's strong arms. It was Rudra.
Taking her by surprise he grabbed her in his arms and started spinning her around in the living room. Aadya squealed with glee and encircled her hands around his neck while giggling like a little girl.
"Rudra put me down," she yelled looking at him as her loud giggles echoed in the room. "No, I will not. You made my day, love. I am so fucking happy! " he hollered with a cheesy grin on his lips.
"Please Rudra," she pleaded, still giggling.
Grasping that she must be feeling dizzy with all this he accepted her request and put her down on her feet.
Aadya felt the world around her spinning in slow motion when she stood on her feet
Placing her hand on her temple she tried to stop her oscillating world however the dizziness was not leaving her.
Rudra chuckled seeing how she was losing her balance yet the silly smile was not leaving her lips.
Placing his hand around her shoulder he brought her close to his heart and encircled his other hand around her waist.
Aadya heaved a sigh and tried to grasp her breath as the spinning world was now slowly coming back to its place. She smiled listening to his heartbeats, he was truly happy like a little child.
"You happy?" he murmured looking down at her as she glanced up at him.
Aadya knew he was referring to her final decision of marrying them. Was this choice out of her will or something else.
"Very very happy," she said, smiling cheekily.
"Very very happy? " he chuckled at her cuteness.
"No, very very very very happy." she said, earning another soulful laugh from him.
"Will you marry me after four days?" she asked, with a small pout on her lips.
Placing a soft peck on the tip of her nose he said, "If you say. We will marry you now."
She giggled at his remark and looking at all three of them. She said in a low but determined tone,"But I do have some conditions, misters."
Aadya rolled her eyes at Rudra when he groaned and said, "more conditions ! Wasn't the earlier ones enough!? "
Digvijay knitted his brows thinking what else she can put before them as her new conditions. The earlier ones were enough.
A heavy feeling settled in her stomach as she saw how Vikram was still looking down as if his body was here but mind was somewhere else.
Is he not happy with my decision? She wondered, the thought brought an ache to her heart.
"What exactly are your conditions? "Digvijay asked.
She glanced at him and nodded her head while rubbing her hands on her arms feeling cold as the night was turning colder than she had accepted.
She grimaced, recalling how like a mad woman she had run out of her apartment to meet Digvijay. She was so furious seeing his pictures with that woman that in a hurry she forgot to bring her coat.
The three men noticed her shivering and rubbing her hands on her arms. In a second they took off their blazer and wrapped it around her thin frame.
Aadya yelled at the suddenness of their action and pouted, feeling like a clown as she felt Vikram's and Digvijay's suit blazer and Rudra's dark blue sweater wrapped around her body.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance she shrugged off their blazers from her shoulder while mumbling "I am not a snow bear."
"Why are you throwing it away? You are cold " Rudra shouted, picking up his sweater from the floor and wrapping it around her shoulder, again.
She again flicked his sweater off and picking up Vikram's black blazer from the floor she put her long arms inside its sleeves and wore it.
Wrapping her long arms around herself she took a deep breath of his cologne which was now smearing on her skin, enhancing her senses.
Aadya looked right in Vikram's eyes while smelling his scent from his coat, challenging the unexciting look on his face.
Vikram sighed and walked up to her.
"Your rules and conditions often turn out to be my punishments," he said, rolling the long sleeves of his blazer till her wrist.
His brows knitted seeing how thin her wrists were almost equal to his two fingers.
She is such a big foodie then why is she so damn thin!! He thought.
"I don't think my conditions will turn out to be your punishment, rather it will be me who will suffer by this in the end." she said, looking at Vikram who was measuring how thin her wrists were.
"What do you mean? "asked Digvijay, a confusion clear in his tone.
"I don't want the world to know about our marriage." she said.
They snapped their head towards her as soon as they heard what she had said. Here they were planning to make their relationship official and she wants to hide it from the world.
Was she ashamed of being known as their wife?
"Are you ashamed of our relationship," Vikram's voice thundered in the room. The coldness of his voice was resembling the ice of the frozen Antarctic ocean.
Aadya could not understand what had happened in the last two hours that he was giving her a cold shoulder. Especially after she had spoken about the marriage.
She glanced at Digvijay and Rudra and shook her head, "Let me rephrase it. I don't want the world to know about our marriage. Because, before the world I want Abhimanyu to know about us. I want to tell him myself." she said and glanced at Digvijay and continued," because when you get to know something about your loved ones by a third person it hurts very much."
Digvijay glanced away, seeing the reproach in her eyes.
"Alright, before the world. Abhimanyu will know about our marriage." Rudra said.
"When do you want to tell him? Now or later? " asked Digvijay.
"When he will be out of the prison I guess, till then I will gain enough courage to face him and tell him about us." she said, fearing even imagining what would be his reaction.
"That's it? "
She shook her head in negative and said, "If I find any one of you cheating on me then I will do the same. I will not cry over you and enjoy my life with a handsome and young man. All with your money. Tit for tat." she said, stretching the word young.
Getting betrayed by them was her biggest fear.. However she was optimistic that she can live without a cheater and will not cry over them.
I love them but I shall love myself too, Aadya thought, justifying herself.
Her eyes widened realizing what she had thought. Love..
She shook her head. It's so soon to call this feeling love. The feeling she has for them is affection. Yes, affection.
The three froze for a few seconds and could not believe what they heard.
All of them were irritated seeing how nonchalant she was.
Pulling her into his arms Vikram squeezed her red cheeks between his fingers and said rather angrily, "Aadya Kumar, don't you ever think about it. Never in this life or another. You heard me."
Rolling her eyes she muttered a boring"okay," and let him squish her cheeks without any resistance.
"And what do you mean by some handsome and Young man? We are young and handsome, so stop thinking about other men." Rudra said, possessively. How can she even think that way?
"Handsome yes but you are not young. You all are thirty plus. For me that's old. I am marrying three old men." she shrugged.
The three men stared at her stunned by bluntness. Did she just call them old!
What a cheeky little thing! Speaking nonsense.
Vikram let go of her cheeks and folding his hands across his chest said, "How dare you!"
Girls kiss the floor they have walked on and she is calling them old!
Aadya put her hands on her red cheeks and shaking her head gently she said, "You are thirty plus. I am twenty one obviously you all are older than me. It's a fact that you will have gray hair sooner than me. Our children will call me mumma and you.. Grandpas" her shoulders shook as she giggled like a mischievous kid.
The three men shook their heads and looked at each other. All thinking the same thing.
She is unbelievable.
"It's a fucked up logic," Rudra said not so kindly and the annoyance in his voice only make her giggle more.
Placing her hand over her mouth she tried to control her giggles but failed, anyways.
"Are you done with your conditions or there are more." Digvijay asked, bringing a halt to her nonstop giggles.
"I need to talk." she said, wiping the smiling tears from her eyes.
"Okay, we are here. Speak, "Rudra said, gesturing to her to speak further.
Aadya glanced at Vikram who was already looking at her and said, "I only want to talk to Vikram. Can we have a moment alone please."
It was not hard for Digvijay and Rudra to know what exactly was going through Vikram's mind. However it seemed like Aadya was taking his silence in a completely different way.
They both nodded their head and left both of them alone but before going Rudra whispered in her ear,"He needs you now. Just take care of him."
Tilting her head slightly she looked at him, puzzled. He just gave her a small smile and went out from the living room with Digvijay.
Now it was only Aadya and Vikram in the room.
"Why are you so silent Vikram? Won't you say anything? " she asked, playing with her fingers.
He had been quiet all this time and was staring at her with a blank expression.
Aadya felt uneasy under his stare. From the start he has been nothing but vocal, way too vocal or the correct word would be shameless.
Whether the fact of him being a womanizer or bluntly accepting every fault in his character. He was always expressive , never ashamed of himself or his deeds.
His dark orbs always carry that unspoken but unhidden spark then why today when she had taken the boldest decision of her life he was standing there silent like a wooden statue.
"Please say something," she urged him. His silence was eating her from inside.
Vikram looked away from her not being able to see the worried and concerned emotions in her eyes for him.
"Are you not happy? " her voice wavered a little.
He snapped his head towards her as soon as he heard what she had uttered and gripping her shoulders tightly he said, "Why shouldn't I be happy? I am elated, Aadya."
"That's why you didn't call me Darling! "she scoffed, glancing away.
"I.. Uh.. because.. " he was speechless.
How can he say that he was way too ashamed of accepting the happiness coming in his way.
"Because what? '' Aadya whispered, closing her eyes shut, she took some deep breaths when she remembered what Rudra had whispered.
"Tell me what's going on in your mind? "
Vikram tried taking her tender hands in his rough ones but she jerked it away and repeated her question," Tell me. "
Sighing helplessly he said the words which he knew would break her heart but it was necessary, "Aadya I don't think it's the right time for the marriage." he dropped the bomb.
Her body went stiff at his words.
It was them who had said that they want a marriage not a relationship. So now when she is finally ready for the marriage he is saying this!
A thought occurred in her mind. Maybe...Maybe it's some kind of joke, a prank.
"Will you please stop playing silly pranks? " she said, finding it not entertaining.
"I am not joking, Aadya. I don't think I can happily marry you after four days"
Time seemed to slow down as he uttered those words. She was not able to comprehend what she had heard.
She looked down, biting her lips thinking there is something more than this. He is her Mr. Manwhore who is shameless, foul mouthed, immoral but not heartless.
In some ways he is just like her who is never afraid to speak his mind.
However now he was not meeting her gaze as if hiding something from her and his words were not clear as before.
She looked up at him. He was glaring at the floor as if he was hating himself for saying those words to her.
"Uh.. Do you have any side chicks at the moment?" she asked him, already accepting a negative reply as the way he was holding her in his arms earlier, she knew he was loyal to her. But what's the harm in asking?
Vikram snapped his head towards her at a lightning speed , she could see a glimpse of anger in his red eyes.
"How can you even say that? It's been only you since the day you have accepted me as the way I am. I don't have any side chick now or will never have in future," holding her shoulder in a tight grip he almost shouted.
The raw emotions were swirling in his dark orbs. The most prominent of them all was love. She smiled a little. It was a real love and it was for her.
If he has these genuine emotions for her in his heart then why is he asking to delay the day he was waiting for all along?
She gripped his biceps and whispered the words looking at his red eyes which held anger but a true love for her,"Then why?"
It didn't take much time for Vikram to know what she was doing. She was tricking him to say the truth, to know the real reason behind his behavior.
But how could he tell her the truth?
He was feeling like he had failed in his life. Because of him and his fucking mafia a innocent, young girl was raped. His rivals had used a little girl as bait and destroyed her in a most cruel way.
How could he tell her that instead of consoling and supporting her father he was punishing him because that's what the rules say and even a Mafia Don cannot change the rules even if it was him who made them.
Vikram was helpless, he just wanted to place his head on her lap and tell her how he wanted to meet that little girl and ask forgiveness, however he knew she would only hate him after knowing what he had done to her father.
He wanted to tell her that he was feeling guilty and ashamed of himself that he couldn't save her by those bastards who had demolished her on the side of the road.
He wanted to tell her that he could never forgive himself if he married her now, accepting the happiness with open arms when there is a little child lying in a hospital bed. After experiencing the most horrifying experience of her life only because of him.
"Tell me honey, Is it because of your family? Don't they like me or something else," caressing her hands on his biceps she whispered softly coaxing him to tell her the truth.
Vikram was melting in the softness of her words and the way she was caressing his arms in a comforting way. Her eyes telling him to say the truth she is here for him, she will take care of everything.
"No.."he whispered back his breath fanning on her lips.
"Then what is it about? Why don't you want to marry now when you are the one who proposed to me before," she asked, raising her brows in confusion.
"Are you afraid of commitment? Does life with me sound scary to you now?" she whispered, smiling.
However her smile vanished when she saw he was not taking her little joke lightly and was glaring at her with fury in his eyes.
"Do you really think that about me? I am not afraid of commitment, Aadya. I think you have not understood the depth of my feelings for you. Let me tell you darling, what you really mean in my life. From the second I saw you..I was literally clean bowled by you. Honestly, it was not love at first sight. Still I was drowning in you with each passing moment. My every second thought was about you. I thought why am I daydreaming about you. For fuck sake I don't even knew you that time!!," he almost shouted clutching his hair tightly recalling how she would be always in his mind. As if she had made a home in his mind and was living there since forever.
"I keep telling myself I have all the beautiful, sexy women around me then why the hell I am thinking about this tall and skinny girl?
I had them all, darling. Believe me. I would hold those women in my arms and Poofhh!! You were gone.
And whenever I would look in their eyes, Bamm!!! You were back!!! As if you have never left, Aadya.
It took me time. It took me more than some time to realize that with each passing moment you are not only that beautiful girl for me, anymore. You have become my feeling, darling.
And god knows darling you have become my favorite feeling. I swear to my mother that now at this moment I want to do nothing but put a ring of my name in your finger, claiming you my wife.'' His breath was rugged and his eyes turned possessive with his words. He had never been this honest about his feelings before.
More than his words his eyes were communicating emotions.
Aadya could not decide which Vikram she likes the most. That one who is playful with no shame in his eyes and words or the Vikram who was saying these words with sheer level of honesty in it.
"Then why aren't you ready? " she asked.
Vikram's heart stopped for a moment; it was the moment he never thought would ever come. He was not ready to accept his defeat however the love and understanding in her eyes was telling him to tell her everything.
He tried refining his emotions and said, "I am a failure."
Aadya's brows knit in worry how he can say this about himself. Vikram is anything but a failure !
"No, you aren't. Vikram you are anything but a failure!" Aadya said in disbelief.
"I am darling," he looked away shaking his head.
Aadya clicked her tongue in disagreement. Holding his face firmly in her hands she looked closely in his eyes. She found his dark orbs filled with guilt and remorse as if he was ashamed of himself.
She opened her hands in front of him and said, "Here, Keep your hands in mine and look at me."
A frown appeared on his temple seeing her open hands and the firmness in her words. What's she trying to do? He had no idea.
"What are you trying to do? " he asked.
"Just put your hands in mine, please." she said, adamant.
Vikram blew a breath out of his mouth in helplessness. But looking at her innocent eyes waiting for him, he gave his hands to her.
"Here." he said, placing his hands on hers.
"What do you feel ?"
"Your hands?" he said with a questionable look.
"Offo!! I mean, what are you feeling while holding my hands in yours?"
Vikram looked at their joined hands. His rough hands over her soft ones.
Her hands were soft like a marshmallow. Her fingers, long and thin. He felt how her cold hands were now becoming warm as he held her hands tighter on his.
"Say what you feel." she asked, softly.
"Your hands are very soft and tender."
"Well thank you.What else do you feel ?"
"They were cold before but now they are becoming warm as I am holding them." he said, clasping her hands more tightly as if wanting to give more warmth.
"Do you think you can hold my hands forever," she asked.
He looked up from their clasped hands and meeting her gaze he said,"You bet. I am not gonna leave your hands ever not even in another seven lives"
"But here you were saying you can't hold my hands now," she said referring to the marriage.
Before he could say anything, she continued, " I heard you and I know you want this marriage as much as I want it, however there is something which is stopping you from being happy. Tell me what is it? "
"I told you I am a failure." he said, helplessly.
"No, you can never be a failure because your failure is my failure and I can never fail," she said and continued,"Vikram I am holding your hands I will never let you fail in anything. Just tell me."
The affection in her blue green orbs were screaming at him to tell his every worry to her. It's telling him that she is here and she will listen.
"She is destroyed because of me. I can't be happy and accept the biggest treasure of life when I know a little girl is battling with her life because of me." Aadya gasped seeing the guilt and pain in his words and his eyes.. they were shimmering with a few unshed tears.
The guilt was trickling through him. This was the second time he was feeling this guilty in his life.
A small girl was raped because of him.
If she was nothing to him, if her father was nothing to him maybe she was not raped and thrown in the sides of the road.
In these few hours, sudden old memories had crept in him and were drilling his soul.
He was ashamed of feeling ecstatic about their marriage.
He had swore in his heart that he will never force a girl or let anyone force themselves on any girl. But today he had failed, miserably.
And the sudden realization of failure was making him more guilty.
Aadya didn't know what he was speaking about or whom he was speaking about.
However she wasn't blind to not see how special that girl was for him. She meant so much to him that he was feeling ashamed of being happy. Just because she is not in a situation of being happy or what he said is destroyed because of him.
Bringing their joined hands near her chest she said, "Then go and speak to her. Listen to her cries and shower your affection on her. She needs you this time, be there for her. And please don't hate yourself and think that you are a failure..
However you will be a failure if you leave her now. So stop feeling guilty and take the first step, I am here for you. If you don't want to, we will not marry now, alright. For me your emotional health is more important than this marriage." Aadya said with gentleness and understanding in her eyes.
Vikram could not believe, what a big fool he was being. Hurting her because of his guilt and foolishness! She didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve this.
"No, I want to. I want to marry you. I want to marry you now at this moment," he said, truly. He did want to marry her and cherish her all his life. The time was making him feel like a failure who didn't deserve any blissfulness. But now he can not upset her because of his guilt or any other thing in the world.
"Do you really want to marry me after four days?" she murmured.
"Yes." he said in a clear voice.
"Then get rid of this guilt. Go and talk to her. She will feel better and by this you will feel better," a smile curved on her lips as she whispered while caressing his jaw.
"I will," he said.
*************************
Folding her mamma's saree, gently she placed it inside her closet.
Making it sure that after her marriage she will wear every sarees of her mumma.
Tieing her long hair in a bun she walked across the floor while thinking about how Vikram must be feeling now. She had never seen him this disturbed before.
Sitting on her bed in an Indian style she joined her hands together and closing her eyes shut she murmured a small prayer, thanking god for everything and telling him to take care of her closed ones, especially taking care of Vikram. He was so stressed today.
A ping sound of the notification disturbed her as soon as she laid down for a relaxing sleep.
She groaned mumbling, why didn't I put it on silent.
However her eyes lighten up and cheeks turned rose pink seeing the message on her phone's screen.
"Good night, wifey."
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