***Naina's P. O. V***
As I sat there on the living room sofa, nervously fidgeting with my saree pallu and trying hard not to look up at Rohan who had his gaze fixed on me, I could hear Abhi's booming voice from inside the bedroom as he teased Bhai and Shruthi.
Why is Rohan looking at me like that? Don't effing tell me he is actually in love with me... Or that he was in love with me when we were dating?!
And then I remembered Bhai's words from earlier - dada ji always gets his way. Was it my imagination or did really dadaji do what he does best - blackmailing?! But what does he have against Kunal bhaiyya to blackmail him? Unlike me, Bhai never toed out of line... Ever! He even never spoke about Shruthi at home! Then what was dada ji blackmailing him about?!
Sighing, I shot my gaze up to find Rohan still standing there at the threshold of Shruthi's bedroom, leaning against the wall but gazing at me with a wry smile on his face.
Oh dear lord!!
What do I call this?! Awkward?
Biting my lip nervously, I still fidgeted with the edge of my pallu - Rohan was the reason why I didn't go with Abhi to tell the good news to my brother and my best friend! I thought it would be awkward beyond measure but looks like I anyway had to fill up this debt to karma!!
But all of a sudden, Rohan's whole body stiffened and as I saw him shoot a horrified look into the bedroom, I could hear my husband's inaudible voice as he spoke something - he sure sounded sad but what was he talking about?!
The next moment, Rohan had strode upto me, making me back more into the sofa.
But throwing caution to the wind, Rohan put his hands on either side of my face on the backrest of the sofa and bent, his face inches from mine.
I gulped in horror, hoping against hope that Abhi shouldn't come out now and he shouldn't see this scene.
But as I looked up at Rohan's blood shot eyes and his flared nostrils, I sighed a little in relief - well he's not making a move on me now and that's good!
"Abhi loves you" he said in a voice barely more than a whisper as he gritted his teeth painfully.
"Yes" I sighed, my conscience twitching at the injustice I was doing to my husband.
"And you... You don't love him" Rohan smirked, to which I pursed my lips and looked away.
Sure this flirt is accusing me of not loving my husband back. Well ha-ha!!
"Tell me something Mrs. Singhania..." He trailed off, stressing the words Mrs. Singhania..
".. do you love to just see guys go helpless and loose their mind thanks to you? " He hissed through gritted teeth.
"what?! No!!! I... " I trailed off as he brought his face closer to mine, making me back away even more, the back of my head now pressed tightly against the backrest of the sofa.
"Then why the fuck did you lie to Abhi that you don't believe in love?" Rohan hissed, his ruddy eyes boring into mine.
"Because... That's the truth" I lied, looking away from his eyes.
"Truth?! You're a fucking whore aren't you? Koi achcha Banda dikha to seedhe uske peeche daudogi!!" Rohan smirked in evil, making my blood boil.
"What do you know of love Mr. Kapoor? And anyway how dare you talk to me like that without knowing what's actually happening here" I hissed, glaring back at him.
Without another moment's delay, I pushed him away from me before standing up, facing him.
"I know love Naina... Or, I know love better than you anyway" Rohan said coolly, towering over me.
"Right... If a womanizer like you can know love then I think even someone like me knows love! And in any case, I am not keeping Abhi hanging! I've told him right at the beginning that I..." I trailed off as yet again Rohan cut me in.
"I'm not a womanizer!! And you're not keeping Abhi hanging? Really? So why did you get married to him? For money? Or.." his voice trailed off as my hand moved automatically, only to land right across his cheek.
"I am not as cheep as you are Mr. Kapoor!! I have my reasons... Which I don't have to explain to someone like you! What do you know about love? For you everything is just physical!! You change girls quicker than one changes clothes!! And you're here lecturing me about love? Pehle khud ka naav dekho kaha p cheed hai, phir Dusron k naav k cheed k baarein mein baat karo!" I hissed, turning to leave.
But a tug at my hand made me freeze on the spot, and the next moment, I was being turned, to face Rohan, his hand still clutching my arm rather painfully.
"Just because I'm nice to all the girls doesn't mean I'm a flirt! I've been in love Naina... And I've been heartbroken... I've worn my heart on my sleeve and loved without a care in the world!! But how would someone like you understand the plight of another person? You left Anand and now you're gonna do the same to Abhi aren't you?" He hissed, his eyes glistening with tears.
Blood froze the moment he mentioned Anand - how does he know?
"How do you.." I trailed off, choking at the memory of the man I love.
"I know everything!! I swear I'll kill you with mine own bare hands if it comes to it but you're not ruining Abhi!! You all Raichands are the same... Bloody fucking useless... All you know is to use a person and then throw them away like trash! " He hissed, letting go off of me, only to slump down on the sofa, tears streaming down his face.
"First Anand, and then me, and then some few guys back in college right... And now Abhi?" He choked.
" What?" I froze, my tears again getting the better off of me at the mention of Anand.
"Your grandfather... He calls Shruthi a slut right? You really want me to believe that he'll not mentally torture her? " He choked, burying his face in his hands.
Hein? What happened?
"What?! No he.. " I trailed off, wanting to lie.
"I know the mentality of your grandfather Naina... I'm sure he's called her a slut and .. culture-less and characterless woman... " He choked, making me walk to him on unsteady feet.
"But screw what he thinks!! Your brother... You say he loves my Shruthi... But your whole family... They hate her... How am I to just believe that they won't poison her food or kill her in her sleep?" He choked, looking at me with bloodshot eyes, tears streaming down his face.
"No!! Nobody's doing anything like that!!" I said quickly, sitting next to him on the sofa and patting his back.
But before I knew it, he'd thrown his arms around me and pulled me into a hug as he sobbed!!
"She's the only person who hasn't judged me!! I've sat and listened to her woes of how and how many times your brother has broken her heart! I've seen her struggling through life and trying but failing to move on from Kunal!! She loves him a lot Naina! But your family... If they insult her today.... Or any other day.. " He trailed off, choking again.
"Shush now!" I sighed, patting his back, as he sobbed again.
"I swear... I'm gonna slay them all if they hurt her!" he choked, breaking from the hug to... glare at me.
"You know my brother loves Shruthi!! About the rest of my family... well, they'll do as my grandfather orders... they have a fairly good impression about Abhi so at least to remain in his good books they won't insult her right out front!! And bhai would stay with Shruthi at his penthouse after their marriage... so it's okay... she won't be seeing them a lot.." I trailed off, to which Rohan just sighed
"I'll give you my word... Shruthi will be happy.. I promise" I said, to which he smiled wryly at me.
I heard a sniffling sound and looked at Rohan who too had the same confused look on his face. But both of us looked around simultaneously and I felt the blood draining from my body as I saw Abhi standing at the center of the living room, his eyes glistening with tears.
In a split second, both Rohan and I jumped away from one another, and I shot my horrified gaze to Rohan, who I'm sure had the same question burning in his head - how much had Abhi heard?
Pin drop silence ensued as the three of us looked from one person to another.
"We.." Rohan began, sniffing and shooting a furtive glance towards me.
"Uh... they... we'll first sort out breakfast.... and then... we'll go to Raichand mansion" Abhi shrugged, before dashing to the kitchen.
Fuck!
"Don't break his heart" Rohan pleaded to which I pursed my lips.
"He won't like knowing the fact that we... Used to date... But that doesn't mean I will allow you to hurt him" Rohan said seriously, wiping his own tears.
I opened my mouth to speak, but ignoring me completely, Rohan wiped the tears off his face before hitching a smile and making his way to Shruthi's bedroom.
"Goodness gracious!! How dare you touch a man before marriage? Kya yahi sanskaar diye the Maine tujhe?" Rohan said in mock seriousness as soon as he opened Shruthi's bedroom door.
As I yet again heard Bhai cussing and Shruthi giggling, Rohan looked at me once and nodded before entering the bedroom.
Right so that's sorted... Now Abhi. Oh God what do I do now?
Why do I feel guilty? Did I do something wrong?
No!! Nothing even happened between Rohan and me now!! Then why am I feeling guilty?
'If you know you're doing the right thing, then there's nothing to fear and nothing to feel bad about! Who cares about the world?! The world can go fuck itself!' Anand's voice echoed in my mind, making me smile, inspite of the tears that we're blinding my eyes.
Taking deep calming breaths, I made my way to the kitchen, to find Abhi standing there, with his back the kitchen counter, his eyes closed, but tears streaming down his handsome face.
My gut wrenched and my insides could unpleasantly as Abhi sniffed and gasped for breath, as he tried his best to muffle his sobs.
Putting all other thoughts aside, I walked towards him and I saw him stiffening and shoot his eyes open, making me still at my place.
As our eyes met, my heart shattered to see the broken look on his face and his blood shot eyes.
Wordlessly, I moved forward, and as he stood there still like a statue, I wrapped my arms around him, before resting my head on his chest.
For a split second, I feared he'd push me away, but then, all my thoughts were put to ease as he put his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.
And before I knew it, he shuddered in my arms as he sobbed without a care in the world, hugging me tightly.
At this, my eyes too gave way as tears streamed down my own face and I hugged him back tightly.
As memories of the day I'd gone to meet Abhi flooded back to me, more tears streamed down my face and I buried my face at the crook of his neck, forgetting everything else.
I remember how taken aback I was Bhai said we were going to the Singhania mansion for dinner. I had met Abhi a few times before that and let's face it - wasn't exactly the right circumstances under which we'd met!
And given his infamous rude nature, I was actually relieved when he spoke kindly to me, inspite of how I'd insulted him twice at the Oberoi hotel.
But then, my whole world had come crashing down when Dada ji had announced that Abhi and I were to get married! I didn't even have a clue about it!! Sure it's dada ji's way or the highway but c'mon! It was about my life!! Shouldn't I be asked or at least informed about this before hand?!
Though I'd kept my mouth shut at the Singhania mansion, all my patience had gone to a toss the moment we'd reached home. For the second time in my whole life, I'd thrown a tantrum. I'd yelled and made a big issue of how I didn't want to marry Abhimanyu Singhania... Or how I didn't want to marry anyone for that matter.
But a tight slap on my face and the kind reminder of how grateful I am to be even alive after what had happened in my past made me realize that dada ji always gets his way.
Was this marriage unfair to me, or unfair to Abhi?
"How come you fell for me even after I insulted you in front of a whole crowd?" I asked, sniffling and lifting my head up to look at Abhi.
"All my life I had girls swooning over me... So it always made me feel like I'm the king of the world. But you... You were so confident in your skin and didn't give a toss about the world as you insulted me... I was wrong in checking you out like that and even though I've never ever checked out any girl in my life before, I always had girls wanting me to check them out... But you... You made me realize that I'm no special... I'm just another human being... And maybe that's why you stood out from the rest and stole my heart" he choked, smiling wryly at me.
"Any other guy would have had taken revenge for that" I chuckled, wiping his tears with the palm of my hand.
"I did... By dragging you into this marriage" he smiled ruefully as he wiped the tears off my face.
"I'm sorry Abhi... I really am" I said honestly, my eyes again brimming with tears.
"Maybe it was my fault... I should have had tried to talk to you properly and out my feelings out front before we got married" he sighed, looking more broken than ever.
How can I tell him that no matter what he'd done, our fate was being sealed by my heartless grandfather?
"But thank you... For respecting my feelings" I smiled to which he smiled, tears leaking from his eyes.
"I just... Maybe I'll persuade you to fall for me? Or maybe I'll realize it was just an infatuation? I mean, how could I fall for you just in the blink of an eye?" He shrugged making me look away from him.
How can I ever fall for him when I don't even own my heart? How can I fall for him when there's only one person in my heart, etched in there forever?!
"Or maybe I'll fa for some other girl? You don't mind right?" He chuckled bitterly.
"Any girl would be lucky to have you" I said honestly, smiling up at him.
"Any girl would be lucky to have me, but what if I want only you and not any other girl? Any girl would be lucky to have me but you don't want me" he smiled ruefully.
Not knowing what to say, I sighed before kissing him on his cheek.
"I am lucky to have someone like you for a husband... Someone who respects me and my opinions and treats me right" I said to which he finally smiled.
"Well, I'll call Matt and ask him to send over breakfast... And Nikhil can fetch Kunal's clothes... We'll have breakfast here and he can freshen up here before we go to your parents' house" Abhi said, before kissing the top of my head.
I nodded at him to which he smiled before letting go off of me. Fishing out his phone, he walked away to the living room, talking on his phone, while I stood there in the kitchen, my vision slowly getting blurry.
"Nobody deserves a heartbreak... Not even you" Rohan's voice made me jump.
Wiping my tears away, I looked around to find him making his way towards me.
"Nah I don't do heartbreaks .. I don't have a heart you see" I chuckled, looking away from him and wiping my tears away.
"You're a terrible liar Naina... I've lived my life in heartbreak to know when I see one... Anand I'd your past... But Abhi is your present and your future" Rohan said, handing me a tissue.
"You don't know a thing about heartbreaks" I choked, looking into his deepset eyes.
"I've loved only one girl and I still love her inspite of what she's done to me... She used me and threw me away for another man... And I'm still here trying to fetch the broken pieces of my heart while she's out there living her life... I don't have a choice but you do... I have never known Abhi to cry and look at him now! If not for him, at least for your own sake just give him a chance!" He said, sighing heavily.
"I am the one without a choice Rohan... Not you" I smiled wryly at him.
"I am a friendly guy and genuinely nice to women.. I take them out on dates to make them feel special because I know how it feels to be treated like trash... But just because I'm nice, I've been labelled as a flirt... I have never taken advantage of any girl in my life... I believe women are to be treasured and loved and treated like princesses... But I'm a man slut because I take them out on dates and make them feel like a princess.. i have long ago lost my heart to a girl Naina... And she shall forever be in my heart... Hence why I don't have a choice.. but you do... " He trailed off sadly, tears welling in his eyes.
"You have someone who does love you and is ready to do anything to make you love him back... When girls see me, they either see my money, or they see my fame, or they see my good looks, or they see me as a womanizer. I don't have anyone who loves me genuinely... I really don't have a choice you know" he chuckled bitterly.
"Don't let your grandfather decide your life. For once, take the right step and do the right thing. Give Abhi a chance" he said finally, before walking out of the kitchen.
Oh it's easy for him to say to forget my past and move on.. if it were so easy, why doesn't he do that himself?
Can I forget Anand and move on? Can I really give Abhi a chance?
I smiled ruefully ad Anand's smiling face popped in my mind - I'd sworn my life to him... I'd sworn my last breath to him... How can I forget him?
To be continued...
A/n - as promised, Monday's update is here... Oh you all have a lot to say on this don't you? So c'mon let's hear it 😜😜😜
Dada ji - well he's... There's more to him than meets the eye... his reaction to Kunal and Shruthi (the full extent of it) is up next.
And Abhi - It's just gut wrenching to know that you mean almost nothing to the person who means the world to you! I honestly feel so bad for him and just want to hug him right now! He's so cute!!
Rohan - he too is a closed book and yes of course there's more to him... But I just enjoy writing him so much - he's so... He's not what meets the eye and he's such a good friend...
So do tell me how you felt of the chapter. Next update on Thursday ( I hope)
Until the next update,
Love
M ♥️
P. S - yup this chapter too is unedited so do forgive me for any errors!