The Story So far
Mukti is still confused about why she was angry about Nikhil and Prem getting close. They all go to Disney land, and mukti gets lost in the Haunted Mansion and Prem finds her ready to scream out, trapped in a mirror room. He mocks her and when he goes closer to Mukti, he was unable to stop him self from kissing her. So he kissed her.
Chapter 13
Her lips were more soft and infatuating than he could ever imagine. If this "kiss" were to bring about the end to his life he would accept it, but even to death, he would have said to wait for the "kiss" to be completed.
But before Death or any other nuisance came his way Mukti her self stopped him.
She pushed him; she was in somewhat of a daze.
"How dare y.." she began to utter but couldn't finish off for prem had kissed her cherry-sweet lips once more, clinching her tightly.
For a second time, she pushed him away.
"St..stop" she murmured, but as if she was under a some kind of a magic charm, she her self moved closer and kissed his ever inviting lips.
He was glad yet confused, and she; she was just exceedingly confused.
For a third time, she pushed him away.
This time she was breathing hard fighting against every brain cell, every heartbeat that told her to take pleasure in his embrace; He was breathing hard, fighting against himself from pulling her to him once again;
They were breathing hard as if their own lives had always lied in the other one's breath.
"P..Prem.. wha.. What is wrong with you?" asked mukti, her voice still out of order because of her breathing.
"What do you mean Basanti... Don't act like you didn't like it" Prem said while his right eyebrow went up, his head still seeking her mouth.
"No" For the fourth time she pushed him back.
"Miss Basanti are you trying to say just a few seconds ago you didn't kiss me back.." asked Prem starting to feel annoyed with Mukti.
"It… It was an accident" she protested.
"An accident? You mean to say you accidentally fell on my lips.. . ?" Prem declared his argument.
"No.. I mean yes… I mean I kissed you but .. but accidentally" Mukti tried to explain her viewpoint, making Prem laugh at the lack of logic in her words.
Then mukti again spoke trying to make amend to her unsound speech.
"I mean it was.. I didn't want to.. I was just.." she failed wretchedly, however Prem had some kind of idea of what she was hinting at.
Then he with a highly concentrated, livid gaze announced,
"Ok let me help you Basanti, you were fooled by the kiss but then you remembered you… basanti.. had just kissed a fool" He waited for her affirmation for that was what he thought as to what she was trying to say incoherently.
Mukti glared at him helplessly, for even though she could not verbalize the exact reason behind, her with drawl from Prem's hold, his cruel assumption of her was somewhat accurate. It scared her; it scared her not merely, because she was appalled at her own thoughts, moreover because of how much he understood her.
She was silent, for not a single word could be uttered from her guilty mouth, the mouth that was guilty of wanting to savor the other person in front of her and not admitting it when asked.
Her silence at last confirmed it to him that she was already regretting what she did, therefore he commenced on regretting his action as well. He could not deem that he could be so much of a "Fool" as to kiss her. He was regretting what he did, no doubt, since he knew that she definitely did.
They began to stare and not knowing what else to do, did their customized separation routine, They walked in the way of the other never meeting but ending up in opposed sides.
Mukti after few steps realized that she had no idea where the door was. Then Prem remembered the door was on the opposite side. So they both tuned around.
To their luck, they had no time to meet the other's eyes. Someone opened a mirrored door, which had lied at the exact spot where the kissing "accident" took place.
"Hey what are you two doing here? This area is still under construction and No visitors are allowed… " The thin American man who popped in from the door said as politely as he could.
"ehhh.. sorry I got lost" Mukti answered.
"Ok then Mam.. Sir.. would you please kindly follow me" the man led them out of the room.
No one was glad to see the thin American in his life time than mukti and Prem, for he was a buffer to cover both their anxieties.
When he was gone and when Nikhil was met, the five year old little boy became their bulwark. The silence barrier between them was never noticed, since both the parties talked with the little chatterbox Nikhil.
The time came to go home. With the help of endless visits to candy shops and ice cream parlors and thanks to a three hour long walk through of a toy store, at about nine in the evening Prem turned around a corner to the lane which led to their temporary premises.
The sight of the Villa wasn't alone for there was man sitting near the gate behind the light post with a sizable suitcase, with his head dropped down. The harsh light could only display the out line of his figure for his whole body was one of the darkest of shadows to have crept out at that time of the time.
Prem slowed down the car, the small crowd in the car was curios about the unexpected guest at the gate. He looked up. And walked in the way of the car. His face was now starting to become visible. As the car slowly moved forward, the three heads in the car was eagerly peeping through the shutters to find out the identity of the man who approached them.
"Uncle Rishi" Screamed Nikhil with a smile.
"Rishi?" Mukit asked her tone varying around the two syllables of his name, as she was surprised, confused and glad alike
She who sat in the front seat, couldn't make up her mind to get off or not.
Prem hit the break fearing his growing anger could turn more violent, and to stop him self from running over the poor man.
"Uncle Rish!" Nikhil opened the door and jumped out of the car. He ran and hugged Rishi.
Rishi then delicately gave him a hug and listened to his day at Disney land, which Nikhil quickly covered five hundred words per a second.
The friendship between Rishi and Nikhil was not as picturesque to Prem as it was for any other who might have seen them.
Mukti then decided to get down herself, but before mukti could open the door, Prem with his head told Rishi to get in the car with Nikhil. Rishi then not that keenly obeyed his gesture. He opened the back door and got in. prem with a remote controller opened the gate and drove the car inside.
Mukti asked uneasily as if she was caught between the blades of a scissor.
"ehh .. rishi how.. how how did .. why did.. Is everything ok?"
"I .. I .. wanted to see how you two are doing?" rishi was restless than Mukti.
"So you bought a ticket to US and got on a plane and came to see them?.. have you heard of telephone calls.. and how about you not having enough money to buy them plane tickets.. you said you can't help… but I guess doctors do make a lot of money… but then you didn't get them the tickets I did and now you are here.. you are so confusing man…" Prem rambled on and on at high speed, quicker than his driving.
"Yudi!!" mukti shouted with a sharp glance.
He hit the breaks shaking everybody up.
"Ok everyone we are here," said Prem disregarding mukti's glare.
"Mr. Prem I am not a businessman I am a doctor I serve people, I took a loan on my house just to get here" Rishi answered every vein in his face was evident for he was fuming.
"ok.. ok man I was just .. " paused prem and got out of the car. Nikhil followed. They both then stood about the porch waiting for the other two to arrive.
"You took a loan on your house?" mukti was all astonishment; she got off from the car and waited Rishi to answer.
"eh yeah.. I had to.. I wanted to see you… you two…" Rishi talked with his eyes cast on Nikhil who had now begun to pull him inside the house.
So he pulled and he went along. Mukti stuck to their path as well.
Prem who was standing behind her held her hand.
Mukti stopped at once confused of his touch.
He then he released her and said,
"Don't worry miss basanti I won't tell Mr.preferct"
"About what?" mukti spun around and asked.
"About the little incident that happened at Disneyland… in the room with mirrors" prem didn't know why he brought that up again for he had wanted to put that memory aside;;the devil in him was too strong it wanted to use the "Kissing incident" as an apparatus to mock her.
"I told you it was an "accident"" Mukti claimed.
"Accident… incident whatever.. don't worry I won't tell him…" he said contemptuously.
Mukti puffed in fury, he smiled at her expression.
"I don't care.. if you.. you tell him about the "accident".. it.. it.. was just an accident" Mukti, said hoping he wouldn't actually tell Rishi, she thought it could cause her embarrassment since to Rishi it would like she is falling to the same trap in broad day light.
She then turned and went inside.
He was relaxed to see once again so that some kind of relationship was established, even if it was a relationship of extreme dislike, for it was far better than the relationship of pitch-dark silence.
To be Contd…