"Wine?" Rahul offered holding a bottle as he took a seat beside him.
"Umm...ok." Ananya accepted, a little hesitant.
"So? You couldn't sleep either?" Rahul asked staring at her.
"No"
"So, you and Arjun broke up?"
"Yeah," she sighed and took a gulp of her drink. "I made a blunder. It's my fault." Sadness surged within her. Nowadays whenever she pondered over all these they made her feel overwhelmed. So, she tried to keep herself busy all the time.
"Hmm, so, Arjun just let you go?"
"I lost him. Let's not talk about this."
"So, did you talk to Shriya?"
"I don't love her anymore."
"What? But..."
"She clearly told me, she would not love me ever. She didn't see me that way. She has only eyes for one person."
"Don't feel bad," Ananya replied dazed.
"It's just about time Arjun starts reciprocating her feelings. Do you think Arjun has feelings for her?"
"I don't know." She whispered looking in the darkness outside. A cold breeze passed by them and the next moment raindrops started dropping in soft drizzles. As the first raindrops fall, they create a beautiful symphony, tapping on leaves and rocks. With each passing moment, the rain grew bolder, transforming into a steady downpour.
They sat there silently watching the rain. The sound of rushing water mixed with the rain's steady rhythm, creating a captivating cacophony that echoed through the wilderness.
"There is a different kind of beauty of rain in the mountains, isn't it?" Rahul murmured.
"Yes, it's both terrific and breathtaking, it's like the world is going to end today and it's just a siren before the end. As if nature was plotting some horrible game of destruction behind the facade of this heavenly beauty." Rahul glanced at Ananya's face. In the dim light, she was glowing like a candle.
"Rahul, what would you do if the world ends today?"
Rahul kept silent for a moment and then opened, "I would like to rectify my past mistake."
"What mistake?"
"When I let you go when I let such a beautiful girl like you? You are so gorgeous, beautiful. You are kind, caring, and mature. Now when I look back I regret that day. The day we were supposed to be together. The day you could have been mine."
Rahul lifted his hand and touched the back of his fingers on her cheeks. With hooded eyes, she stared back at him. Those words clouded her mind with a particular face.
The moment you entered the party looking like a temptress, you turned me into a stupid. I could hardly conclude what others were saying.
Say yes to being mine. I want to say to the whole world that you belong to me only.
"Let's give us a chance once more, Anu." The face said back.
"I know there is still a part of you that loves me. They say first love is hard to forget. Our fate was destined to mingle, Anu. That's why even after all the relationship in our relationship we are here, with each other."
"Yes, I love you so much."
"Let's give us one last time. I promise you won't be disappointed. I will keep you happy."
"I know." She whispered. He drew closer to her as his lips followed her lips.
"Anu"
"Arjun "
"No, Anu. There will be no Arjun and Shriya between us. It's just us." He whispered against her lips and touched her lips with his.
The cold touch of lips of Rahul alerted her of the situation they were in. These lips, she didn't know them. She jerked away from him. It felt like she had entered the wrong house. She didn't belong here.
Rahul glanced at her with slightly shocked and hurt eyes.
"No, Rahul." With widened she shook her head furiously and ran out in the rain.
Her feet took her to a particular destination on its own. Due to the trekking, her legs were slightly cramped. Her wobbly steps caused her to trip over a stone and fell into the mud. She stood up and started running again without looking back.
She knocked on his door but no one opened. She knocked again but still no reply came. She rounded the knob and it opened.
With slow steps, she entered. Her heart was drumming in her chest. Her dress was soaked, mud-strained.
She crossed the dining and entered the bedroom in the darkness. In the darkness, she saw a body lying on the bed. But as she looked closely it seemed to move.
The closer she got she realised he was tossing and turning in his bed, probably having a nightmare. He also seemed to say some incoherent words.
Ananya sat beside him. He's crying in the sleep.
"Ma... leave...no...me...bad" These are the only words she managed to understand.
She could sense his fear and anguish, and her emotions became entwined with his. Concern washes over her, urging her to do whatever she can to alleviate his suffering. Seeing him tormented by his dreams breaks her heart, and she wants nothing more than to be his anchor in the storm.
"Arjun... Arjun...Arjun...listen to me." She tried to wake him softly. "Arjun..."
Arjun opened his eyes half-consciously feeling a very comfortable voice engulfing him like a soft blanket. And he couldn't help but crave to cling to that voice desperately.
Arjun hugged her waist like she was his only source of living.
"Anu...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...please forgive me...Anu...don't leave me...please Anu" his croaked voice seemed to crumble her heart. He was sobbing hiding his head in her lap like a kid.
"Ssh...ssh... I'm here. I'll always be here." She holds him close, allowing her touch to convey the depth of her love and support. With every whispered word, every gentle stroke of his hair, she tries to infuse his being with her strength and courage.
After staying like that for almost half an hour Arjun came back to his sense and looked up at her from her lap. She looked tired, teary-eyed and wet.
He sat up to see her closely. She was here looking at him closely. A trace of vulnerability streamed in her eyes. The smell of alcohol hit him.
"You are drunk." He confirmed and switched off the bedside lamp. He was stunned looking at her condition. Her hair was wet, dress sticking to her body like a second skin. There was proof of mud and cuts on her body. He checked her arms and legs. Her skin was peeled near her knees and arms.
"And dirty too." She said pouting nodding her head. "Did you decide to sleep in the mud instead of bed?" He asked shaking his head.
"Arjun, I need to tell you something, and it's urgent." She uttered holding his arm, her voice holding desperation with a tinge of vulnerability. Her voice came out raw and husky after getting drenched in the rain.
"I'll listen but first you need to get yourself clean and dry. You will get cold, Anu."
"But..." she started but Arjun put a finger on her soft lips. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom and put her in the tub.
"Clean yourself." He ordered softly holding up her chin and left the bathroom. After some time he came with her another night dress and inners. Her eyes widened. Arjun just smirked seeing her reaction. He left before saying, "Neha gave me, I told her you are going to stay with me tonight."
Ananya cleaned herself and came out. Arjun was looking outside. It was still raining but not as relentlessly as before. As he felt her in the room motioned her to sit on the bed and brought a first-aid box.
He started treating the wounds on her knee with antiseptic.
"Remember you asked me one time if I still have feelings for Rahul," she stopped for a while, as she stared at Arjun who didn't give any reaction just kept on his job. She suppressed the pain from the cut and went on, "No, I have no feelings for him except for friendly concern just as I feel for every other friend. I don't love him. I never loved him the way I love you." Arjun's hand stopped for a while but he didn't look up at her rather started treating her hand wound with so much care.
"Won't you say anything?" Ananya asked fearfully. Arjun's silence was setting her nerve all over the place.
"What do you want me to say?" Arjun's curt voice came.
"Don't you want to know how I knew this, for sure?" Her voice was shaking by now. When Arjun didn't respond she continued, "I kissed him."
Both of their heart seemed to stop by now. One out of anticipation, one just out of shock but still his hand didn't stop. It's like he had been compelled to treat her. But the storm inside was crackling with intensity. Arjun completed and got up.
"You should go to your room," Arjun uttered standing near the window while looking outside. As the night wore on, the rain had begun to subside. The mountains, now cleansed by the downpour, glistened under the fading moonlight.
"You want me to leave?" Ananya whispered shifting closer to him.
"Yes" Arjun replied still not looking at her.
"But, I don't want to. Look at me."
She hugged him from back feeling his body stiffen under her touch. She hold him more tightly and kissed his neck softly. Arjun's body went numb at the softness but he controlled himself and turned towards her.
"I asked you to leave. Why don't you listen to me once?" His voice a fusion of anger, and breathlessness poured in some dark feelings.
Instead of answering his question she went ahead and kissed on his cheek. Her hands roamed from his neck to his face leaving goosebumps on their way. She kissed his other cheek, then near his lips.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" Arjun whispered clutching her palm in his. His eyes were dark, intense. But Ananya didn't falter. Her lips still lingered over his skin as she asked again, " Was I your first?" Arjun stared at her confusingly.
"The first woman you kissed?" This time Ananya's eyes reflected the same intensity. Both of them seemed to burn each other with their eyes. The cold air after the rain cut their skin, but still, they felt hot as their body remained close. Arjun's grip tightened on her wrist. His hand was aching to attack her every existence, to rip her apart and then mend her with utmost care.
"No," he replied honestly.
"Then why are you so angry that I kissed someone else? If you can then why can't I?" Ananya asked challenging him. Arjun snapped and pinned her to the wall.
"You can't because YOU ARE MINE. I kissed other girls when I didn't even know you, but after you came into my life I haven't even looked at anyone. Do you know why? Because I can't, all I can think of is you. You hurt me. You lied to me. You betrayed me. But still, you are the one haunting my reality, dreams everything."
"How do I look in your dream, Arjun? Like a nightmare?"
"Sometimes, when I see your tear-strained face look back at me, the same look you give every time I pushed you away and then sometimes you came like something a warm blanket after m
"Let's forget the past, Arjun. You said they were all in the past. Let the past stay behind."
"Why does Shriya affect you...?" Before he could finish she slammed her lips with his but didn't move. He just touched them keeping his lips sealed with herself, feeling the warmth of them spreading through her.
"Can't you accept me as I am now?" She whispered removing her lips from his but tracing them with her fingers. In the darkness, their gaze denied to remove from each other.
Arjun didn't answer just stayed still. Ananya lowered her eyes retracting her fingers. She turned to leave but felt a strong hold on her waist as her back touched the wall and his lips came crashing down before she could realise. His mouth pressed firmly against her giving her no choice to deny or retract, and the kiss was deep and demanding as if he was trying to taste the essence of her soul. He had waited long, his control had finally crashed. He explored her mouth with a sense of urgency and hunger as Ananya willingly gave him access to her sweetness. He sucked her as the room filled with the sound of their act.
Every time those lips had provoked him to destroy everything and claim them but he had stopped, his heart ached, cursed to hell with everything and just make her his so that no one ever could separate them, not even her, but he didn't and just that moment someone threatened to enter his territory. He saw red. He gripped her waist tightly against the silkiness of her nightdress as his fingers deepened in her soft curls, aching to tug on them. He didn't want to leave any space between them. In the moment of anger and desire the animalistic urge to consume her within him, he chewed and bite her lips. Ananya gasped at his roughness causing both of them to come out of their moment of passion.
"I'm sorry." He touched her lips again softly tasting the slight blood. He sucked on them. In the aftermath of their rough kiss, their breathing was ragged, their hearts pounded in sync with the thunderous rhythm of the moment. Their eyes locked in the darkness, and they saw in each other a reflection of the passion they just shared, a passion that connected them in a way that words alone could never convey.
He picked her up in bridal style and lay her down on the bed. His fingers traced her soft curls before putting on the blanket. As he turned Ananya tugged his hand.
"Am I forgiven?" She mumbled looking up at him, innocently.
Arjun bent near her and whispered, "Sleep my dear, we'll talk later about this. We have a long way to go. But know one thing, seeing you with someone else wouldn't be any less than a stab to my heart. I consider you mine, so don't let anyone come between us. Whatever our problem is, it's ours, only." He kissed her forehead and went inside the washroom. He needed a hot shower. Ananya was already slept by the time he was finished. He laid down beside her but kept his distance so that he didn't cross his limits.
In the morning when he woke up, he found his bed empty. There was still a sign of her being there as he stared at the unmade bed.
One by one all the incidents of last night came rushing to him. She was here with him. He was having nightmares again and then the next moment he was in her embrace. Her comforting words, her warmth, they felt like __
Today they would return to the city after lunch. He noticed it was already 9:40.
Arjun freshened up and by the time he came to the lounge area for breakfast, there was a gathering. His friends were also there including there.
In the middle of the gathering, there stood a couple. He recognised them.
"Remember them?" He whispered near Ananya's ear from behind. Ananya glanced behind to see the handsome face staring at the couple and then at her. Their eyes locked with each other. The last night's moments flew back to them. How Ananya comforted a disturbed Arjun relieving him from such turmoil and how he took care of her. The ice seemed to melt a little every day and they both knew it. That day was not far when this burning would melt it completely and they got diluted in each other.
"Yes, the stupid jungle couple," Ananya replied turning towards the couple once again who were now beaming with joy. The kind of joy which makes one have the same kind of love and longing in their dried heart.
The audience, the witness of these lovely moments, clapped at them.
Ananya hadn't talked to anyone much after waking up. She felt awkward to approach Rahul after last night's incident.
After having breakfast Rahul came to talk to her as everyone got busy with their packaging.
"I'm sorry for last night." Rahul started, "I just thought... leave it. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Just forget it."
He let out the words guiltily.
"It's ok. It's better to forget." Ananya replied finally looking up at his eyes. She smiled to ease the tension.
"Rahul, I just want you to know that I still think of you as my good friend and will do in future also. But I don't think anything else is possible other than that." She confirmed with a bit of seriousness.
Rahul just nodded with a smile. Ananya really seemed to get over him. But he didn't want to make any advances anymore to mess up their friendship.
They returned that day by night.
The next morning when Shriya came to the breakfast table everyone else was already seated.
"Good morning, Dad, Mom."
"Good morning beta, how was your trip?"
Dibakar asked with a smile.
"So good, we enjoyed it a lot. "
Dibakar cleared his throat.
"Shri, I have something to tell you and your mother."
Both mother-daughter noticed the slight frown on his face and exchanged looks.
"I hope you will keep an open mind and listen to me carefully before reacting."
So, Here is the chapter. Please let me know how is it. And please please please vote share and comment.
Stay safe and be happy ❤️
28.07.2023