a suprise.
Warm Love hits 100K, and I should atleast share this with a bonus because of the people who made it happen.
In life two things, will definitely come. Death and Betrayal. Someday, somewhere at sometimes, you will face either of this two. The suffocation will be same in each case, the fire will be same.
The fire of the betrayal is extinguished, just the debris of the remnant is leftover. The things I lost I got back. I emerged from the ashes, to take over the Mafia once again.
The journey of one hour fifteen minutes completes, but not the thoughts of mine. I unbuckle the seatbelt, being the last to step out. The warm breeze of Goa, and the faint yellow light falls on me. Again, the strange feeling returns, hitting me with full force. I gulp the air, trying to calm my thudding heart.
"Chachu, come." A ten years old Varun calls out excitedly, from the car door.
"Yess." I mutter, before letting him shit inside and making space for me. "Are we going to the beach?"
"Not today." I reply. He pouts before resting his head on my arms, and tapping on the screen of I-pad, resuming his game.
Typing a short message of reached to Aditya, I rest my head on the headrest, closing my eyes momentarily. The rays of morning, falls sharp on my face, making me blink my eyes open, a curse leaving my mouth. I turn my head, towards the window, when a woman with her back faced towards me, falls before my eyes.
I blink, closing my eyes and again opening them. For the next seconds, I find myself staring at her, observing her, trying to differentiate the woman from her. Dressed in a black hoodie, her red hairs left open, as she chats animatedly with the person before her. My eyes flew towards the small face of a boy, she was carrying in her arms. His eyes lit up, as his innocent gaze observes the other car of our, passing before him. He tells the lady and my eyes refused to part away from her, a desperation to see her face overcomes me.
Before I could see her, the driver drives the car ahead, and she turns to her right, again her back facing me, masking her face. I definitely have turned insane. A smile grazes my lips, remembering the astonished face of the child, which was different this time.
Was it real? I chuckle internally, all this year, I mastered the art of smiling that I forgot to differentiate it realness. Art comes with its own curse. Just like she had been. An art which my love saw her in.
Soon the driver drives inside through the driveway, a large mansion falling before us. We park before the driveway, from where the entrance falls to the large majestic house. Perfect for a family stay.
I get down from the car, the breeze strong, flowing past me. Nirvan, the name engraved on the golden plate hanged on the house.
"Wow, this is so beautiful." Kritika exclaims, mirroring everyone's expression.
"And we are going to stay here for one month." Both the women squeal, their eyes brightened up.
"The house is beautiful, right?" I pocket my fingers inside, leaving my brothers to deal with their wife's. "So, does the pay." Vedant and Vedansh grimace.
"You're rich hubby." Amaira coos at her husband. "That I'm."
The entrance door leading to the house left open, I enter first, others following the que. Varun skips his step running in the house, going to the stairs to check upstairs area.
"From inside it looks even more pretty." Dadi says, "It would've been good if Vihan and Sunita were also here." Her eyes longing for her only kid. Looking at her fallen face, Vedansh wraps his arms against her, "It's okay dadi. You have us. Mom and dad have to go nani's house. They can accompany us another time."
"I hope so." Ever seen Dadu's and Dad's death, she remains worries over trivial matters.
"Remember, we have each other." Vedant hugs her, followed by Maa, Kritika and Amaira. "We have each other." My mind reminds the same words again. I stand before them, watching over them.
"No tears, it's vacation." Amaira exclaims, "Yess, we have left the evils behind, now it's time to move ahead." Maa says.
"Saheb," An old man, dressed in blue uniform knocks on the door, his head lowered down. I beckon him inside.
"Saheb, I am Mujli." He joins his hand in traditional manner, "I am the guard, and has been looking after this house since past ten years. If you need anything you can say it to me. I know this town, and can help you as much as it's possible." He runs his well practised speech like a bullet train, not even stopping for a full stop for a breath.
I nod at him, "I saw a beach when we were entering the city. How far is it from here?" Vedant inquires.
Mujli glances at him, shaking his lean head vigorously, and speaking fast, "No, no, it's just by the walking distance."
"Yeap, we're going there tomorrow." He slaps his palm against Vedansh's. sometimes they act worse than Varun. I think the boy has really picked very less from his father, and more from his mother, a soft and quiet child.
"Bijli," I call out the old man's name. The old man's looks timidly at me, a blush creeping on his cheek. "Reyansh." Maa chides, scowling at me, her eyes enlarged in warning.
"What?" I frown at the other, "I like Bijli for him." Because, he looks and behave exactly like it. His lean tall frame, a rimmed glass resting on his nose, the few strands of hairs on his head, pushed back with the help of oil making him shine without a light, and his mouth running like electricity. Fast forwards.
"Anyways, Bijli-"
"Reyansh." Maa hiss.
"Okay, Mujli," I purse my lips, "Make sure nobody disturbs us. Don't let any outsiders inside the house, and share nothing about us to anyone. If any of this happens, wait for me to actually change your name to Bijli." His eyes widen for a moment like a flinch, before he covers it.
"Okay," However, the okay doesn't reach my ears. Other's discharge to their respective room, leaving me and the Bijli alone. I shift the jacket to the other arm which is covered by tattoo, as Bijli's eyes happens to fucking star gaze at it, every second. He notices that I noticed him, catching my glares and awkwardly diverting his eyes somewhere else.
"Tell me about the neighbor." Even though, Vishal has assured me the neighborhood is safe, but who can tell a place better than a native.
"Uhm, house to the left side is of a couple, Shetty. Both couples are working and from their side you wouldn't receive any complain, as they are hardly home. The house to your next is Hussain, a deceased solider, the family stays. The only problem they have is they are noisy. Rest, the whole neighborhood is sweet and friendly."
I nod at him, "As long as they don't disturb us, I will be cool." He nods, "You may leave and close the main door."
With that he takes his leave, and I make my way upstairs. The ground floor has two bedrooms, each taken by dadi and Maa. The first floor has four, three guest and one master bedroom. Crossing the stairs, a hallway runs, a room falling. From the inside, I can surely hear my brother having fun.
I scrunch my nose doesn't he want to rest. Anyways, their desire who I am to judge. The other one was also engaged as Varun shoes were left in an upside manner before the door. A balcony falls next, the wind fluttering the curtains, and opposite to it's a door to master room.
I twist the knob, entering the cold room, a king bed in the center. The room was moderate and had a calm vibe. Instead of entering, I leave the door ajar turning to walk towards the open balcony. The white light curtains danced in the fierce wind. Moving them aside, I cross the threshold. The balcony faced east side, overlooking the whole town. Each house has a coconut tree their leaf swayed in the breeze, the roof in traditional design.
Keeping my hand on the balustrade, a modern style Italian architecture house falls beside Nirvan. From the balcony, only the compound of that house can be seen. Just when I see a man in his twenties, comes jogging down from the street, opening the fence and enters the house.
After spending five minutes more, I enter the room, dragging my luggage. Taking out my sweatpants, I head for a shower. The cold water hit my skin, ranking goosebumps on my naked skin. Goa is not that cold.
Freshening up, I hit the bed, since my whole night was spent in packing and hustle of arranging everything, made me stay awake the whole night. I keep my phone on the night stand which was continuously buzzing with Maya's message. Covering myself with the comforter, I dive in my pending sleep.
My eyes flutter open, the dappled rays of sun caressing my face. A finger slides from my hair to my forehead, resting on my cheeks. Blinking my eyes to adjust to my surrounding, I groan when the rays directly fall on my sensitive eyes. I move my head, to look at the person whose warm hands rested on my cheeks.
"Reyansh." I move my head to the source of the sound, a frizzy smile taking over my lips. I manage to tear open my eyelids, to look at her lovely face. Finally, I see her, sitting beside me, her lips curved upwards defining her cheek bones, which pushed up her eyes. Her orbs glinting, a glow of radiance shone on her face. My heart warming up.
"How have you been?" I say, my voice hoarse.
"How?" A frown interrupts on her beautiful face, "I am good, but why are you asking me this?"
I try seating straight, but my whole body was stiff and I was unable to move any of my muscle except my head. "Where did you go? I searched for you, called your name but you never came back. Why were you so cruel?"
She stares at me, pulling her face in blankness, and I hate that I couldn't read her face. Her orbs looked straight at me, but nothing covered them, just devoid. No anger, no hate, no love, no resentment.
Then her mouth opened, and she says, "Our love lost the fight against the cruel fate."
When a loud horn made me look ahead, a truck drove straight towards us. My hands which felt stiff, where suddenly on the steering wheel, when I registered, we were in the car.
"Look it again came to separate us." She laughs, showing her pearl white teeth, throwing her head back. The few of her tendrils falling before her face. I left the steering wheel to reach for her hand, when my whole world turns upside down.
I wake up with a jolt, my sense covered in dread. I rank my palm over my face, which was covered with a sheen layer of sweat. "What the fuck it was?" I remove the blanket from my leg, keeping my leg on the floor, my elbow resting on my thigh. With my body leaned forward, the sliver chain dangles before me, which held a delicate pendent in oval shape, the front designed of a bird.
My head throbbed, a headache coming over. I squeezed my eyes shut, to forget the lingering effect of the nightmare. She visits me but in bad dreams. My ear pricks to the loud noise of music. Pulling a shirt over my naked chest, I exist the room, ranking my hand through my hairs.
Following the trail of sound, which intensified as I reach the balcony. The house next door, was practically the idiotic residence who played the Bollywood mix in afternoon.
"Weird asses." I mutter under my breath.
Moving downstairs, I locate every family member assembled in the living room, looking fresh.
"What happened?" I ask taking over a seat on the single conch.
"We're deciding to have lunch in the backyard." Maa suggested. And for the next few minutes, trying to ignore the urge of forever muting the loud vocal of a self-declared public toilet singer, I managed to go through the first page of the newspaper, while the ladies settled the bowls of dishes on the white table.
"Is the person singing or speaking some Hebrew code of black magic? Vedansh mocks.
The weather was pleasant, for having an outdoor lunch. I tear the bread dipping it in curry, and taking a morsel.
"Bhai don't you smell some weird shit?" Vedansh crunched his nose, his fingers pinching his nose, making his voice stuffed. I take a puff of the air, and immediately a feeling of repentance hitting me. I snatch the air purifier spraying few inches away from me. Yet, the air hung heavily with the putrid stench, a nauseating blend of decay that clawed once sense.
"What the heck is it the smell of?" I scowl out.
"The food is also fresh." Dadi says, her saree palu covering her nose.
Each inhale was an assault, an acrid reminder of the decomposed body I once have seen. "The hairs of my nose must have burned by now." Vedant takes another tissue wiping his red nose.
"But every corner of this house is cleaned and hygienic. The smell is coming now, it's not at the time we came here." Kritika probes.
"Our neighbors." Vedant and Vehansh comes out together, making us turn our head to the white fence which separated us. A coat of smoke blowing from the house. The music still ranged in the air, accompanied by the scent, both refusing to be ignored, wrapping its foul scent around the very essence of the place.
"God, what are they even doing?" Dadi calls out, with a strain in her voice, fanning her palm before her face. I wipe my hands with the tissue, pushing back my chair.
"Where are you going?"
"To give them a piece of mind, that if they wanted to have some rotten rat as their lunch they must go for it, but don't give me the urge to chop them in pieces and feed to rats." My mouth was set in a hard line, as I marched towards the house.
I throw open the gate of the house, walking towards the main door of the house. I bang my fist against the wooden door, above which a name plate of Hussain, the pungent smell more intensified. From inside comes a soft shrill.
"Coming."
•~•~•~•~•
So, excited for you all to read the next part.
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My Instagram handle- talesofdevil
Published: 10 December,2023.