Akshita
After Ashish left, I helped my mother in cleaning the kitchen. I was thoroughly prepared to get bored because my parents and I rarely have any conversation and if we do, it's completely irrelevant. Still, I sat with them for some time but as I already knew, they talked to me about family life and just that kind of stuff. Ashish texted me after he reached and I sent him a dozen kissing emojis. Corny Akshita!!!
It was evening and I had enough, I was bored out of my wits. I texted Khushi to ask if she was free to talk and she called me right away so we talked for some time.
After talking to Khushi, I still had a lot of time on my hand so I called mamma-papa and talked to them for a while. They told me that Ashish was back into his workaholic mode and he was doing so much work. He had been in and out of meetings since morning and now he was gone to another branch because an issue had arisen there. We joked about things and I felt so good after talking to them. We were talking when I heard the doorbell ring.
I said goodbye to them and went outside smiling, to see who arrived at this hour because it was past evening and we barely had guests at this time. As soon as I saw who arrived, I wanted to run back and bolt my door.
My cousin Reva and her husband Akash had come. Akash had his usual ugly smirk plastered over his face. Colour drained from my face when he looked me in the eye.
"W..why are they here?" I stuttered, gathering a bit of courage. Inside, I was crumbling into pieces. After what he did to me last time, I never thought I would have to see him again.
"Where are your manners?" My father chided me. I flinched at his rough tone and a shiver ran down my spine. I wasn't afraid of them, I had come a long way but the person I detested the most in the world was in front of me. I felt like I lost my courage and fear gripped my heart.
"We were invited. Otherwise, we wouldn't set a foot in a place where you are," Akash spat angrily, displaying his authority, behaving as if he never did anything wrong. My heart constricted, hearing his voice and I felt shivers in my body. I looked at my parents for an explanation.
"Even after what he did to me last time, you guys invited him in my presence?" I asked them in an accusatory tone.
"He did nothing to you last time. Stop saying it again and again." My mother shouted at me.
"You denying it wouldn't change the fact that he tried to rape me," I shouted at her.
"Shut up!" My father yelled angrily.
"How could you..." I was cut off rudely as my father started talking.
"We have called them here so you could apologize to Akash for your behaviour last time. You are accusing him of something he didn't do and you provoked Ashish against him too. Just apologize so we can close this matter once and for all. Akash is older than you, I am sure, he would forgive you for your silly mistake." My father said in a tone of finality as if I should be grateful for Akash if he forgives me.
"You want me to apologize to him?" I looked at Akash and saw him smirking at me.
"Yes, now go make tea for them and then apologize." Mother ordered me as if I was their servant. I didn't go anywhere, I just stood there frozen to my place. He was smiling, after he tried to molest his wife's sister last time, he had the courage to even face her and now he was shamelessly expecting an apology from me.
"Aunty, we shouldn't forget that among other things that our dearest Akshita lack, manners are her most lacking virtue." Reva di commented at me rudely. I stared at her, still in disbelief at everything happening around me. It was as if I was physically there but my soul had left me.
I realised that the little bitterness my parents had left behind was because they wanted me to come here and apologize to Akash. They never wanted to see me, they just wanted to patch things up with this nasty being. And like a fool, I believed them again.
When my parents did not respect me, how could I expect outsiders to behave nicely with me? If something was left to be broken in me, they broke it this time. How could they ask me to apologize to the man who tried to... I gulped even thinking about it.
"Reva di, I understand he is your husband but you are a woman first. You want me to apologize to him when you know what he did to me." I asked her, hoping she would at least show me a little sign that she cares.
"Stop saying that my husband did anything to you. He would never even look at a lowly thing like you. You consider yourself worthy enough that my husband would do anything to you." Reva yelled at me in an ugly sort of way as if her ego was hurt that I considered myself good enough. Her words were so filthy that I was ashamed to call her a sister. I was ignoring her arrogant behaviour towards me all this time but today for what she said, she lost all my respect.
"You don't even know what you are saying. You guys have lost every ounce of dignity in you. You disgust me. All of you. I hate that I am related to you in any way. You are a bunch of illiterate fools who can't look past the societal norms. I am disgusted by you." I yelled at them and angry tears made their way out of my eyes. My father came forward and struck me hard on my face.
I looked at him dumbfounded and too shocked to react. I felt so humiliated that I couldn't describe it in words. Without saying another word, I ran to my room and locked the door. My legs gave up beneath me and I fell on the floor, crying.
I don't know how much time had passed but after I realised my surroundings, I couldn't ask myself to stay there, so I immediately decided to call Ashish. I was so anxious to be there, I was frightened of what they might do to me. My hands were shivering as I dialled Ashish's number. Voices rang in my brain which I didn't want to hear. I didn't want to go back to my old self because I knew if I did, it would destroy me beyond repair. I desperately needed Ashish's presence with me.
"Missing me?" Hearing his voice, I started sniffling, a dam broke inside me and I busted out crying again.
"Ashish." I cried.
"Akshita? What happened?" His startled voice came from the other side but my voice had died down. I couldn't stop crying.
"Baby, stop crying. Tell me what's wrong." He asked me softly and from the noise behind him, I could understand that he was ready to come here.
"Take me from here," I said between my sobs.
"I am on my way, baby. Stop crying. Please."
"I need you. I need you with me," I whispered and I wasn't sure if he heard it or not but I hung up the call. I felt pathetic for crying like that but my tears wouldn't stop. I rubbed my eyes so many times but tears kept coming back.
It felt like an eternity had passed when I finally heard the noise of a car coming to our driveway. I unbolted my door and ran to the main gate without even wearing my footwear. My parents were awake and were talking to Akash and Reva when they saw me running outside. They stared at me wide-eyed as I ran outside.
************************************
Ashish
I lost all my senses when I heard her crying so badly. I wore my shoes hurriedly and went to retrieve my car keys. Mamma saw me and asked what had happened. I just mouthed "Akshita" to her and she nodded in understanding. Her face immediately fell and worry lined her features.
"Ashish." Akshita cried over the phone. I could feel so much pain in her voice.
"Akshita? What happened?" I asked her softly but inside, I was so scared for her.
"Baby, stop crying. Tell me what's wrong." I asked again.
"Take me from here," she said between her sobs.
"I am on my way, baby. Stop crying. Please."
"I need you. I need you with me," Even though her voice was a mere whisper, I heard it. She hung up the call and I drove like a madman to her parent's place. I reached there within forty minutes and as soon as I came out of the car, I saw Akshita running towards me crying and barefoot at that.
She swung herself in my arms and cried badly. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist.
"You are here." She whispered hiding her face in my neck.
"Look at me," I said softly. She shook her head and when I said please, she finally looked at me. She had a big bruise on the left side of her face as if someone hit her hard and her eyes were sunken from too much crying. My blood boiled when I took in her condition.
"Who did it?" I asked through gritted teeth. She looked down and wouldn't meet my eye.
I asked softly, "Tell me who did this to you."
"They called Akash... so that I could apologize to him. Even after what he did...t...they expect me to a...apologize to him." She said between her sobs. I wrapped her in my arms tightly and kissed every inch of her face. Her heartbeat was faster than usual and I tried to comfort her.
"You are fine. I am here now. I am sorry. I am so sorry for not being here early." I kept mumbling apologies to her because I felt so guilty for leaving her here and trusting that her parents could change. Her sobs died down after some time and I felt her a little relaxed.
Wiping her eyes with my fingers softly, I kissed her lips softly.
"Does it hurt?" I asked caressing her slightly swollen cheek.
"I feel hurt inside." She whispered sadly.
"It will be ok, I promise," I said, resting my forehead against hers. She sagged against me in relief and her heartbeat was back to normal now.
"Let's go inside," I told her.
"No, no. They are inside, I won't go. You don't know how I have spent this time waiting for you knowing those monsters were under the same roof. I won't go. I won't go." She sobbed again, shaking her head and my heart broke looking at the fear in her eyes.
"I will protect you," I murmured to her and she looked at me with belief and hope in her eyes. She nodded and withdrew from my arms but I couldn't let her go right now so I scooped her in my arms instead. She hid her face in my chest finding solace there.
I carried her inside and the four people who had given her so much misery stood up immediately. I saw fear in Akash's eyes when he saw me. I guess the beating from last time was not enough of a lesson for him to show up here demanding an apology from my wife.
I just moved past them and walked to Akshita's room. I sat Akshita on her bed and cleaned her feet, checking if she had any injuries. After thoroughly checking her feet, I got up.
"Sweetheart, wear your footwear and bring your bags outside, okay? I am going to have a word with them." I told her softly. She nodded and started collecting her things.
I walked outside closing the door behind me and when I looked at Akash, I forgot everything else and punched him square on the jaw. He fell with a thud on the floor and groaned in pain. His wife shrieked and started to help him.
"I told you to stay away. You don't understand, do you? How dare you demand an apology from my wife?" I shouted at him and punched him one more time.
"What are you doing?" His wife yelled.
"I am not talking to you," I said glaring at her. She cowered away and shut her mouth immediately.
Mr and Mrs Gupta looked horrified and didn't meet my eye. I got angrier at their coward behaviour in front of me.
"Look at me, be a man, Mr Gupta. You were showing your manliness a few minutes ago when you slapped my wife. Show your fucking manliness now." I yelled angrily and my fist swung towards him but my morals stopped me at the right time.
"You don't deserve her. You don't deserve that beautiful human being as your daughter. You guys are unworthy of her. Just because you couldn't have another child, you started to hate the only child you had. What did she do? Tell me. All her life, she just expected one thing from you, love. You couldn't give her that. She is your own blood. I can't believe you guys could do so many worst things to her just because she is a girl. That is just insane. What world are you living in? What year are we in? The 1800s?" I ran my hand in my hair in frustration. They didn't look even a tad bit ashamed.
God, why was I even wasting my energy on these people?
"You can't change yourself and we have established that. So I am stating this for the first and the last time here and now, remember this, you are forbidden to call her, visit her or even try to talk to her. You have lost all right to do that. I am warning you. All of you. Not even a single person from your family would ever try to contact my wife from now on. If you do, I would tell you to what extent I can go for her." I glared at them. They all just gaped at me.
Akshita came back with her bag and looked at me. I softened when I saw her and just picked her up in my arms, taking the bag from her. She was silent, too silent for my liking. I liked my chirpy and smiling Akshita. She hid her face in my chest and held onto me tightly. She was shivering again.
"I hope you have understood what I said. I don't like repeating myself." With that last thing, I glared at them one more time and left from there.
I opened the car door and carefully made Akshita sit in the car and then placed her bag in the back. She sat silently, her hands were shaking and I could see her lips quivering. I took her hands in mine and blew air on them.
"Everything is fine now," I said rubbing her hands. She looked at me silently, her tears had stopped but I could see that she was overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
"Come here." I opened my arms for her and she leaned towards me silently. I rubbed her back and held her tightly in my arms. Her shivers were dying down but she was a little too cold. I wrapped my jacket around her and reclined her car seat so she could rest a little bit.
"Try to relax. I will wake you up when we reach our home. Okay?" She nodded and closed her eyes, lying down.
We reached our home and she immediately opened her eyes. I guess she was just pretending to be asleep for my sake. We both went inside and mamma-papa were awake waiting for us. They didn't know what exactly had happened but they wrapped Akshita in their arms.
Akshita sat wrapped in mamma's arms for some time while I explained things to them. I went and made hot chocolate for her.
"I am not hungry." She said when I gave her the mug.
"Did you eat dinner?" She shook her head.
"But I am not hungry." She said again.
"Akshu, eat something and take your medicine. You won't listen to your papa?" Papa asked her. She agreed and mamma went to make something for her while papa and I sat with her.
I think being with my parents made her more relaxed because she was craving parental love and care. I lost my appetite but mamma force-fed both Akshita and I.
"Mamma, you guys go to sleep now. You must be tired." She told them. I also asked them to sleep so after giving hugs to Akshita, they both went to their room.
"Shall we sleep?" I asked her and she nodded tiredly. I picked her up in my arms and she looked at me.
"I can walk now. I am wearing my sandals."
"I like to hold you," I said rubbing my nose against hers. She smiled a little at me.
In the room, she changed her clothes and we both brushed our teeth. She was staring at me for long.
I wrapped her in my arms tightly as we both laid on the bed. It was way past midnight but she wasn't sleeping. I kissed her forehead and just hummed a random melody.
"Ashish?"
"Hmm."
"Thank you for not abandoning me when I needed you." She said sleepily, her eyes were drooping.
"I would never abandon you. You are my life." I whispered kissing her forehead.
"I love you." She said closing her eyes.
"I love you, too." I smiled.


______
Hi guys,
I don't know if you guys like this chapter or not because it was kind of dramatic but it was the last parent's drama chapter and let's face it, in real life, people don't change in just one day or after a speech. It's a myth that people change after hearing someone saying something right or something motivational. So Akshita's parents can't change their thinking. Maybe a few years down the line, they might change a little bit but not majorly. I honestly have seen so many people like that. People who can't change.
Enough with my ranting.
Kudos to you guys for guessing so many things. I didn't want to leave you in a cliffhanger so I wrote this chapter the next day of writing the 34th chapter but it took me time to edit it.
Lost of love to you, readers. We have hit 100k for this book and are way past 500k for the first one. My gratitude!
Hit the star icon at the bottom to vote and leave your feedback in the comments and I am sorry if you found this chapter dramatic. Couldn't help myself.
Today's question-
If you are given a chance to meet one famous person, who would you meet?
I have a long list but I want to meet Shahrukh Khan. I mean I have heard his interviews and he seems like an interesting human being. And I love him anyway.
Also, the entire Avengers cast, any day.
I said one but bring it on guys.
Comment down your responses. Waiting to read your interesting answers.
❤K