Chapter 3

IAdoreYou

@IAdoreYou

| Part Three |

She furiously wiped the tears flowing through her eyes that saw no end. She pressed both her palms on her face as she cried for the failure of her relationship with her very own Mr. Shergill. Not even in her wildest dream, she had seen this coming. She was glad for a fact that she didn't have to think about someone finding her in that state, for she had locked herself in one of the vacant rooms in Shergill House. 

"How could you say it, Mr. Shergill? How could you?" She sobbed as his words kept repeating themselves in her mind. His words crushed her soft emotions and delicate feelings that she had developed for him. "I admit, it shouldn't have come in front of you the way it did but how could you just reach to such a conclusion that you did?" Tearsdrops rolled one after other by her cheeks. Shaken from inside, her breathing became uneven as the muscles of her entire body began trembling. The more she tried holding herself back, the more she lost it. 

It was so unlike her. Being an elder daughter and sister, having lost parents at a tender age, having lived everyday with anticipation, fear and concern for her little sister who got separated from her, having smiled for every taunt her aunt made at her, she had become too matured for her age. Life had taught her in a hard way and she had never sat complaining and crying about the same. Perhaps, because neither she had anyone to complain to not she had time for it. Her life wasn't monotonous. She had a purpose and she woke up everyday, and worked to get closer to it. 

She had never let herself break all these years but today, she didn't have a control over herself. She was breaking, bit by bit. His accusations wasn't letting her breathe. She was still struggling to accept that he actually believed that she deceived him. Sure, she had kept certain things away from him but she had her reasons. 

She drifted back into the time, when he had won a part of her heart. 

Oh how beautiful that night was! 

•

 "Mr. Shergill, care to inform where exactly are you taking me?" 

"Mr. Shergill. When will you start learning to reply me in first say?" 

"I am talking to you." She nudged him and he immediately turned his head towards her. 

"I am driving, Mrs. Shergill. Please." He shifted his gaze back on the road, firming his hold on the steering. 

"Yeah so? Um you mean... I am distracting you?" 

The glare that he darted at her could neither stop her giggles nor her small rumble of laughter. Their sessions of taunts and teasing had just grown longer. Mr. Shergill had become much tolerant to his wife's teasing though. He had unknowingly become habitual to it. Something had to be off if the day passed without them. 

"Only you can come up with such conclusions." He muttered, ignoring her for the rest of the drive until he gave a quick halt to the car on nearing their destination. "Get down," he said to her while taking off his seat belt. 

Had she not been curious to know what he was up with, she wouldn't have obliged him wordlessly. She looked around the place, taking the view in sight. The magnificent scenery of the dim moonlight shining on the water in the night, along the lines of the beach held her stilled on her feet. Rapt by the enthralling beauty of the setting, she didn't even realize when her legs carried her forward to explore more. She gazed at the beautiful light purple gazebo shading a table and two chairs beneath it. The white tablecloth acquired the lightest shade of orange under light of the candle standing firm in the middle of the table. Plates, spoons, bowls neatly adorned the table. 

A candle light dinner on the beach? He had brought her out on a dinner date? The realization brought her back to reality and she swiftly turned around to look at him whose eyes were already beholding her in them. "Mr. Shergill?" She uttered in amusement, walking towards him. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he raised his gaze up at first and traveled it to his sides. "Don't put pressure on this tiny little brain of yours. My sole reason behind doing this is to prove it to you that I am not unromantic. By the time this night will end, you will accept that I am romantic." 

She bit back the smile hearing at lame explanation. Was he really thinking that she would buy that? 

"What?" He asked on finding her eyes still fixed on him. Not being unaware of why she was looking at him that way, he walked past her snatching her opportunity to say anything that will tie his tongue in front of her. 

He waited for her near the table as she quietly strolled towards him. Her eyes grew wider, watching him pulling a chair for her. Oh so tough it was, not to smile at that! 

She sat on the chair and he settled on the chair in front of her. 

For the next couple of minutes, neither of them spoke. She was still lost in admiring the surrounding and he, perhaps, was lost in his very own beautiful world, the world that had only her and him in it. 

"So..." He cleared his throat, in front of her to catch her attention. "How do you find this?" 

"I can't explain, Mr. Shergill. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to," she said, eyeing at the fully illuminated moon. 

Corners of his lips lifted upwards by merely looking at his delighted wife who seemed to have been floating in some other universe. Her attention captured by the moon didn't go too well with him. She had never looked at him the way she was looking at the moon. He discarded the thought as fast as it crossed his mind. What was he even thinking? 

"So you do agree on being romantic, don't you?" 

She let out a chuckle getting her gaze back on him and got her hands on the food, as she began arranging the dinner for them. Her smile grew wider with each bowl of which she took the lid off. 

Matar - Pulav. Aloo - Gobi. Chapati. Gulab Jaamun. And oh a cup of butterscotch ice-cream too. 

All her favorites when it came to food. She shot a surprised glance at him. How did he get to know? She was sure that she never told him about them. 

He didn't end the suspense either. Rather thoroughly enjoyed his wife's curiosity and anticipation to know how he managed her favorite food. 

Allowing her time to absorb the events, he took the lead in serving food in the plates. Snapping his fingers in front of her, he brought her back to reality, asking her to proceed with the dinner. 

Sitting in the comfortable silence, away from the chaos of the world, the couple savored the dinner together, occasionally stealing glances of each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. 

She raised her brows when he held out his hand in front of her after they finished the dinner. 

"No questions, Mrs. Shergill." Blinking his eyes, he slightly moved his hand, gesturing for her to trust herself with him. 

His eyes made her a prisoner in them, and she didn't realize when her hand slipped in his, he pulled her ever so gently, put her both hands on his shoulders, and rounded his hands around her waist. He took a moment to inspect her face for any sign of discomfort before he began swaying rhythmically, with her in his hold. 

Haan hum badalne lage, 

Girne sambhalne lage, 

Jabse hai jana tumhe, 

Teri ore chalne lage! 

Eyes poured in hers, he didn't look away from her even for a fraction of a moment. His hands, though resting on her waist, had gripped her in the most delicate hold he could manage. The lyrics of the song that played in his mobile so aptly went for them that he himself wondered if he really played the one that he got his hands on. 

Ever since he met her, he was changing. He didn't know if he would ever be able to tell her in what senses her presence in his life affected him. Things were really different with her. He had known Lavanya for much more than he had known his wife for, yet he never looked at Lavanya the way he looked at his wife. Lavanya never managed to make his heart feel what his wife did, without even making any intentional efforts that Lavanya never missed. 

The very fact that his wife did not need to even try anything was amusing to him. He didn't know what she had in her but she sure had something that the more he tried keeping her out of his mind, the more she messed with it. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't get her out of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about her, he couldn't help the invisible thread that pulled him towards her a little, every moment. 

Pehchante hi nahi, 

Ab log tanha mujhe, 

Meri nigaho me bhi, 

Hai dhoondte ye tujhe! 

She gasped as he lifted her hands that were on his shoulders and twirled her a round before pulling her closer again. Mr. Shergill seemed to have taken her unromantic comment too seriously. His fingers brushed against her waist as gave her another turn with bringing her back against his chest. She could feel his heartbeats that made her own heart race. She mentally noted that night, that now on, she would have to think before making any comments on her husband for the after results could be dangerous to handle. 

Leaning over her shoulder, he slowly whispered in her ear. "Any changes in your perception regarding me being unromantic, Mrs. Shergill?" 

"Are you alright?" He immediately let her go, and turned her facing him when she suddenly started coughing. Quickly grabbing the glass already filled with water, he handed it to her. 

She nodded, after taking few sips of water. Thank god. She passed him a small smile, relieved with distracting him from the stupid unromantic thing. She didn't know what to say to him on that. 

She convinced him for a walk along the beach. To look at it closely, she actually just had to ask him and he agreed. There was something oddly surreal about the whole situation. He could not precisely pinpoint what it was, but nonetheless, he felt something stirring deep within his chest as he gazed at her unblinkingly. 

His questions were long forgotten as his mind and heart both shifted their entire focus and only concentrated on the woman walking beside him. Clad in a light purple kurti, she looked so beautiful under the moonlight to him. He wondered if he should tell her that she should wear her simple long kurtis more than sarees for they looked lovely on her or maybe that she looked prettiest in them. 

Averting his gaze from her these days seemed a battle extremely hard to win. You need to practice more self control.  He told himself, traveling his gaze to his feet. 

"Have you ever been in love?" 

He was surprised with the question she chose, to break the silence. Did he heard right? Did she actually ask him that? Did she not know the answer? 

"What?" 

"You heard it, Mr. Shergill, so stop pretending as if you didn't.." Though her eyes weren't on him, but she sure knew how his expression must have become.  

"Uh when I was with Lavanya -" 

"I know you didn't love Lavanya, Mr. Shergill." She cut him in the middle, stating as if it was a matter of fact. 

He was taken aback for a moment. "May I ask what makes you so sure about it?" He waited for her to speak, willing to know more of all that she had in her thoughts for him. 

She laughed. "Come on, Mr. Shergill. It is no rocket science. It shows in your eyes. Even back then, when you were ready to marry her, it wasn't because you wanted to but because Mahima Ma'am wanted you to get married for the sake of your safety. Had it not been Mahima Ma'am, Lavanya would have never been in the picture." 

"Kafi jaanane lagi ho tum mujhe. Not bad. I am impressed." He was silently reveling in the time he was spending with her. Everything seemed at such an ease. 

"Tum apne parents ko miss karti ho?" His voice had softened while making a question about it. He turned his head to her, checking upon her if he made her upset. 

"Hmm," she muttered, rubbing her arms as the night turned chilly with the cold breezes. "Aap apne dad ko miss karte hai?" She instantly regretting the words that slipped out of her mouth when her eyes caught his hands clenching in fists. Ever since she met him, she had heard not a single mention of his father. 

"No." His curt reply made her regret even more for touching the topic. 

"I am sorry, Mr. Shergill. I didn't mean to hurt you." She promptly apologized to see his muscles stiffening. She shouldn't have gone so personal, she thought.  

"He left us for some other woman. He doesn't deserve to be missed." 

Stunned, she took a while to let the fact sink in that he was sharing such intimate details of his personal life with her. A pang of sadness hit her sharp knowing about his father. Involuntarily her hand slipped in his, entwining their fingers within each other. It was more to provide some strength to him, she reasoned to herself. She wanted him to know that he was not alone in that. She was there for him, right beside him and she would be there, for him, always. 

Her touch had him pause on his place for a moment and get into an eye lock with her before they resumed walking. No questions, no answers, no suspicion, no explanations. Just the company of the each other. Walking along the beach with their intertwined hands. Silently promising and assuring each other that no matter what, they have got each other's back and they would always have that. 

Back on their ride to home, she was smiling to herself and it warmed his heart to see her all cheerful. Though he hadn't said it to her and most likely, he would never let it come in front of her that he was awake the last night when she abruptly got up from a nightmare, that he had heard her mumbling about her parents when she was in that nightmare and it was the foremost reason behind setting up the entire dinner thing.  

"Mr. Shergill." She called him while taking off her seat belt when he was about to get out. Hearing her had him stop and look at her. 

"Thank you. This truly will be one of the most memorable nights of my life." Her face glowed even more with her brightest smile that she flashed to him. 

His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but refrained himself from doing and rather nodded, acknowledging.  He had put his one foot on the ground when she grabbed his attention again and forced him to tilt his head at her, again. 

"I admit, Mr. Shergill." 

He wore a perplexed face. 

"I admit that you are not unromantic." She quickly voiced out before jumping out of her seat.  

He moved fast after her. "You could have said, you admit that I am romantic instead." 

She stopped on her place and glanced at him. "I said you aren't unromantic but that doesn't mean I meant that you are romantic." 

His face began embracing a frown at her words. Could she never directly accept the truths and facts? 

"There is a lot between romantic and unromantic, Mr. Shergill and it is all beautiful." She slowed down, mumbling in her softest voice, her lips still curled up in a joyous smile. 

*

She cried till her tears dried, staining her cheeks with them. What ached her heart more was that he didn't question her, he did not ask her what the entire situation was but rather just accepted that she cheated him, came in his life with a motive against him, played with his emotions. Really? He really accepted and believed that she could do that? How could you, Mr. Shergill?  How could you? 

*

Alright so I can see there has been 400 views already. I am sorry to all the people who have been refreshing this page to see an update since a while. IF is truly giving me a major headache. I have been sitting with my laptop since the time I reserved the page. So it actually took me all this while to present this update to you. The main alignment issue is the horrible out of all. I had to make every paragraph here because after copy pasting from word, this got posted as a khichdi. Then, this ate all my words in Italics and I was left with no other option that reading word by word and make those changes for Italics. It is surely a task to post an update here now. 

I hope all the time and efforts that I have put in to get you people this update will be worth. Do leave your likes and comments.