PART 165
“Here, show me your hand.”
Lakshman extended his hand, as Urmila made him sit on their bed. Quickly searching through the drawers, she fed him a painkiller and massaged his hand with a balm.
“What did he say?”
“Who?” Lakshman’s eyes shot up.
She kept silent for a while, keeping the blame away as she looked straight into him.
“Don’t act like nothing happened there, Laksh. Tell me, what did he say? He threatened you right?”
Lakshman pulled his hand away slowly, trying to look everywhere but at her.
“I can take everything Mila, but if someone raises a finger at Bhabi, or even at you, I will not spare them a second breath.”
Urmila sighed. She walked over to her table, returning in moments to place a newspaper on his lap.
“Read Page 3.”
Lakshman pranced through the pages, his sight falling on a picture of Siya and Ram, and in one corner, a picture of Urmila, standing on the coasts of Kanyakumari, the day they had arrived.
“We’ve been followed. They’ve written a whole lot about Bhaiyya and Di, and about me, they’ve written how I was apparently kept in a dungeon and not fed and that I…”
“You, What?” He asked in deep breath.
“That Id paid Raghavan to … ‘have’ Siya Di instead of me.”
Lakshman gulped, the world beneath his feet shaking with no mercy. The paper fell from his hands, as he felt his heart coming up to his mouth; his words unable to come out.
She sat dejected next to him, tears threatening to spill over.
“I didnt tell you Laksh, I thought, it would all get over peacefully. I didnt know, matters have become this…cheap. I dont care if Im accused Lakshman, They can write whatever they want about me, I was never their favourite anyway. But Di… she doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t..”
She rested her head on his shoulders, images and gruesome tales flashing before her. Wrapping a warm hand around her, Lakshman let her rest. Anger boiled in his veins, yet, he kept quiet.
But not for long, he promised to himself.
———————
A week had passed, and things had come to what they had called normal, for the sake of their own sanity. The news kept moving back and forth with them, but Ram knew to keep his peace at home unbroken before anything else.
He walked into his room after a long day of work, only to find Siya nowhere.
“Siya?”
He called to her twice, but found no response. Keeping his things on the table, he drank a glass of water when, he heard sounds of heaving from the washroom.
Before he could think of anything else, Ram ran as he pushed the door open, only to find Siya bent over the sink, her face gone red.
“Its okay, calm down. Im here, its okay. Youre okay.”
He rubbed her back as she wiped her face, and Ram carried her slowly to their bed.
“Siya,” he held her hand in his and dimmed the lights. She cradled into him putting up a small smile. “What happened?”
“Nothing Ram,” she replied faintly. “I was feeling a bit light headed. So I went and thought Id vomit but I didnt have anything since evening so..”
“Why Siya? Why are you not looking after yourself?”
His gaze fell on her now bright face.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
She kept silent for a moment, Trying to understand the depth of his question.
“What am I doing Ram?”
He sighed, gulping in fear and regret at the same time. He should’ve told her earlier about her health, and about what had happened with Naveen. Today, seeing her pure heart and face, he knew that if it was not now, it was never.
“Siya, I have something to tell you, about your health. That day, after the doctor left he told me, that…”
“I have pernicious anemia, right?”
Ram hitched at her frankness with the words, the fact that she knew it before he could tell her. And that fact that, she had hit it from him equally well.
“Siya, you.. you knew?”
“Im sorry I never came to telling you Ram but,” she sat up straight, looking into the distance. “I had bouts on unconsciousness and blood loss when I was in college, In London. I knew then itself, but, I never told anyone, lest they should be scared. And I didnt think much of it either, because it had improved a lot. I thought it had recovered, until.. Vatika.”
She looked up at him, water glistening in them.
“I didnt want anything to come between us, Ram. And I knew, that, if this grew, you would never choose to risk me, if we ever want to have children.”
Ram cleared his throat, in an attempt to say something, yet, he couldnt hide his bare feelings in front of him.
“But Ram, I want someone of our own. I know we could always adopt, and by the grace of God, we will maybe. But I, I dont want you to ever feel…”
“What will I ever feel Siya?” He replied softly. “You, you are the one most important for me. I dont care about anything else, anyone. I want to see you, and only you, happy.”
“Me too Ram.” She closed her eyes, a tear running down her cheek.
Suddenly, she shot them open. Her eyes carried a new desire, a new energy, and most intense expressions of love Ram had ever seen.
“Ram, if I ask for something from you, will you give it to me?”
He looked surprised, at this sudden haste of hers.
“Yes Siya, of course.”
She placed her hand on his cheek, her hand pressing warmth into him.
“Will you hold me tonight, close to your self Ram?”
The gravity of her words stuck him deeply. He saw what he held for him in her eyes, and he could not lie to the world and say he didnt feel the same way for her, that very moment, that very while.
“Siya, you should take rest..”
He couldnt bring himself to say the words ahead, for it was as if, he felt a force taking over him. A force of love, of care and pain. If that was what was meant to be, then he wouldn’t dare to break the way his fate would line up ahead.
He gulped, inching closer to her forehead. Placing a light kiss, he looked at her and smiled.
“I love you Siya, more than I love the world.”
“You are my world, Ram.”
—————————————
A Month Later
“Ram..RAM?!”
Ram jerked up from his thoughts as everyone at the dinner table looked at him intently.
“Yes, Maa? Sorry I was thinking about something else.”
Kraanti mustered a smile.
“I understood dear. Is everything alright?”
“Yes Maa, Im fine.”
“Hes behaving a bit off now a days, dont you think Siya?” She asked.
Siya fumbled. “I mean, yes Maa. With the stress of work and all. I told him Maa, he said its nothing.”
“I hope so child,” she smiled. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you all that, I have something in mind for you.”
Everyone sat up at her sudden words.
“What Maa?” Bharat asked.
“Next week, as you all know, we have the opening of our first office in London. Its going to be a closely knit event, Ive shortlisted only a handful of our associates to be there, apart from the press and media. Id thought that, maybe only you boys could go but..”
She paused, her eyes taking in the sight around.
“Theres a lot going on here. Your work, sudden plans and, the medias speculations. Dont get me wrong, I dont care about a word of what they say, but, I dont want you to be here now. They’ve found a new topic to hog on, and they wont let you free so easily.”
The words had died down, but from nowhere, a recent picture had popped up again.
A picture of the club that fateful night, the entire lot of the Suryavanshi clan and Naveen. And the words that had come to rise this time, were a silent sting to all of them.
“Sumitra and I thought that, it would be great if you all could go there together. Attend the opening, and stay there for a week or two and then come back. You dont need to stay in the city either, I have made arrangements for you all in a small county nearby where no one will disturb you. I think, it would be refreshing for all of you.”
All of them kept quiet, simply staring at each others clueless faces.
“But Maa, wont you come with us?” Ram asked. “And why are you worrying about what’s happening outside? We are not scared of them.”
“I know Ram, and you should not be either.” Sumitra added. “But these are small things that, get to you, whether you want it or not. I suggest, you all go from here for a while, relax, and come back. Everything will die down by then.”
Ram glanced at them, as they made him understand that his answer would be theirs as well.
“Fine then Maa, as you say. We will leave next week.”
All of them put up a small smile, the hope of peace awakening in their hearts.
————
Whoosh, a little intense.
DO let me know how it was!
The story is picking up pace, can't wait to write ahead <3
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