I don't know what happened yesterday but the app was glitching a lot. Anyways, if you have any problem, you are free to message me.
And Do vote and comment fast, so I give you all a double update.
|𝗔 𝗨 𝗧 𝗛 𝗢 𝗥|
The heartbeat is fast, the mind wandering around, roaming along the dusky night sky. The forlorn moon is being gazed upon by two broken people.
One calmly.
One jealously.
Reyansh watches the clouds, curtaining the moon behind their haziness. Making the human feel the clouds have the right over the moon, as if it is able to touch it. But, look clearly, at the other side. You would know, we all feel that we know someone, but we just know a part. For the person has him and only himself at the end.
Kiraz looks at the moon with stingy eyes. Even if with each passing night, the moon changes its phase, at some point, it does get complete. Why not her then? She also resembles the moon, even after getting so many dark patches it still dares to look beautiful. Look at her, she also got stains painting her canvas-like heart, but if she looks at the masterpiece, she just wants to rewind the whole process, stand like a blank canvas, and let those colors once again paint her. But the painter is lost.
"What are you doing here?" she looks up, Kabir standing tall beside her.
"Nothing." She wraps her arms against her knees, pulling them closer to her chest, seeking refuge.
Kabir doesn't probe more, since it's futile and she wouldn't be sharing anything until she wants. He takes the seat beside her, just like her, fixing his gaze on the moon.
"How is it going with Navya?" Kiraz questions her friend, who blushes at the mention of his girlfriend. His fingers scratch the back of his neck.
"Things are good."
"Just good." She raises her brow.
Kabir sighs, "We have been in a relationship for a year. I know her, she knows me. I want to see us as more than what we are," he shakes his head, "but she. I don't think she feels the same for me."
Kiraz places her palm on his, squeezing it, passing a sense of assurance, "Navya has been in an abusive relationship. Her traumas are holding her back. Believe me, she loves you. All you need is to understand her, communicate this with her. Misunderstandings are like moles; don't let them brew in between you."
"How are you sure she loves me? Feelings change with time." Kabir finds himself asking her.
"Kabir, how many times must we have seen the moon? Still, we never get bored. I have grown up looking at the moon, in its every change. Everything is the same, the moon is still the same, and I might have memorized and imprinted it in my mind. Still, we look at it. How pure can love be. Just never getting tired of gazing at each other. At each stage, every step, the play of eyes never stops." She speaks.
"But we are talking about the moon here; in real, if we check, I am no moon, I am just...just Kabir." His shoulders slouch down.
"That is enough to make you understand. You're Kabir, a human, not something untouchable, far from her reach. She looks at you with love. Believe me, I have myself been aware of that look," a pained smile etches her lips.
"Your husband?"
She nods, "He looked at me like that. At times he wouldn't even blink his eyes, memorizing every facial feature of mine, yet he would be looking at me like he is seeing me for the first time."
The silence prevails in the air. The only sound is the distant noise of night insects roaming in the darkness, filling the silence. Just then, the ringing of a phone disturbs the setting. Kabir's eyes brighten, lips tilting with a smile. He looks at Kiraz, watching her smile encouragingly at him.
Kiraz gets up, dusting off her pants, excusing herself, giving her friend privacy.
She tiptoes into her room, pressing her lips inwardly, opening the door silently and locking it. The light from the night lamp cascades a shadow of her on the wall. She brushes her fingers against her son's forehead, removing the tresses. His small face squeezed on the pillow, perking his lips. The peacefulness on Veer's face warms her heart.
Sometimes she really hates herself so much. For snatching his father away from him. She did a crime, no, a sin. Reyansh who doesn't even be aware of Veer's presence. Veer, who grew his five years without the shadow, shelter, and protection of a father's arm. She has always been driven by the urge to take Veer to Reyansh. Every time she stopped, the memories of him killing the man brutally flash before her eyes.
Reyansh will never hurt Veer. She knows, but the darkness attached to him will take her son into it.
A sob comes in her throat. She presses her lips to surface it, gulping the surging emotion.
Often times, to make herself feel better, and hate herself a little, even if her heart has died a death of a thousand, she wished Reyansh to get someone better than her. To have a life with someone who is not her. Be happy with her and have...
The other part she never dared to think. A tear leaves from her eyes. God, she loves that man. She loves him so much. She wraps her arms around her son, letting sleep take over so she could see him again in her dreams. We all deserve to escape from the painful reality.
A new day welcomes itself in Nirvan with the new member added to its abandonment. Mira sits herself on the sofa sipping the tea, Parvati buried her nose in her phone, her wrinkled fingers scrolling through the screen.
"I still can't understand this Instagram." She grumbles under her breath, which doesn't go unnoticed by her mother-in-law.
"Who told you to go through it?" Mira taunts her daughter-in-law.
Parvati twists her lips secretly, ignoring her mother's comment.
"We should go to this place." Just when she was able to concentrate on the app, her attention breaks towards the youngers. She puts her phone aside, looking at them.
"Where are you all going?" she inquires.
Kritika lifts her head from the laptop screen, looking at the elder women, "For lunch after roaming the town."
"Just be sure where you are eating." Mira advises, looking at the group from the brim of the cup. The yesterday's incident has put her to concern about her family's food intake. Non-veg food goes against her cultural beliefs.
Vedant says, "Don't worry, dadi, we are looking for a pure veg restaurant." It was easier at their place since they know it like the back of their hand, but with a new place comes its own hurdles.
Reyansh descends the stairs with a glass of orange juice before taking a seat beside his mother. He ignores his cousins, taking out his phone and shooting a text to Vishal to send him his local gangster, Tavir's number.
"Let's go here. The restaurant is nearby, gives an ocean view for Bhabhi, and aesthetic vibes for Amaira." Vedant rolls his eyes, receiving glares from both the ladies, which he royally ignores.
"Yes, it is pure veg and has a good name around the town." Vedansh agrees with his brother.
"I will make the reservation." Vedansh dials the number of the reception.
"Keep your Dadi and me out of this."
"Why?" Amaira calls out to Mira.
"You all go, the environment is new for us, and with aging age, it takes time for us to adjust. You all will be roaming around, and we will get tired easily. Instead, you all go." Mira replies.
"How will we go leaving you both alone?" Kritika issues her concern.
"I am not going." Before the issues could foster more, Reyansh raised his hand, backing off from the plan.
"Not you too, bhai," his brother complains.
"I have to meet someone and probably would be doing lunch there." he says vaguely.
"You can do the meeting and join us at lunch."
Reyansh shakes his head, "Naah! I am good. On the note, it's your double date. I had rather be away than be a third-wheeler. Just go and enjoy."
Which earns a coat of blush on the face of two women. That was itself the truth. He doesn't want to join his brothers for lunch because it always gets boring and it twists his stomach every time his brothers look at their wives with love. He doesn't fear having his food by himself; rather, he fears having it with someone who is not her. It always has been a twister to those memories.
"Okay, as you say. Let me call the receptions." Vedansh leans forward, towards the screen, dialing the number, when his fingers halts over the call icon.
"What happened?" Kritika asks. Reyansh looks at his brother, who sat with deep thought.
"How to spell the name?" he looks at other, with his brows snapped together.
Vedant lashes fluttered at his brother, saying, "You are not able to spell it."
"That is why I am asking you."
"You seriously are not able to pronounce the name." Vedant voice held bewilderment.
"Are you deaf?" Vedansh scowls.
"And you illiterate?"
"Then say the words yourself." He snaps at his younger brother. Vedant smirks which fall at the speed of lightning after he looks at the name of the restaurant.
"It's Ra-yher." His tongue twist itself in and the name sounding foreign itself.
"Shut up, it is Rah-yer." Amaira flaunts in her British accent.
"No no, it Rayyer. I think the restaurant is owned by some south Indians." Kritika suggested, turning the laptop towards her side.
The name even though Reyansh has heard for the first time, but it made a hint of familiarness in his mind. His mind took him at the memories of the back, which he clearly remembered. On that day he was back from the dealing with the mafias, and since Kiraz had her exams in a month, he took the responsibility of teaching her by himself.
The books were sprawled on the bed, he was doing her the accounts sum which she was finding hard to understand. Whereas she mindlessly was drawing doodles at the top corner of the book.
"Reyansh." she calls him, who ignores her concentrating on solving the solution.
"Reyansh."
"My ears are open." He replies.
"You know when I am going to get this degree, I will open my own business, and you know what I am going to name it."
"What?" He was least bit interested to know the name of her future business, but if he didn't hear her, she will throw a tantrum, faking hurt and diverting him from making her study.
"I will name it with your name and our children name."
"Okay," he brings the notebook before her which has the solution done, "for this type of questions, you need to understand the type of accounts you are dealing with."
"I gave you so much credibility and you instead of praising me you are telling me what goes where and what doesn't. My question is if you have money, just put it in bank or keep it in your house. Why you want to go in details?"
Reyansh rolls his eyes at her comment, "We are not dealing with your dreamy business. Here we are talking about a real business, where lakhs of money come in and goes out. To keep the check-"
Kiraz no more wanted to hear her husband lecture her about accounts. She had enough of dealing with numbers for the day. Her fingers reach down to slip the slim strap of her night gown, skillfully slipping it down her shoulder, leaning forward. Making the valley of her cleavage visible to his eye.
All along he notices her moves, often times bites his lips to divert himself from the discomfort in his pants. He looks at the smooth skin of her neck, to the swell of her breast, then dragging it towards her full lips. His eyes snaps to meet her dark brown, which held a glint of mischievous.
He blinks out of the lust pooling in his eyes, before narrowing them at his lady. Kiraz flinch a little looking at his snapped emotions, which was dipped in carving for her one second ago, gets changed in to warning.
He points his finger at her slipped strap, gesturing her to adjust it properly, at its original place. She scowls before pulling the straps back to her shoulder.
"You need to focus on what I am telling you. Now, do this sum." He chided at her, shifting in his place.
"Reyansh, I am sleepy,"
"Not happening. After this we will finish what you started."
Her eyes widen, and to try her luck she says, "lets finish that then." She winks her eyes.
"Not happening." He announces.
Her face scrunched. "You are definitely not touching me."
He smirks, tilting his head a little, picturing the image of a devil. "We will see."
He remembered the day when they had turned the night nasty, juicy, and enigmatic. He had made love to her at every corner of the room, seeking revenge for her teasing that had left him uncomfortable for an hour.
A smile falls on his lips, which snaps away before it could reach his lips.
"It is Rayer. Just Ray-er." He gets up after correcting them with the pronunciation.
"How did you know?"
Reyansh shrugs his shoulder, turning away and going back to the comfort of his room. Parvati looks at his son, who has been acting weirdly since yesterday. When he came back from their neighbor house, she had expected him to be angry, rather he had come with a contented face. However, a question has always knocked her conscience. When has her son ever been himself. She must have birthed him, but she just did that job and nothing else.
She couldn't escape from the truth lingering in herself, that she has had never known her son.
Who is Reyansh?
✧❁✧
Is it wrong to protect her son? Kiraz once again thought whilst wearing her mini skirt matching it with her denim corset top. She ties her hair in half partition, wearing her studs.
"Mumma,"
She turns away from the mirror who walks towards her with eyes half closed, his fingers rubbing his eyes. She takes him in her arms, helping him to pee and freshen up.
Putting him on the dining table, she grabs herself a butter toast, with a juice of glass.
"Mumma, I also want drawings on my skin."
She huffs a breath, putting down her drink aside, feeding Veer his cereal.
"Mumma, I want them." Veer again pleads to her. Since the time he has seen that stranger with tattoos on his arms, her son has been demanding the exact same to be done with his skin.
"Baby, I told you naah, they are for big boys." She tries cooing her son.
"I am a big boy."
"What is your age?"
He shows her his four fingers. "If you get thirty counts in you age, then you will get those drawings."
"Thirty is long." He grumbles.
"Do you know the counting?" She raises her brow at her son, who smiles showing his white set of teeth, moving his shoulder.
"I know till five." He again shows her his five fingers. Kiraz shakes her head, laughing at her son blabbering stories of the man who looks like Maui of Moana.
"He is beautiful, Mumma," Veer smiles at his mother, "I will tell him to take me to Moana."
"You are not going to disturb anyone, you hear me? I told you talking to a stranger is bad. They will take you away from me. Will you be happy without me?" Kiraz points her finger at her son who shakes his head in denial.
"That's like my good boy." She combs her hands through his hair, kissing his head.
"I love you, mera bacha." She takes him in his arms, and she has always felt it as a heaven. Just like Reyansh's were.
"I love you too." He mumbles against his mother's blossom.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she sets Veer down, and he rushes to greet his Dai Maa, wishing her good morning.
"Aunty, I'll leave now. And Veer, don't create trouble."
"I don't create trouble; people trouble me, Mumma."
"One call to Dai Maa about your mischief, and get ready for a spanking on your butt." Veer places his face on Kaveri's lap, ignoring his mother's warning. She waves goodbye to Kaveri, exiting the house. Her eyes fleet towards her neighbor's house as she gets inside Kabir's car.
"Have a great day." he wishes her.
"You too." She smiles back.
Little does she know that the past of ten years is waiting to turn her day into hell, staining her memory for the rest of her life.
She passes a smile at Rahul, punching the top floor of the elevator. Kiraz enters her office room, taking out her laptop whilst writing the name of items to be bought to upload in inventories.
The door knocks, grabbing her attention. Priti closes the door behind her, forwarding the iPad to her where a email was open.
"Yesterday night, we got this email from Zubaid Miller. His manager was trying to get in contact with us. Mr Miller is holding a party on Eve's night, and he probably wants Rayer catering service."
"Mr. Miller?" Kiraz questions out. She remembers him, as he had many a times came to dine at Rayer. But she has never met him in person. As far as she remembers from the reviews he has a fond for Rayer's dishes.
After contemplating for minutes, she says,"Okay, fix a meeting with the manager."
•~•~•~•~•
What lays ahead? Are Kiraz and Amaira going to meet?
You can anytime read it on scrollstack.
Hope you like it. Do vote and comment. It make my day. I really love reading to your messages.
Instagram: talesofdevil
Updated: 21December, 2023.