A/N
Hello people!
Here's the next chapter! I hope you all will enjoy it.
Happy reading!
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Swayam's POV
"Finally! What a day it was!" Pia sighed, sitting on the arm chair with a thump and leaned back, closing her eyes. I chuckled looking at her.
"This is just the day one Pia, and we are not done for the day yet." I said to which her closed eyes flew open.
"We are going for dinner today and yes, you can take your time to freshen up because it's still evening." I answered her unasked question too, looking at my watch. It's too early for dinner yet.
"Oh thank god!" She grinned and closed her eyes again, to take a short nap maybe and I changed my clothes and went to freshen up.
Her reaction in the hot air balloon today made me so positive about the whole trip. I somewhere got a little confident that this can go as planned. I didn't miss her going stiff in my arms for a moment, but the way she came back with my words, said it all.
After we had landed from the amazing ride, we toured around the Jal Mahal which stood in the center of the lake, half immersed and still strong till date. We grabbed brunch at a good hotel and toured around the city palace and later visited the wondrous Hawa Mahal which has 953 windows alongside intricate architecture. It was located on a busy street and we were allowed to go inside too. Pia was in awe with everything she saw and I could see it in her eyes clearly that she was enjoying it to her fullest. Since it was in a busy market like street, we ate some delicious street food. From there, we visited Jantar Mantar too, which is said to be the monument of astrological importance. We didn't spend much time there and returned back to our hotel by late evening.
I came out of the washroom to see her cuddling herself on the chair with a smile on her face. I slowly picked her up and placed her on the bed, pulling the duvet over her. She might be so tired with her brain subconsciously into so much of stress by revisiting the same places again. I kissed her forehead lightly and stood up, walking to the balcony.
I purposely didn't book the same place to stay because that would be too much for her to take in. At least there must be somewhere where she can relax. And now, when I can afford the luxury stays, why to go anywhere else. I also added some places which were not visited before by us, so that she can enjoy the trip to the fullest. I carefully planned out our journey and have kept a few days extra if suppose anything happens to her health. I pray nothing of that sort happens here but I am pushing her buttons and I don't know when it might go out of control...
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Today passed out in a blur too. Yesterday after having a lot of fun at the village restaurant where everything was traditional, authentic Rajasthani style, we dozed off immediately.
We rode upto the Amber fort on the elephant's back, first thing in the morning. Later we had our breakfast there in a restaurant where we were treated just like the kings. After strolling around the beautiful palace made of marble and sandstone, overlooking a lake, we proceeded to our next site, Jaigarh fort. It was rustic, but surely an engineering marvel! It was a very vast fort, with many passages so we had to keep in track with the guide in order to not get lost here. All the while, Pia would excitedly ask about the history of particular places in there and I was amused to see her interest in history of places. Sharon too loved historic places but even Pia carried the same interest.
We next came to the Nahargarh fort and it was almost evening by then! The evening view of the Jaipur from this fort is what was boasted about, and we weren't disappointed at all! The lit city looked so beautiful from the fort after the sunset. And now, we were just standing here, soaking in the beauty around us. Pia was in completely amazed state and she leaned her head on my shoulder and I too held her close to me.
All these three forts were located on high hills of the Aravalli range and they had left us dazed with the majestic aura they held. I looked around that most of the tourists were leaving and I separated our frames.
"Let's get going?" I asked, she agreed and we returned back to our hotel. I decided that it would be better if we eat in the hotel itself, so didn't had to rush anywhere now.
"This hotel has a horse-drawn carriage service to tour around this beautiful palace... Would you like to ride one now?" I asked her, as soon as we entered the suite.
"Is that something to ask? Of course we are going Swayam!" Pia squealed excitedly, throwing her purse on the bed. Her squealing has become a frequent thing to see now.
"2 minutes and we will leave!" Saying so, she rushed into the washroom and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. I changed into a more comfortable clothes and arranged for the carriage ride. Pia came back after a few minutes and we walked out of our room.
The palace was breathtaking and the fountains looked beautiful, reflecting the golden light which were focused on them. The whole palace looked so ethereal in the golden lightings that we didn't get enough of touring around and we wanted to see more and more.
The carriage dropped us in the Hall where a posh dining was arranged and I jumped on the delicious food. I was so damn hungry! I heard Pia chuckle, eyeing me from my side and I turned to her.
"What?" I asked her, with my mouth full of morsel and she scrunched up her face.
"Swayam, finish that first!" She chided, shaking her head and I gulped down the food and looked back at her, raising my eyebrows, waiting for her to speak. She shook her head again and smiled at me.
"Nothing!" She said and got back at her food. I shrugged and got back at mine too, but I didn't miss the subtle stares from her side in between. I once caught her staring at me and she looked away, trying hard to hide her blush. Soon the dinner was done and we walked back to our room.
She was about to get into the washroom when I held her wrist and pulled her towards me. She collided with my chest, making her gasp and I quickly secured my arms around her.
"So, what's cooking in this tiny little head of yours?" I asked her, looking directly into her eyes.
"No... Nothing Swayam!" She stuttered and bit her lower lip which urged me to almost kiss her! Damn! I replied nothing but just narrowed my eyes at her and she looked away.
"I was just wondering how the coming days would be." She mumbled, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Just two days and you have made my each and every moment beautiful, I never thought in our first meet that things would go like this between us! It's like a dream Swayam..." She spoke, looking at me, into my eyes and I could feel the rawness of every word spoken by her.
"I actually wanted to stay away from you because you seemed to poke my guard already in the first meet." I chuckled, remembering that day.
"What?" Her eyes widened and I nodded, scratching the back of my neck, embarrassed.
"And I thought of you as an arrogant rich jerk who couldn't keep his eyes off me." She said, giving a sheepish smile to me. We both laughed at that. What a horrible day it was for me back then, but now, that day is not less than a blessing.
"I love you!" The words rolled out from my mouth by itself and I smiled at her, tightening my hold around her.
"I love you too!" She whispered back and I immediately kissed her, not able to hold the urge anymore. I kissed her passionately, pouring in all my love and she kissed me back too. I pulled out when the need for oxygen went uncontrollable. I rested my forehead on her's, she was gasping for breath, just as me. Her lips looked swollen and I smirked at my work.
"We..." I started but my own rapid breaths didn't let me continue. I closed my eyes and calmed down my erratic heartbeats. I opened them after feeling much composed and looked at her face. She was blushing profusely and ger eyes were closed.
"I think we must sleep now. We are leaving tomorrow to another place." I whispered, pecking her nose softly and she opened her eyes. We stood looking into each other's eyes for some time. She nodded her head and stepped out of my hold and vanished behind the washroom doors.
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"Did you hear the rumours about this place?" I asked her, while we were climbing the stairs to go to an elevated floor, to explore the fort. Presently, we are at the Bhangarh fort. We checked out of the hotel and left Jaipur in the morning after breakfast and arrived here around half an hour ago.
"I didn't. What is it?" She asked, clicking a random photo of the place. This fort had ruins of havelis and old local markets all around and was less crowded.
"This fort is said to be the most haunted fort in India." I whispered in her ear, in a complete serious tone. She stopped walking and looked at me suspiciously.
"I am not joking, this fort is really haunted." I said as a matter of fact.
"Sir is absolutely right! This fort is said to be haunted and because of that, it closes before sunset and no one is allowed here after that." Our guide interrupted with his opinion and Pia visibly looked scared.
"What is the reason behind it?" Pia asked, gulping down her saliva.
"Actually a long story, but I will brief it up. This fort once was a home to a really beautiful princess, Ratnavati. The tales of her beauty were wide spread across the world and a victim of her magical beauty was a tantrik priest who was well versed in black magic. He once, in order to make her fall for him, spiked her perfume with his spells and when the princess came to know of it, she threw the perfume away. It increased in size of a boulder and hit the priest. But before he could die, he cursed the entire family, the fort and villagers too. Since then, this fort started ruining and it is said no one got a rebirth after their death. Their spirits still roam around here." The guide did his job of explaining the history but it did impact Pia very much because I noticed that Pia didn't move much away from me, especially after the revelation of this place being haunted.
We reached up above and were walking across the walls, passages and rooms of the fort. She tried her best not to show that she is effected by it, but it was clear on her face. The guide got a phone call and walked away, searching where his phone will catch the network. Suddenly an idea stroke me and just as she walked ahead to have a look of the scenery from the veranda on the top floor, I quitely slipped away and hid behind one of the walls of a room.
"This is so beautiful Swayam!" I heard her speak to me but I remained silent and peeked at her carefully, not wanting to be caught.
"Swayam?" She called out, turning and looking everywhere but not finding me anywhere.
"Swayam? Where are you?" I could now hear her frightened voice. I am sorry Pia, but I have to do this. She started walking towards the wall behind which I was hiding.
"Swayam, it's scaring me!" She shouted and was about to step into the door by whose wall I was hiding along but suddenly turned around, hearing few birds fly from the railing of the veranda. I took this as a cue and slowly walked upto her, her back facing me.
"Booooooo!" I jumped and held her from her shoulders to which she let out a sharp scream and immediately jumped out of my grip. She leaned against the opposite wall and looked pale.
"It's me!" I laughed at her scared face but there was no change in her expression. She looked paler than before. Her breathing was heavy, she was sweating and my laughter died down instantly. Shit! I walked upto her and tried to hold her but she swatted my hand away. Her laboured breathing got even more tensed.
"Calm down! Pia... I am here, calm down!" I consoled and she closed her eyes, still leaning against the wall. I know what happened to her. She must have got a flashback of the same incidence from the past. I had scared Sharon the same way before and had handled her anger for the rest of the day which had ended up with us making out and beyond! I purposely recreated this with Pia to see she recalls it or not.
"Hey! Calm down!" I whispered, consciously raising my hand. She didn't put up any defense and I delicately cupped her face.
"I am here..." I whispered again when she jerked a bit from my touch. I caressed her cheek and she looked a little at relief. After gaining her breathing in a normal way, she opened her eyes and looked at me. Her eyes softened first but in the next moment, she was glaring at me. I think it's my to gulp now.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" The guide asked bringing us both out of our trance. Realizing the position we were in, I made some space between us.
"It's nothing. She just got scared a little." I replied, shrugging my shoulders, not wanting to disclose her panic attack which had almost hit her.
"More like he scared the hell out of me!" Pia spat, glaring at me and walked past me to explore more. Oops! Looks like she is angry again! Way to go Swayam! Great!
"Hey wait!" I shouted behind her and jogged upto her. She didn't wait and kept roaming around, now very friendly with the guide than me. Soon, our tour around the fort ended with her still aloof from me. We didn't stay there much time after that and decided to travel to Neemrana for the night stay. It was just 2 in the afternoon now.
After a few hours journey with my angry Sharon, we arrived at Neemrana fort-palace. It has been now converted into a resort hotel and I have booked our stay here. It was my first time visiting this place too and as we entered the magnificent door, I was dazed by the beauty of the place. It was a beautiful building with 14 floors, built onto the mountain by cutting into it.
I looked at Pia and she looked impressed too. As if sensing my gaze, she looked back at me, more like glared at me, hiding that beautiful smile of her's from seconds before behind that anger. I took the key from the receptionist and we walked to our room.
As I stepped out of the washroom after freshening up, determined to make her talk to me, I found her nowhere in the bedroom. I frowned and strode to the other room of our suite but she wasn't there too. I immediately took my mobile and dialed her number but she didn't pick it up. Damn Pia! Where must she possibly have gone to? This is a completely new place for her too... I tried a couple of times again but stopped it after I realised that she isn't answering it purposely.
I came to the balony of our suite and it overlooked the whole fort and a beautiful pool a few floors below from ours. How I had thought of swimming along with her here and relax a little but she had to disappear like this. Did I really go that far? Did I really tip her off? But atleast she must be a little responsible and inform me where she is going. I paced around, wondering where she must have gone. My nerves ticking in tension, thinking of her. What if something happened to her when I am not around? I shook that thought off and settled on a chair.
I was sitting on the lounge chair in the balcony, don't know for how long, bobbing my legs up and down, waiting for her but the sky had changed its colour and it was dark now. Still, there was no sign of her. I came back into the room, deciding to go and search for her myself.
I checked my mobile which I had thrown on the bed and saw a message from her. I quickly opened it and it read that she was at the spa. I heaved a deep sigh and felt a wave of relief flood over me but soon that feeling was replaced with anger. How can she be so irresponsible?
I heard the click of the door and turned around, only to see her walking in the bedroom, looking refreshed and different. Good different. She didn't even spare a look at me and was smiling at something, looking into her mobile. That was it for me and as if my legs have their own mind, I walked upto her and pinned her to the nearby wall, making her gasp. I caged her between my arms on her sides and glared at her.
"Don't you dare do that again." I warned, trying my best to keep my voice in check. Her eyes turned into an angry ones from the blank and she tried to push me back but I didn't budge even an inch. I pinned her hands on the either of her face and caught her shocked reaction before she masked it back with angry one.
"Le... Leave me Swayam!" She tried her best to sound angry but stuttered nonetheless. I smirked and leaned even closer to her.
"Never do anything like that ever again." I said sternly and saw a flicker of fear in her eyes which made me loosen my hold. No! I don't want this. I closed my eyes and calmed myself, leaving the hold on her hands and cupped her face lightly. I leaned my forehead on her's and took deep breaths.
"It's just... I am sorry Pia!" I whispered, my eyes still closed. I need to do this before it starts to drag more and temper with our moods.
"I didn't intend to scare you so much! I am sorry. Shouldn't have done that..." I apologized again, caressing her cheek with my thumb and opened my eyes to see her already looking at me lovingly. She opened her mouth to speak something but I shushed her with my finger.
"But don't scare me like how you did a few hours ago. I was so scared and tensed not knowing where you went. Please don't stop talking when you are angry. I can't handle it. Please don't go anywhere without informing me." I requested and we stayed like that for few seconds.
"Are we good now?" I asked, because of the confusing expressions on her face right now. She nodded her head, making me smile.
"I love you!" I said with as much softness as I could.
"I love you too!" She whispered and I and hugged her tightly, feeling her hands going around me too. I smiled, nuzzling in her hair and my whole body was relaxed. We pulled out after some time and we both stared at each other.
"Do you plan on spending the rest of the evening here itself? Like this?" I asked, snaking my arms around her waist and casually resting them there.
"Umm... No! As much as I would love to, my stomach asks for something else right now!" She replied, looping her hands around my neck and leaning back on the wall.
"So Mrs. Shekhawat loves this?" I asked, gesturing between us and the close proximity we were standing in.
"I ain't denying it!" She said boldly but that cute blush on her face says something else. I quickly pecked her right cheek and saw her eyes widen. Just as I was about to kiss her soft lips, I felt her fingers against my lips.
"I am hungry." She stated, not removing her fingers.
"Even I am!" I mumbled, eyeing her lips and she flushed getting the meaning under my words.
"Shut up! Let's go!" She whined, pushing me away and walking out of the room, but not before taking her things with her hurriedly. I laughed at her behaviour and followed her out.
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"Tired?" I asked, seeing her plopping down on the bed directly, not even caring to remove her shoes.
"Very much! I just feel to doze off right away!" She replied, yawning and got up forcefully with droopy eyes.
"Good thing that we already had the dinner before coming to this heaven!" She exclaimed, bouncing on the bed like a kid and I chuckled at her behaviour, grabbing my clothes from the bag to freshen up. After I was done, I literally pushed her into the washroom to change and freshen up before we would sleep. I took out my laptop because I had some urgent work to be done.
"You are working now?" Pia asked, widening her eyes and walking to the other side of the bed.
"Yes, I will have to complete this and sleep." I replied, typing away something. She layed down beside me and turned to face me, resting her head on her hand.
"So Mr. CEO actually does work like one." She remarked and I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What do you mean?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Well, I thought you don't have much work seeing for how long you planned our vacation." She replied, yawning.
"And you are loving this very vacation, which is called 'honeymoon' by the way!" I smirked and she bit her lip, tongue tied on what to say next.
"Pia listen, are you into the ancient historic places? Like some really old ones with a rich history?" I asked changing the topic, as something suddenly stroke me. I typed the place in google and smiled.
"You still ask that to me Swayam? Really now?" She asked in a tired voice, raising her eyebrows and waiting for my reply. I shook my head and looked back at my screen, confirming the bookings.
"Well then, we shall leave this place tomorrow itself and explore Chittorgarh as well!" I replied and she half sat up balancing on her elbow, looking excited.
"Wow! I have heard a lot of that place." She said, grinning and I smiled back at her.
"I better rest now..." She trailed off, lying back on the bed.
"Don't worry, I planned this place here for a relaxing time rather than walking around and exploring many things. You can rest all you want-" I stopped turning to her, looking at her already sleeping form. I pulled the duvet over her and she snuggled into it with a smile on her face.
We are now in Kota. A stop I had planned to just relax ourselves. Last few days have been really tiring to us but equally amazing. After leaving Neemrana next morning, we arrived at Alwar and I took her to the Parasailing on one of tha lakes there. To say she was afraid would be an understatement but she eased out as she got a hang of it and we both enjoyed it to the fullest. Then we explored the palace there and left for the next place directly after having lunch.
We stayed at the rich opulent Dholpur palace in Bharatpur and we had a great fun exploring the bird sanctuary with thousands of birds from various places the next day.
The following day had we spent sightseeing the famous Lohagarh fort. It was famous for its strength as strong as an iron. It was a magnificent monument of intelligence and architecture. We left for Ranthambhore the same day and decided to rest for the day there.
Next day was really fun with a whole day safari in a private jeep into the Ranthambhore national park. It was rich in wildlife, from tigers to leopards to hyenas to deers, it had it all. We were said that if we get to spot a tiger, then we are really lucky and we just hoped that we do at least once.
We also explored the Ranthambhore fort amidst the forest and even had lunch in the middle of the jungle. It was once in a lifetime experience witnessing these wild animals in their habitat and spending a whole day there. When we were returning, somewhat sad over not spotting a tiger, our jeep came to an halt suddenly and we spotted a giant tiger crossing our path. Pia was really scared because we were in an open jeep and she clutched my hand tightly in hers. I loved every moment of it! We didn't disturb the tiger and it made it's way back into the bushes. What a sight to behold it was!
The same day we travelled to Bundi and stayed there, a small city and it was famous for its palace and wells and silver jewellery. The well of the queen was so deep that I was amazed at how they would even maintain this in old times. Pia shopped a lot for the traditional silver jewellery and we came here, to kota today.
I shut my laptop, not able to concentrate and turned to her. Seeing her sleeping like this, peacefully, is all I want. She has been really brave in handling her uneasiness due to visiting the same places again. Day before yesterday she had again had a small flashback but I managed to handle her in time. I kept the laptop aside and slid into the covers, scooting closer to her. I planted a soft kiss on her forehead and she cuddled into me. I soon felt my eyelids getting heavier and I slept off. I just hope even the rest of the trip goes as planned.
The whole next day passed in a blur. We visited the Seven Wonders Park here and after that, we took our time for boating in the calm lake and then, went on a water safari to witness the crocodiles and birds in their natural habitat. We didn't forget to much on the famous kachoris and they were definitely mouth watering. We are at present, returning to our hotel to check out, after seeing the Kota Barrage. It was a dam and it was really beautiful. Unfortunately, the gates weren't open so we couldn't witness the scenic view. Pia was relaxed throughout the day and equally excited too. I turned to look at her, sitting beside me in the car and as if sensing my gaze, she looked back at me questioningly.
"Nothing, let's check out quickly so that we would get enough time to sleep." I made up something and she nodded, looking out of the window again. How can I give her a reason for my stare when all I want is just to be able to look at her, my whole life.
We arrived at the hotel and walked to our room in silence. She wanted to use the washroom first and not wanting to waste any time, I removed my t-shirt, searching for a much comfortable one in my bag kept in the cupboard. I felt a strong gaze on me and turned around to see Pia looking at me intensely. I cleared my throat and she looked away, her cheeks flushing. She made her way to the cupboard for her clothes maybe but before I could even react, she tripped over the edge of the mattress on the floor and tumbled right onto me, with my back hitting the doors of the cupboard with a loud bang.
"What the hell Pia!" I heard her mumbled to herself but my eyes knew nothing else than her beautiful face. She looked back at the mat over which she tripped and turned to smile sheepishly at me. Her hands were clutching my shoulders tightly and my hands were around her waist as a repulse. I lifted her a little so that she can place her feet properly and she balanced herself, sighing. As if then realising our closeness, she stilled in her place, over faces just mere inches apart.
"You want to say something?" I asked in a teasing tone and her clutch on my shoulder loosened. She was retracting her hands back but stopped suddenly and traced it up to my collarbone, looping it around my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. What's happening?
"I must say, my husband is really hot!" She said and looked directly into my eyes, sounding so sexy that I want to kiss her senseless right now! I tightened my hold on her waist which didn't go unnoticed by her.
"Why are you so sexy Mr. Shekhawat?" She asked in a mere whisper and just her her voice was enough to make goosebumps appear on my skin. I gulped and she leaned in even closer. Is she drunk or something?
"Want to know what I feel to do when I see you like this?" She asked seductively and I just nodded, finding my voice still caught up in my throat. I didn't want to stop her and let her do whatever she wanted to. A part of me excited to see what she is upto.
She leaned in even more till our breaths mingled and she kissed on my jaw and I closed my eyes, wanting to feel the moment to my fullest. It's not everyday that she comes from the front and says and does things like these. I then felt her soft lush lips on my neck, exactly where I have a mole and she trailed soft kisses to my collarbone and I controlled my urge to moan. Her hands now holding my nape and playing with my hair. She trailed her kisses back to my ears and bit my earlobe lightly, carefully, which made me smile. I wanted a kiss now so I left my hold on her waist and traced my hands upwards on her back.
"Revenge taken!" She whispered in my ears, shocking me and I my eyes jolt open. She stepped out of my hold which loosened because of her words and she smirked at me.
"Did you think I will let that stunt you pulled on me slip off just like that?" She smirked wider and I took a step forward slowly and she stepped back.
"And did you think that you will be off the hook with this stunt you pulled just now?" I asked her, smirking back at her but at the same time, the bell rang and I guys cursed whoever it was for their bad timing. Pia opened it and it was room service for checkout which I had requested before coming here. Arghhh! Only if I knew what my little wife was planning on! Pia turned around and walked towards me.
"Didn't you say we are getting late?" She whispered in my ears and walked past me to her bag and started packing whatever was outside. I groaned and mentally noted that I shall not let this slip away. She will have to pay for it.
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A/N
Did you all like it? Everything seems to be going good till now, what do you think will happen next?
This chapter has actually been a tough one to write with so many breaks in between. I hope the chapter didn't look disoriented in between.
Now since the honeymoon is going on, it will end soon and with that, even the story is approaching its end. Maybe 6-8 chapters more and this story will be completed! Until then, enjoy!
Do let me know your reviews in the comments!
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