Viraj immediately looked at Vinay as if he had betrayed him.
"What is going on here, Vinay?"He asked strictly.
"Just talk to her, Viraj. Sort out your issues." Vinay spoke calmly...or so he tried because he knew the extent of Viraj's anger.
Viraj dramatically turned around and walked a few steps inside.
"I don't want to talk to her. Ask her to leave." He declared but didn't close the door.
Vinay could see the dilemma Viraj was in. He wanted to talk to her but was acting the opposite. If he was genuine, he would have slammed the door but not before kicking him on the balls.
Vinay immediately walked towards Sneha.
"Go and talk to her before he changes his mind." He instructed her.
"But he..." She spoke.
"If he really didn't want to talk to you, he would have closed the door. Go, quickly." He literally gave her a push.
Sneha stumbled and hesitantly stepped inside. Out of blue, she recalled the first day she came here. Viraj had carried her bridal style and had been too sweet with her. Today felt different though.
But then, what was she expecting?
"Viraj." She called for him...a little curious and a little anxious.
Vinay stood at the end of the corridor to give them complete privacy because none of them closed the door.
"Leave." He said, loud and clear as his back faced her.
She looked at the floor as her heartbeat escalated exponentially.
"Please listen to me." She begged in her soft tone.
Viraj almost melted...almost.
"I said leave." He repeated while turning sideways.
Scared, she turned around but then recalled Vinay's words.
This really would be her last chance.
There was a long pause before she spoke.
"I am sorry." She finally said.
When she didn't get any reply from him, she decided to elaborate.
"I really am. I have realized that I shouldn't have hurt your feelings. But, it was unintentional, I swear! I just wanted to...get my freedom back. I never realized that I would hurt your feelings in the process. I know I was being selfish and that I should have trusted you. But, my circumstances didn't let me. Please accept my apology." She literally begged.
Viraj listened patiently before he faced her and walked in her direction.
"What did you say you were apologizing for?" He asked as if accusing her.
Sneha's confusion was evident in her expression.
"I am sorry...for...hurting your feelings." She reiterated.
"But you are wrong here. You should not apologize for hurting my feelings because I am used to this since my childhood."
"Viraj..."
"No, Sneha. You have said all that you had to. I have always listened to you. Now, I'll speak and you will listen."
That shut her up.
"Right from the moment I started understanding things, I craved someone to love me for me. My father is an emotionless man who had only ever loved my real mother in his entire life. He loves me because I am the product of his love for my mother. My mother might have had motherly love for me but she hated me for being born. For her, I was a mistake that she was forced to nurture. My sister loves me because I am the only one who can protect her and save her from my father. My maasi (mother's sister) loves me because I remind her of her sister. My friends love me because of the power I hold in society. I wanted someone who would love me for who I truly am. And, I believed...no, I knew it was you. You understood me as no one had. You knew that deep inside, I was a different person than the one I showed to the entire world out of custom. You forced the good in me to come out. You made me hopeful of receiving the love that I have always wanted. I finally believed that I found someone with whom I can not only share my happiness but also my fears and flaws. I trusted you with everything I had. I believed in you. So, Sneha...if you really want to apologize for anything, apologize for breaking my hope." He said.
Sneha's eyes welled up as she heard him.
Why can't he believe that it wasn't her intention? But, then she understood that it wasn't the right time to think about her. He was really hurt...and it was time for him to get consoled.
He waited for her to speak but she was speechless as she continued looking at his chest with a sad face.
"But, now that I think about it, it is not your fault either. You have been faking it all along. It was my fault that I entrusted you with my emotions and happiness. It is my fault that I fell in love with you."
Sneha looked at him when he confessed again.
"But, don't worry...I have realized that I don't need you to love you. I will always love you but you won't feel the burden of it. Even if you go ahead in life and marry someone else and have kids of your own, I won't bother you. Because I now believe my mother when she said that I will never get happiness in my life."
The way he spoke out his heart broke her heart as well. A tear did escape from her eye. She had not come here to hurt him! But, eventually, she did end up hurting him.
Viraj took a deep breath as his eyes scanned her face.
"I am requesting you now...Please don't come here again. Every time that I see you, my resolve for letting you go breaks. It becomes harder for me to console myself and control my emotions. I don't want to end up going crazy and crying for you again. So, please...Go and live your life as you have always wanted to." He finally said and took two steps back to give her room for going out.
Sneha's heart felt heavy as she heard him. The intensity of his emotions never got into her heart as it did today.
When she still didn't move, he added.
"Don't worry about me either. Someday, I'll get married too and move on..." He said this so that she won't think of him as an obsessed person. But, he couldn't speak further as a pair of soft lips covered his.
Sneha must have gone crazy at that moment since she raised herself and kissed him. She didn't want to think of him becoming someone else's man.
.
.
.
Viraj was stunned for the entire moment that her lips stayed on his lips, even if it was barely for five seconds. It was something he had never expected in his life. His entire body was on fire. So, he stared at her as she lowered herself and her eyes automatically went downcast. He could see the tears of shame clearly.
A good amount of silence prevailed before he walked past her and closed the door gently.
Sneha heard the thud of the door and she concluded the worst. She thought he went outside because of her childish act. Since she was not going, he decided to leave.
Her mind went blank and she didn't want to ponder over her actions. Why did she kiss him? Why was she holding on to him when he was ready to let her go? Wasn't this something that she had wanted since day 1?
'Why did he lock me in and went outside?' She thought and turned around.
But, she came face-to-face with Viraj again who held a very serious expression right now. He pushed her gently on the wall and placed his palms near her head, on the wall, caging her.
"What do you want, Sneha? Tell me clearly." He asked in a strict, no-nonsense tone. His gaze kept shifting between her eyes and her lips...hoping she would kiss him again. He was aroused, for heaven's sake, just by her slight physical touch!
Sneha's heartbeat had gone haphazard. She couldn't think clearly, then how can she speak rationally?
"Sneha!" He called for her again as she continued looking at his chest with wide eyes.
"I don't know!" She said and raised her head to meet his gaze. But, a scattered light ray hit something metallic on her left, making it shine and attracting her attention. Involuntarily, she looked to her left and what she saw melted her heart.
Viraj was still wearing the engagement/wedding ring. She had not been so observant before but as he stood so close to her, it was clearly evident.
At this moment, she just wanted to see him as a man who was insanely in love with her...and not as a criminal. She had always wanted a man who would love her selflessly. And, as she looked at that man, she didn't want to lose him. She could fight with the world just to get his affection back.
"In that case, I'll give you ten seconds to think. Leave before these ten seconds. Or, I swear to God, Sneha, if you won't leave now, then I will never let you go." He said, loud and clear.
Both looked at each other as the seconds ticked by.
All her rationality flew out of the window as she stepped forward and raised herself again to kiss him. Viraj quietly let her approach him with closed eyes and placed those delicate lips on his again. He was in heaven.
Acting on impulse, she whispered on his lips, as their noses touched.
"Don't let me go." She said.
Viraj held her waist and pulled her impossibly close to his body. Kissing her senseless, he answered.
"Even if hell freezes and you would beg me, I will not let you go...ever." He promised.
Both knew what would transpire between them now. Even Vinay, who stood out of the door knew what would happen behind the closed doors. Nonetheless, he waited for five more minutes to confirm his suspicion before leaving for his car.
"Well, congratulations Viraj." He couldn't help but smile at his friend's reconciliation with his wife.
.
.
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{Hey all!
Sneha is going to face a hell lot of internal battles as she comes back to her senses and thinks of the consequences of her actions. But, what can be done now?
So, who is up for a steamy scene between the two leads?
Obviously, the next chapter will take time since writing mature scenes is a challenging and time-consuming task. So, please expect the next update on or after 15 March.
Till the next update, you can share your opinions on how you want their first night to be. Any idea is of course welcome.
The Instagram spoiler will be up soon too.
Bye...
Happy Holi in advance!