Chapter 11

a s h u

@SlytherInMe

Chapter Four:

Shiva banged his hand against the car, creating a rather significant dent. He was well aware of his horrific actions and contemplated going back in and jumping in the fire himself for treating her so poorly. He knew no amount of betrayal from her side had justified his actions, but she should have known better. She should have known that his reaction would be as tumultuous as it has always been in the past, especially when it came to her. She should have known that he would burn anything and everything in sight upon hearing her wedding announcement. She should have known that he would react even worse than he did last time when a similar situation had risen. 

His Dhara Bhabhi and Gaumbi had not raised him to be so rash but ever since his father’s death, something had snapped within him. His reaction to everything whether it was anger, sadness, or even happiness was tenfold of another’s reaction. They were especially heightened when it came to his chipkali. Before it used to be because she was his Maami Ki Behen Ki Beti and he hated her with a passion but soon that hate had turned into something else, an emotion he had yet to recognize. 

When he had finally calmed down to see some sense through his fury, he made his way back into Maami’s house. No matter how many times he insulted her, he would always come back to check up on her and make sure she was okay. Previously, it would be through the window of her room when she was sleeping at night so that she wouldn’t see the hint of concern he had for her. He would have done the same tonight, but he knew that she wouldn’t be able to get up from her spot by herself and there was no one around to help her either. 

His heart constricted at the sight in front of him. Raavi was curled up in a ball, clutching her ankle from the pain while horribly crying her lungs out. Her entire body was shaking from her sobs and he cursed himself for wreaking such havoc on her. He picked up the burnt lehenga and threw it in the trash, removing any trace of what had transpired. 

He then picked Raavi up in his arms and for once, there wasn’t even a hint of protest from her. She laid in his arms lifelessly, her cries slowly coming to a stop and her eyes just staring out into space. She didn’t even acknowledge his presence and let him carry her up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Raavi was exhausted. She was exhausted of his brutal actions. She was exhausted of her cruel fate. And most importantly, she was exhausted of her feelings for him. Enough was enough. She had indulged him far too much for far too long which is why he even had the audacity to act this way with her. She didn’t have it in her anymore to be the constant recipient of his anger. She watched him from the corner of her eye, calculating her next moves. 

Now wasn’t the time to pick a fight with him, certainly not when he could blow up again at any time. In fact, she wouldn’t interact anymore. No matter what happens, she won’t look at him, she won’t talk to him, and she definitely won’t fight with him. She knew this plan of hers wouldn’t work in the long run as her dismissal would make him even angrier, but she needed time to think with a clear head without him hovering over her. 

Shiva watched her closely and he could see the gears turning in her head, but he decided to keep his mouth shut and placed her on the bed. He pulled out his phone to call his Dhara Bhabhi and let her know that neither him nor Raavi would be able to make it to the venue. 

“Haan Shiva bol, kitni der hai?” Dhara asked from the other side of the phone. Shiva stared at Raavi while talking on the phone, not wanting to take his eyes off of her in this condition. 

“Voh Bhabhi, Raavi ke per mein chot lag gayi hai. Voh bilkul chal nahi payegi, isiliye hum dono yahi par rehenge. Aap Dev ko bol do ke voh bike leke chala jaye.” Shiva replied while searching her room for a bottle of oil. 

“Kya? Raavi ghir gayi? Ye kaise hua Shiva aur tu kahan tha?” Dhara was panicking after hearing about Raavi’s injury and Shiva could hear Maami doing the same from the background. 

“Voh maine hi uska ghiraia tha Bhabhi.” Shiva didn’t see the point in lying nor did he ever really lie to his Bhabhi. He knew it was his fault and wouldn’t shy away from the repercussions. 

“Shiva tu pagal hogaya hai kya? Raavi abh teri Bhabhi bane wali hai. Jo jaaga meri hai parivaar mein, vohi jaaga uski bhi hogi. Ab yeh bachpan vali ladai chorni padegi tujhe.” Dhara angrily whispered to him, not wanting Maami to hear her and create a ruckus. Shiva’s anger flared up again at the mention of Raavi becoming his Bhabhi, but he bit his tongue. 

“Sorry Bhabhi. Dhyaan rakhonga main. Aap log chinta maat karo, main hoon yaha Raavi ke saath. Aap shaadi ki taiyaari karo.” Jitni taayari karni hai karo, shaadi toh mein hone nahi dunga. Shiva had decided he was going to let things progress as they were but instead of Dev sitting in the mandap, it will be him. By hook or by crook, Raavi was going to be his wife. Sirf meri dulhan. 

Dhara cut the call once she was satisfied that Shiva will take care of Raavi and Shiva walked back towards the bed with the bottle of oil. Raavi had paid no attention to him so far and while he was irked by her behavior, he knew it was a reaction to what he had done and decided to just let her be. He sat down on the bed and picked up her foot, placing it on his lap. 

He poured the oil in his hands, rubbing it in between his fingers to warm it up and applied it on her ankle. With gentle compressions, something that was totally out of character for him, he massaged her ankle thoroughly. Raavi hissed in pain and tried to remove her ankle, but he persisted and eventually, though she would never admit it, her ankle was feeling a lot better. 

With no desire to interact with him further and worn out from the day’s events, Raavi laid her head back and slowly fell into a deep slumber. Shiva adjusted her into a comfortable position and placed a kiss on her forehead, walking out to the living room to wait for someone else to come back home. 

Once Maami was back home, she had immediately rushed to Raavi’s aid while delivering a string of curse words towards him. Shiva didn’t have it in him to retort back and once he was content that Raavi would be taken care of, he left to drive back home. 

Raavi had slept the rest of the day and the entire night and yet still felt horrible when she woke up in the morning. No amount of sleep could get rid of her mental exhaustion and all she wanted to do was curl up underneath her covers for the rest of eternity. That was her plan but a knock on her door awoke her from her miserable thoughts and she saw Dev’s head peaking in through the slight slit. 

“Good morning,” he called out while walking in with a handful of chocolates in his hand. Normally, both the sight of chocolates and Dev would have cheered up Raavi instantly, but she couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in her heart. I want him. I still want him. Raavi dug her nails into her palms, conditioning herself to associate those absurd thoughts with pain. 

“Good morning,” she replied back with a forced smile, making space for Dev to sit on the bed. “Ab per kaisa hai tumhara,” Dev asked while folding his hands in his laps, slightly uncomfortable with the scenery. He had never been in Raavi’s room and wasn’t really sure what to make of the situation. 

Raavi had honestly forgotten about her injury and rolled her ankle at his question. The pain had almost subsided and just a small trace of a dull ache remained. The massage had seemed to do the trick. “Ab better hai, Tum yaha?” Raavi was in no mood for a conversation but engaged in his small talk. 

“Bas check karne aya tha ke tum thik ho. Aaj bahoth saare rasam nibhane hai, agar tum chaho hum postpone karsakthe hai.” Dev placed his hand on hers and while Raavi flinched at the motion, she didn’t remove her hand from underneath. 

“Nahi Dev main teek hoon. Postpone karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. In fact, main toh aaj hi Pandya Parivar ki bahu bane ke liye tayar hoon.” Raavi forced out a laugh and Dev joined in. She was grateful for his concern and felt lucky that someone so respectful and caring was about to be her husband. However, her heart just wasn’t in it. Just two days ago she was elated with the prospect of becoming Dev’s wife, but Shiva’s arrival had turned everything upside down. As always, Shiva had implanted seeds of doubt in her mind and now she was questioning whether she was making the right decision or not. 

Raavi stared at Dev’s retreating back who had left to get ready for the haldi function. Here was a man who didn’t quite love her but had always been there for her and had never once hurt her. He was a man who had always been considerate about her feelings and wishes, one who had prioritized her happiness. But he wasn’t the man her heart fervently yearned for. He wasn’t the man she sought for in a crowd of people. He wasn’t the man she had loved since she was little girl. Lekin jisse main pyaar karthi hoon voh kabhi mujhse pyaar nahi karega. Pyaar toh door ki baat hai, voh meri izzat tak nahi kartha. With that realization Raavi knew she had made the right decision and went to her closet, to grab her yellow lehenga for the haldi ceremony. 

Meanwhile, Shiva was pacing back and forth in the courtyard of his house, seething at the decorations that were being put up. His Bhabhi had even forced him to put up some light fixtures and he had almost broken the lightbulbs in rage. The next event was the haldi and while he personally didn’t believe in the traditions associated with the event, he knew his chipkali did. He was aware of what the ceremony meant to her and wouldn’t allow her already deluded mind to assume that everything was progressing well. Since she believed in all these ridiculous customs and the charade they produced, he wouldn’t let her complete them. He wouldn’t let her believe that she was one step closer to becoming Dev’s. Just the thought of it sent him into another raging fit and he made his way over to Maami’s house, to warn his chipkali well in advance. 

This time he entered through the front door under the pretense that Dhara Bhabhi had sent something for Raavi. Maami reluctantly let him go up to Raavi’s room at his insistence and he banged her door open without any second thought. Raavi had been braiding her hair when she heard her door openly loudly. She knew only one person would obnoxiously enter her room like this and refused to turn back, settling for subtly peeking at him through her mirror. 

Shiva knew his chipkali was beautiful but every time he looked at her, it was as if it was the first time. She looked stunning in her yellow lehenga, the color complimenting her delicate features. Every time she would pull her hand up to cross over a section of her hair, her blouse would rise up just a bit and Shiva’s eyes darkened in desire at the sight. Her whole midriff was bare and all he wanted to do was run his hands and mouth all over it. He was a bit pissed that everyone else would get to see her in such a revealing manner but knew he had to pick and choose his battles for now. 

Raavi had not said a single word since he had entered and she planned to maintain her silence, not wanting to ruin her day already. Shiva walked closer to her and grabbed the strands of hair from her hand. She glared at him through the mirror, but he paid no attention to her annoyance and swiftly braided her hair. He had become quite an expert at this since as children he would be the one to ruin her hair and then fix it up himself as well. 

Once he was done. Shiva put his chin on Raavi’s shoulder and both of them stared at each other through the mirror. “Ab per kaisa hai?” Raavi glared at him and looked to the side, folding her arms in irritation. “Khoobsurat,” Shiva whispered into her ears, and Raavi closed her eyes to compose herself. Just one word and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the hunger in Shiva’s eyes and knew if she didn’t do something, she would be under him in no time. 

She got up from her chair and turned to walk out of her own room. Shiva held her wrist to stop her and she sighed at how repetitive their interactions had become. What she hadn’t expected was the way he held onto her wrist. Normally, he would almost crush her wrist in between his fingers until she was wincing in pain. But today he held it with utmost care and gentleness, it was almost as if he wasn’t holding it at all. 

Shocked at his softness, Raavi turned back to look at him. Seeing that he had her attention now, Shiva said, “Main kuch bol nahi raha iska matlab ye math samaj na ke main ye shaadi hone donga.” Raavi scoffed and rolled her eyes, the only person that had been talking since yesterday was him. “Tujhe jitna attitude dikhana hai dikhale. Har ek rasam, har ek haq jo tu Dev ko derahi hai voh tu khud mujhe pehle degi. Pehle toh main soch raha tha ke main cheen lunga lekin ab mera man badal gaya hai. Aaj teri haldi ki rasam main barbaad nahi karunga, tu khud mujhe pehle haldi lagaigi.” Shiva let Raavi’s hand go and walked towards the door. 

“Sorry Devarji par main ye kabhi nahi karongi. Kabhi nahi.” Raavi had tried to bite her tongue, but his assumptions had angered her, and she promised him that she would never let him succeed. 

Shiva chuckled and replied, “Dekhenge biwijaan” before leaving the room. Raavi was no longer drowning in her sadness and was excited about the challenge that had brewed in between them. For once, she was confident that there was nothing he could possibly do that would make her apply haldi on him first. 

Both families had decided to host a combined haldi ceremony as they had the same circle of friends and family. Raavi, Anita, MaasiMa, and MaasaPa made their way over to Pandya Niwas for the ceremony. Her MaasiMa had been gushing the whole car ride there about how Dev had come in to check up on Raavi and Raavi’s head ached from hearing all the compliments. 

Everyone was in awe of the way the house had been decorated. There were flower and light arrangements in each corner, and it was as if the house had a life of its own. The Pandyas had left no stone unturned in decorating and it was a beautiful sight to behold. There was a small stage that was set up for the bride and groom, separate seats and platters for them to sit on. 

Dev was already sitting on one of the seats and beckoned Raavi to sit on the other. Raavi complied but her eyes were searching for someone else. Shiva was nowhere in sight, and she was a bit disappointed that he hadn’t put in much effort into his end of the challenge. She shook her head at her desperation and focused on the festivities in front of her. The first rasam before everyone applied haldi on the bride and the groom was for them to apply it on each other. 

MaasiMa handed Raavi the bowl of haldi and she dipped in her fingers, the cool paste staining her hands a little. She took her sweet time with coating her fingers, wondering if Shiva was going to make any move. When she realized, he wasn’t going to do anything, she huffed in triumph, although slightly irked as well, and brought her hand up to apply some haldi to Dev’s face. 

Just as her fingers were about to touch Dev’s face, the power had suddenly cut and all the lights in the house had turned off. Not even a single light flickered, and everyone panicked from the darkness. Raavi felt a hand cover her mouth and the other hand picked her up from the stage and took her elsewhere. She wasn’t naïve to his touch and instantly recognized that it was Shiva. She rolled her eyes at how dramatic and Bollywood his approach was.  

He brought her to a room that was completely lit by candles as he cut the power supply with the intention of it not turning on for a while. Once he had locked the door behind them, he let her down and smirked at his plan. Raavi stood there with the bowl of haldi in her hand, confused about how any of this was going to convince her to put haldi on him. 

“Great plan Shiva. Power cut? Kitna original sochta hai tu. Lekin main ab bhi tujkho haldi nahi lagane wali. Light kab aygi? Ek ghanta main? Teeke main wait karlongi. Ye wala plan toh bilkul flop nikla.” Raavi laughed at Shiva, amused that he actually thought this would work. 

Shiva smiled at her, and Raavi could see the sadistic smirk behind it. She gulped in an attempt to wet her dry throat as he took steps towards her. “Dekh Shiva tune kaha tha ke tu zabardasti nahi karega. Agar main chahu tab hi lagwaiga. Mujhe pata tha ke end main tu mere haath lekar khud hi laga dega.” Raavi walked backwards, hiding the bowl of haldi behind her back. 

Shiva leaned over and said, “Shiva Pandya nahi harr mantha hai aur nahi jhoot bholtha hai.” He took one of the candles and snuffed out the fire, burning his hand in the process. He proceeded to do that with four or five more candles until Raavi realized what he was doing and rushed to his side. “Shiva tu pagal hogaya hai kya?” She yelled at him while grabbing the candles from his hands and throwing them on the ground. Without a second thought she blew on the burn marks on his hands and applied the haldi on his burns. His hands were burning in pain, but his heart was jumping in joy from her concern and at the completed ritual. 

Raavi kept applying the paste to his hands and looked up to see a lazy smirk on his face. She stared at him in confusion and looked back at his hands, realization dawning on her. She gasped in shock and let go of his hands, enraged that she had played right into his game. Shiva’s smile grew wider and all she wanted to do was wipe it right off is face. She grabbed a fistful of haldi in each hand and threw it at his face. Before he could recover, she stepped closer and rubbed as much haldi as she could all over his face. 

She roughly rubbed his face, rashes bound to form underneath the haldi and stomped her foot in anger. “I hate you Shiva. I hate you. Aur tum poore ke poore pagal hogaye ho. Aisa kaun kartha hai? Tumhe idea bhi hai tumhe kitni chot lag sakthi thi?” Raavi slammed her tiny fists against his chest, screaming insults at him. “Gadha. Kutta. Aloo da patta. Bhooto ka raja.”

Shiva grabbed her fists and brought his face closer to hers. “Jo bulane hai bulale. Sach toh yeh hai ke tu challenge har gayi aur main jeet gaya. Aur ab main apna prize lekar hi rahunga.” 

“Kaunsa prize?” Raavi stuttered, clearly affected by his proximity. Shiva didn’t answer her and instead rubbed his cheeks with her own. He let go of her fists and encircled his arms around her waist, bringing her even closer to him. His fingers stroked her bare waist as he took his sweet time with sliding his cheeks across each cheek of hers. Raavi had become putty in his arms and neither encouraged nor stopped his actions. 

He brought one of her hands up to his lips and swiped it across, coating his lips with the paste. Once he was satisfied that his lips were completely covered, he knelt down on the floor and brought her waist closer to his face. Raavi clutched his shoulders and closed her eyes, not having the strength to put a stop to his ministrations. 

Shiva kissed her right below her navel, the haldi from his lips staining her skin. He moved his way upwards, leading with his tongue before placing open-mouthed kisses all over her waist. Every patch of her midriff’s skin was covered with haldi except for a small section, and he choose this place as his spot to mark. He nipped her skin slightly earning a soft moan from Raavi. Her hands had moved from his shoulders and into his hair, it was as if she was pulling him closer to her. He bit that part of her waist, sucking on it while peppering kisses as well. His roughness had returned, and his hunger was increasing by the minute. He licked each bite he had placed before going in for a second round and making the markings even larger. When he was finally done sucking on each millimeter of her skin, he placed kisses all over to soothe pain and covered the remaining skin with haldi. 

He stood up and twirled her around so her back was up against his chest. He grabbed her other hand that was still covered in haldi and applied it on his cheeks. Starting at the top her shoulder, he slid his cheek down the whole length of her arm with one of his hands holding her hand and the other pulling the doris of her blouse. He moved on to her other arm while slipping his hand underneath her blouse from the front. His thumb swiped the skin just underneath her breasts and Raavi put her head back onto his shoulder, breathing out his name. 

Hearing his name come out her mouth was the sexiest thing he had ever heard, and he cupped one of her breasts in his hand. He gave it a slight squeeze and that’s when Raavi realized, the position they were in. She pulled her head off of his shoulder and pushed him back, pulling her blouse down and loosely tying the doris as best as she could. 

Shiva smirked at her and picked her up in his arms, walking towards the bathroom. “Ye kya karahe ho tum Shiva. Mujhe neeche utaro.” She struggled to get out of his arms, but he held onto her tightly. “Ek aur rasam baki hai.” 

Raavi’s throat constricted at his words and wondered what could possibly be left for him to do. Shiva placed Raavi inside the bathtub which he had filled with water beforehand. He quickly got in with her and sat down, pulling her into his arms. Raavi yelped from the coldness of the water and buried her face into his chest, moving closer to feel his warmth. Shiva wrapped his arms around her and submerged the both of them under water for a few seconds, soaking their whole bodies from head to toe. 

Raavi held onto him tightly and Shiva cupped some water in his hands and rubbed the haldi off of her arms. He took her hands and had her clean the haldi off of his face as well. Once his face was clean, he roamed his hands all over her body, rubbing the haldi off of her face, waist, arms, and even some that had gotten on her neck and shoulders. The whole time Raavi switched between struggling against him and giving into him. 

When all the haldi had been completely cleaned off of the both of them, he rubbed his wet nose against hers and she looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered while kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he repeated while kissing both her eyes. Raavi’s heart warmed at his apology and all her anger dissipated because she knew how hard it must have been for him to say sorry. She knew he was apologizing for yesterday and though she was hurt, the apology was coming straight from his heart, and she had to accept. She nodded her head in approval and he sighed in relief. Water dripped from her hair and her eyelashes, and he fixated on one of the drops that had fallen from her hair. The drop stopped on her lips, and he immediately sucked her lips, that one drop doing wonders for his dry throat. Before he could deepen the kiss, Raavi stood up. “Bas Shiva please. Ab aur nahi.” 

She shivered from the cold, and he decided to listen to her pleas. He got out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel. He placed his forehead against hers and whispered, “Tujhe maine apne haldi ke paani main niladia aur khud tere haldi ke paani main nahliya. Iss rasam ke hisaab se tu meri hai.” Raavi teared up at his statement and wondered why he was doing this to her. Why was he so stubborn about her being his when he had made it clear that he didn’t love her?