4. Cute Rabbit
Sorry for the delay, but you have to manage for some days, as I'm very busy.
Also, I'm not changing the male lead. Readers have connected with Yugant and Dhwani now, so there's no question of replacing him
Make sure to do vote comments
One hour passed.
And here I am...
In my own house...
Cleaning my own kitchen...
That had been bombed... by my own guest.
Correction-my own cute mute ghost, who somehow managed to blast a pressure cooker like it owed her money.
I had wiped the tiles thrice already.
Each time I thought the stain was gone, I found a new patch grinning at me from a corner.
I had scraped dal off the fridge,
peeled rice grains off the wall tiles,
and extracted what looked like a boiled turmeric comet from under the cabinet.
The salt jar was still lying sideways, mocking me. The floor felt like someone had cooked khichdi and spread it as flooring polish.
And the cooker? I'd given up.
That thing was now emotionally unavailable and physically deformed.
Rest in peace.
But the real killer detail?
She was just...standing there.
Near the kitchen entrance. A soft smile sitting permanently on her lips, like she was watching a show live.
I swear, the smile hadn't faded once in the past sixty minutes.
It was almost cute.
Almost.
Until I remembered I was the one scrubbing lentils off the chimney like a punished schoolboy.
"Stop smiling," I finally muttered, throwing a cloth back into the bucket. "This is not a photoshoot."
She blinked innocently.
And smiled more.
I threw the scrubber down dramatically. "You know what? Next time if I'd ask you for cooking, please... punch me instead. It'll hurt less."
She tilted her head slightly, like she was processing that idea and nodded.
Fuck No.
No no. I take that back.
"Just... just sit. Be pretty. But don't touch the cooker again, alright?"
She nodded.
After cleaning everything, I turned to look at her. She was still standing in the same place. Same cute-in-an-annoying-way aura.
I hate to admit it,
but she looked... innocent.
Like, painfully innocent. Like the kind of girl who says sorry to furniture after bumping into it.
But she doesn't said 'sorry' to you after blasting your kitchen. My inner voice mocked me.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"God, Samarth, come back soon."Because honestly, it was unfair to keep her here like this. She wasn't a criminal. Just a ghost who blew up my kitchen.
By mistake.
"I just wanna release her before she breaks the geyser next."
I blinked away that thought and finally asked, "Are you still hungry?"
She nodded instantly, as if she'd been waiting all day for me to ask.
"Wanna eat Maggi?"
Another excited nod. No words. Just that glow in her eyes like I offered her gold dust.
I took out a Maggi packet.
Honestly, that's all I could manage right now, I was starving too. And mentally tired from this haunted cooking episode.
"Pass me the water jug..."
She stepped forward, calm and graceful, and passed it to me without fumbling.
Okay.
Progress.
I was just checking if she knew what a jug was or if I'd have to mime it like charades.
She did. Proud moment for me.
As I boiled the water and emptied the masala sachet. I added a pinch of salt and some chilli flakes, my go-to combo.
All the while... she kept watching me.
"Didn't your family ever teach you how to cook?"
She shook her head instantly, lips tightening as if I just asked if she knew rocket science.
"No chopping?"
She shook her head again.
"No boiling?"
Another no.
"No frying, no kneading, no chutney, no paratha flipping, no making tea, no NOTHING?" She looked down, then up, then gave me a slow side-to-side shake.
I gasped dramatically, placing a hand on my heart."This is criminal."
She bit her lower lip.
"Then what do you know? Besides turning kitchens into battlefields?"
Her cheeks puffed a little as if she is angry. I stirred the Maggi. "I swear if she didn't look like a baby rabbit, I would've thrown her out long ago."
But as I saw her peeking at the noodles like it was a magic show......I added a little extra masala. Just for her.
Serving the Maggi in two bowls-yes, bowls, because I made it a little soupy. I love it with some broth. I placed one fork and one spoon in each bowl, and we moved to the dining area.
"Sit down..." I said casually.
She instantly sat-on my chair.
If it had been anyone else, I would've probably dumped the whole bowl of Maggi on their head. But since it was her, I let it slide and took the seat beside.
The moment the bowl came in front of her, her smile brightened like a kid handed candy. She carefully leaned forward and blew on the steaming noodles.
I started having mine. I had just taken one spoonful when she hissed sharply. She had burnt her mouth. Her lips turned red, eyes watery, tongue out as she tried to fan her mouth dramatically with her hand.
She looked at me as if I'd just poisoned her.
I immediately pulled her chair closer and leaned in. "Open your mouth," I commanded.
She obeyed, tears streaming down her cheeks now. My gaze dropped to her lips, her lower lip was burnt, visibly swollen and red.
A rush of panic hit me.
Without wasting a second, I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer. When I returned, she was still sitting there like a lost child, sniffling and trying not to sob too loudly.
Kneeling beside her, I gently held her chin and rubbed the ice on her swollen lip. She whimpered, her small sobs doing something to me.
"It's okay..." I whispered, but even my voice was shaking.
She flinched and tried to pull back, but I slid my arm around her waist and lifted her up effortlessly, placing her gently on the dining table.
Standing between her legs, close enough to feel her breath hitch, I continued rubbing the ice slowly over her lip. Then, I held another cube to her mouth.
"Suck on it... it'll help," I murmured.
Her hands rested on my chest, eyes still glistening as she took the ice into her mouth.
I tried to focus but my thoughts... they were spiraling.
The sight of her red, trembling lips... The way she looked up at me so innocently, completely unaware of the effect she had on me...
It was dangerous.
I clenched my jaw and tried to shake off those thoughts.
As she seemed a little better, I picked up her bowl of Maggi. It had gone cold by now. I stirred it lightly and held out a spoonful toward her.
She shook her head quickly, lips still parted, her brows creased in fear.
"It won't hurt," I said gently. "It's cold now. I promise."
She hesitated, then slowly opened her mouth.
I fed her, watching closely.
She chewed carefully, testing the temperature, and finally gave a small nod-safe.
But I couldn't stop staring. My eyes kept drifting back to her lips-still red and raw-and the way her face softened with each bite.
God, she was too pure. Too soft.
And I... I didn't deserve this softness.
After finishing the bowl and sipping some water, her eyes began to droop half-lidded and heavy with sleep, like someone who had spent the entire day working hard.
Well, technically, she had worked hard today. Blowing up a kitchen isn't exactly easy.
I was lost in that thought when she suddenly leaned to the side and rested her cheek against my chest.
No-I am losing myself.
I need to find Samarth.
At any cost.
Before it's too late.
Cradling her in my arms, I walked toward the room. Her head rested softly against my shoulder. Once inside, I carefully laid her on the bed and pulled the comforter over her. She didn't stir-exhausted, no doubt.
I stood there for a second longer than I should have. Then shook myself out of it and turned away.
Half of my damn day was already wasted.
And now... my head was a mess.
No way could I focus on anything at the office with this storm inside me.
I needed to find Samarth Rathore.
At any cost.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ishaan.
He picked up on the first ring.
"I want Samarth. In front of my eyes," I said, voice low and deadly calm.
Ishaan paused. "We've checked everywhere. His office, old properties, friends' places, his family's second house in Jaipur-there's no trace of him. Maybe he's not even in India."
"He's in India," I snapped. "He can't leave. I have his passport."
That shut him up.
I continued, "He didn't have time to arrange another one. He's missing since years. If he's hiding, he's doing it well. Too well."
A tense silence followed. Then Ishaan said, "Maybe... maybe Dhwani knows where he is."
My jaw tightened.
"She's the only link we've got left," he added. "If anyone knows where Samarth's hiding, it's her."
I hated to admit it, but Ishaan wasn't wrong.
My mind replayed every moment since she stepped into the mansion. The silence. The softness. That fake helplessness.
"She hasn't stepped outside the house since she came here, right?" I asked.
Ishaan replied immediately, "Right. Not even once. She doesn't even have a phone. She hasn't contacted anyone."
"She acts like she can't even speak," I muttered. "But something's not adding up. The girl Samarth used to talk to on video calls... she wasn't like this. She talked. A lot."
I paused. My eyes narrowed.
"And if Dhwani really is that same girl... then she's playing a game. A damn dangerous one."
"Maybe you're right, sir..." Ishaan said cautiously.
"I want everything on her," I said coldly. "Full name, background, where she's from, schools, family-everything."
"I'll get on it right away."
I ended the call without another word and looked back at the closed door of the room.
The softness she showed...It might just be a mask.
And if it is, She's about to find out what happens when someone plays the wrong game with me.
I walked to my study and drowned myself in work for a while, but my thoughts kept circling back to the same place.
Time passed, and soon night fell. Ishaan had already called in another chef, he prepared dinner. I made my way to the dining table. The silence wrapped around the space like an old friend.
Dhwani wasn't there either.
I went into the kitchen, served the food myself. I didn't care whether she had eaten or not.
As I sat down at the long twelve-seater table, the emptiness around me hit harder than usual. This table... it was never this silent before. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, it used to echo with voices, laughter, the clinking of plates, the noise of life.
But for the past two years, it's been like this.
Lonely.
From a home that once felt like a warm cocoon of a joint family... to this-me, sitting alone, night after night. My heart felt heavy, like it was ready to burst.
I looked at the food on my plate, lifted a morsel halfway, but stopped. The appetite drained from me as quickly as it came.
Two years.
Two years of silence. Of aching loneliness.
Because of Samarth.
He didn't just destroy a relationship-he destroyed everything. Everything I ever called home.
Leaving the food untouched, I walked back to my room. It was dark, just the way I kept it. I kicked off my shoes, removed my wristwatch, and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The familiar ache in my chest returned.
But it didn't last long. As a hand landed gently on my chest.
My eyes flew open.
I turned to my side, and froze.
She was there.
Dhwani.
Sleeping peacefully beside me..What the f-? How the hell did she end up here?
Wait...
Did I...?
Did I made her sleep in my room instead of hers?
Bloody hell, Yugant.
How can you be this careless? What were you thinking? Scratch that-were you even thinking?
I reached for her hand and gently tried to push it away, but instead of pulling back, she only moved closer.
Now her leg was draped over my thigh, and her arm found its way around my neck like it belonged there.
And I...
I froze.
She'd been sleeping since afternoon, and now here she was, clinging to me like I was her giant-sized teddy bear.
Her warm breath fanned across my neck, slow and steady. Hot. Rhythmic. Intimate.
I shut my eyes, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me.
"God," I muttered under my breath, staring up at the ceiling "Please have mercy on this little child... and for heaven's sake, throw this sister of Kumbhkaran away from here."
Time passed, maybe an hour, maybe more. She didn't move. Not even an inch.
And when all efforts failed, when reasoning with the universe gave me nothing in return... I gave up.
With a sigh of surrender, I closed my eyes, because what other option did I have left?
°°°
So how was the chapter?
What do you think where is Samarth?
Is Dhwani really mute... or just pretending to be?
Make sure to vote and comment.
Thanks for reading.