41.
Sita is sleeping peacefully on the bed, her hands and legs thrown all over it. She used to sleep like a princess until the time her husband didn't lie beside her but from the moment he starts sleeping next to her, she sleeps like Majulika.
Her nose scrunches slightly as the faint smell of smoke reaches her. Her brows furrow in irritation even in sleep. She pulls a pillow over her face and curls into a small ball, trying to ignore it and go back to sleep.
But the smell doesn't stop. It only grows stronger, disturbing her peace.
Slowly, she opens her heavy eyes, blinking lazily like someone who has just woken up from a coma. Her gaze moves around the room in confusion before it finally lands on the balcony.
Her husband is there. He walks back and forth slowly, still in his night clothes, his expression unreadable. A cigarette rests between his fingers as smoke surrounds him, curling in the air.
Sita groans softly, her face showing clear annoyance. Still half-asleep, she grabs a pillow and throws it towards him without even aiming properly.
The pillow hits his hand.
"Stop smoking" she says irritably, her voice thick with sleep and closes her eyes again, already planning to drift back into her dreams.
"Sita uth jaldi tune Zayran Kaalver ko mara hai. Sita uthhhhhh, teri maut aa rahi hai!" Her subconscious shouts dramatically, shaking her hard and then running away to grab popcorn for himself.
(Sita wake up quickly, you have hit Zayran Kaalver. Sita wake upppp, your death is coming!)
"Sakhi uth jao jaldi se" Kanha shouts while running out of a house after stealing makkhan.
(Friend, wake up quickly!)
Sita groans again, tossing on the bed in frustration, her face twisting as her sleep breaks completely. And then it hits her.
Her eyes snap open. She jerks up and sits straight on the bed, her heart starting to race. Slowly, her eyes move towards the balcony again. She gulps in fear.
He is walking towards her. His eyes are fixed on her scared face. He stops right in front of her, looking at her with a blank, unreadable expression and she gulps nervously under his gaze.
"I...I wa...was saying smoking is not good for your health, nothing else" she says, her voice trembling as she clutches the pillow tightly in her hands. Her fingers press into the fabric, showing her fear.
He leans down towards her, closing the distance between them and her heart starts pounding harder, making her even more scared.
He places both his hands on either side of her, trapping her in between, his presence overwhelming. But before he can say anything, she suddenly moves towards him and grabs his nape with both her hands.
His eyes widen completely. His breath gets stuck in his throat and his legs shake slightly at her sudden touch.
"Aap ko ye chot kaise lagi?" She asks, worry clearly visible on her face as her brows knit together.
(How did you get this injury?)
She moves his collar aside and looks at the fresh mark on his skin, her fingers brushing against it gently. She doesn't realize what she is doing or how much effect her touch is having on him. Her hold on his neck tightens slightly as she leans closer, examining the mark with full focus.
"You should have applied something" she says softly, her voice filled with concern as she looks into his eyes. But her words die in her throat. She freezes.
Because of the way he is looking at her. Their faces are dangerously close. He is leaning towards her and she is still holding his nape with both her hands.
"Hamari jaan lene ka irada hai?" He asks slowly in his deep voice, his gaze locked on her face.
(Do you intend to take my life?)
She blinks at his words and quickly shakes her head, still not leaving his nape. She looks into his eyes, her breath uneven and unknowingly her gaze shifts to the small strand of soft hair falling on his forehead.
Her fingers tremble slightly as an urge rises inside her to touch it. Her hand slowly starts to move But before she can, a loud bang breaks their moment.
She startles violently. Her grip loosens instantly and she quickly gets off the bed, moving away from him in a rush.
He lets out a low groan, his hand slowly going to his nape where she was holding him, his fingers brushing over the spot as if still feeling her touch.
"Who?" Sita asks, walking towards the door with confusion and worry. She opens it and sees Ishi and Laksh standing there. Worry is clearly visible on Ishi's face, while Laksh stands calm, his expression controlled.
"Bhabhi, police have arrested Om, Shaurya and yuv" Ishi says quickly, her voice filled with panic. Sita's eyes widen in shock.
"Why?" she asks loudly, her heart skipping a beat for a moment.
"I don't know, bhabhi. Let's go" Ishi says, urging her.
Sita nods her head quickly. She runs inside, rushes to the closet, changes her dress and freshens up in less than two minutes, her movements hurried and restless.
Outside, Zayran stands calmly, leaning slightly as he plays with his phone, completely unbothered. Laksh glares at him, his jaw tightening but Zayran doesn't even look up.
Media reporters are standing outside, covering the news of the Kaalver brothers getting arrested. Their names are on everyone's lips. Everyone wants to know why they are arrested and what the reason behind it is.
"According to us, all three of them started working with their elder brother and I don't think anyone needs an introduction of their elder brother" a reporter shouts at the top of his lungs, even though he could easily say all this calmly. Anyways.
Zayran's cars stop one by one in front of the police station and every single camera instantly turns towards them. Reporters rush forward, flashes going off continuously.
Gurdas steps out of the car first and quickly opens the door for their madam, then for their boss.
Sita doesn't wait for anyone. Without thinking, she runs inside the station, her heart racing wildly. From the moment she hears about this, she is only praying, again and again, for their safety. Because they are not just her bandars, they are much more than that for her.
Unaware that while she is praying, her husband is playing.
He walks behind her, calm and composed, wearing his shades, his face completely unreadable. As if he hasn't just destroyed his own brothers' image in front of the world... just because they made his wife cry, even unintentionally.
"Bhabhi!" Om and Yuv say loudly the moment they see her, their voices filled with relief, as if their saviour has finally arrived.
"How are the three of you here?" Sita asks, running towards them, her eyes scanning them worriedly. They both make crying faces, looking at her like helpless kids.
"Bhabhi, take us out of here" both of them say in a fake crying voice, exaggerating their expressions. And Shaurya...
He stands quietly in the corner, his head down, completely silent. Why?
Because now everyone knows about them being in jail. Even his hone wali patni ke baba and her family know. And now... his situation "hone wali patni" is turning into "kabhi naa hone wali patni"
"Do something" Sita says, turning her head towards Zayran, her eyes filled with urgency.
He simply shrugs his shoulders casually, as if it's nothing. She then looks towards Laksh. He lets out a deep sigh.
"Only he can take them out. No one else" Laksh says and Sita's eyes immediately turn towards Zayran again.
Without wasting a second, she walks towards him, desperation clearly visible in her steps. Her heart beats loudly in her chest as she stands in front of him, determined to get her devars out of the lockup.
"Why are you not doing anything?" she asks, her voice shaking slightly with anger and worry.
He calmly folds his arms across his chest. "I can't do anything. And they are caught red-handed with lakhs of drugs" he says coldly.
Sita's eyes widen in shock. Her head jerks towards her devars, her breath hitching. They immediately shake their heads.
"Bhabhi, he is lying. He is a liar. He planned all this because he...." Yuv starts speaking hurriedly, panic clear in his voice.
But he stops mid-sentence. Because Zayran takes out his phone. He dials someone. Everyone looks at him with hope in their eyes, thinking he is finally going to help them out.
But....
"Make sure they don't come out of bars anytime soon" Zayran says calmly. Everyone's eyes widen in disbelief.
Sita glares at him, her anger bursting out and in the very next second, she snatches his phone from his hand and throws it hard on the ground.
The phone shatters into pieces. The sharp sound echoes in the entire station. Every single breath in the station stops. Even the inspectors freeze. Zayran's guards lower their heads instantly.
Om, Shaurya, Yuv, Ishi and Laksh's eyes widen more than ever, shock written all over their faces.
And Zayran...He is looking at his wife. With a calm... and proud expression.
Everyone in the station is thinking about what is going to happen to Sita. But only if they knew... every single thing happening here is because of her because of her tears.
"I want my devars out in the next five minutes" she says, raising her index finger towards him, her eyes blazing with anger.
She is truly angry. Because she loves them endlessly and seeing them like this... no, she can't even imagine it, let alone tolerate it in front of her eyes.
Zayran slowly leans his face down towards her, closing the distance between them.
"Jaisa aap kahe" he says in a soft, deep voice.
(As you say)
At that moment, almost everyone standing there feels like giving up on life. The way he talks to her so softly...the way he leans towards her... the way he doesn't react to her anger...the way he looks at her with pride.
He feels proud. So fucking proud. Because his wife is getting angry at him. Because his wife knows... and trusts... that only he has the power to take them out.
And Sita, on the other hand, is shivering badly from inside. Her heart is racing uncontrollably. She just broke his phone, showed him anger and even pointed her finger at him.
If "khud ki naav me khud ched karke dub jaati hu" had a face, it would definitely be Sita's.
(If "I sink my own boat by making a hole in it myself" had a face, it would be Sita)
In less than a minute, lawyers walk inside the station. They place different files and proofs in front of the officers, showing that all three of them are innocent.
And in less than four minutes...They are out.
"Let them go" the officer says. The constable immediately walks towards the gate and opens it.
All three of them walk out and the first thing they do is touch their bhabhi's feet.
"Kya kar rahe ho?" Sita says, stepping back in surprise. Though inside... she feels proud. Because she has the power to control the man who controls everything.
(What are you doing?)
"But how did all this happen?" Sita asks again, her voice filled with confusion. She still doesn't know why all this happened.
"Bhai did all this" Ishi says with a crying face, her eyes teary.
Sita slowly turns her head and looks at her husband... who stands there with a completely innocent face, as if he knows nothing.
"First, let's go from here" Laksh says, holding Ishi's hand as he starts walking out of the station. The others follow him silently.
Sita stays back for a second, her eyes fixed on Zayran. She only wants one thing, answers.
But he simply moves aside, giving her space to walk ahead. Her heart flutters at his small action. She looks away and starts walking and he walks close behind her.
The moment they step outside, cameras start flashing again. Reporters rush forward, shouting questions, trying to capture every moment.
"Omg, you guys are safe!" some girls shout from the other side. Sita's eyes widen seeing the popularity her devars have.
Om and Yuv casually wear their shades and sit inside the car like nothing happened, their confidence back in place. And Shaurya...He looks completely broken, like he has become a widower overnight.
They all sit inside the cars and leave for the mansion. Everything happens so quickly, as if they just came to buy vada pav and left the thela after taking it.
"But how can you say yes?" Grover asks, walking behind Tara, his forehead sweaty and his breath heavy.
"Why are you not understanding? My mother chose him and I can't say no to her" Tara says, her voice shaking. Her eyes fill with tears as she looks at him, as if she might break down any second.
"So you'll marry him?" Grover asks, stopping in the middle of her room. Tara freezes the moment she hears his deep voice. She knows this tone of his very well.
She slowly drops the clothes from her hands onto the bed and turns towards him.
"What are you thinking?" she asks softly, taking a step towards him. She gently holds his hand.
His breathing slowly calms down because of her touch and without thinking, he pulls her close to him, holding her tightly.
"I don't know" he says, his voice low, before turning around as if to walk out of the room.
But she stops him. She quickly steps in front of him, blocking his way. She looks straight into his eyes, searching for something, while he keeps his gaze away, looking ahead instead of at her.
From last night, he has been going crazy. From the moment she tells him that her mother has fixed her marriage with someone else, his mind hasn't stopped racing. He keeps trying to find the reason, trying to understand why she is not saying anything.
Unaware...Tara is not the one deciding any of this. Nor has her mother fixed her marriage with anyone. It is his boss. Who is taking revenge on everyone.
"You are not going to do anything?" she asks slowly. He looks at her in disbelief and lets out a dark chuckle.
"You really think I won't do anything and let you marry someone who is not me?" he says, taking a step towards her.
She instinctively steps back. Step by step...Until her back hits the wall. She gulps nervously.
"I...I'm sorry. Sir told me to tell you all this" she says in a low voice. She knows if she lies even for a minute, she has no idea what he might do. His eyes narrow. And he looks at her with a confused expression.
"You all told Sita about the birthday party and because of that she got angry at sir and stopped talking to him. To take revenge on all of you, sir told me to say all this to you" she says softly, holding his hand gently in hers.
"You are not going to marry anyone, right?" he asks, leaning closer to her, his voice low and intense.
She quickly shakes her head. Before she can say anything else, he suddenly holds her nape and presses his lips against hers, kissing her hungrily.
Her eyes close automatically. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to herself. Her fingers slide into his hair as she tries to calm him down.
He kisses her like someone who has been suffocating, as if his breath was taken away and now he is finally getting it back.
He pulls her even closer, pressing her against himself tightly not letting her move even a little. And she lets him. Because deep inside, she feels guilty. She saw the pain in his eyes. She saw how hurt he was. But she had no other option.
"Aur bhabhi, bhai ne hamare saare projects cancel karwa diye" Yuv says and I crease my forehead, listening to their endless complaints.
(And bhabhi, brother got all our projects cancelled)
We are all sitting in the garden. The evening is slowly turning into night, the sky darkening above us.
"Aur meri to love life shuru hone se pehle hi khatam ho gayi inki wajah se" Shaurya says dramatically and I shake my head at him. He is behaving like gali ka nashedi lover.
(And my love life ended before it even started because of them)
"Par tum teeno ne kya kiya tha?" I ask, looking at all of them suspiciously.
(But what did you three do?)
"Hum teeno nahi... hum paanchon" Ishi says, grabbing her coffee mug from the table casually.
(Not the three of us... all five of us)
My eyes narrow instantly. "Paanchon?" I ask slowly and Grover, Laksh and the others nod their heads.
"What did he do to you?" I ask, my eyes moving towards Laksh. He takes a deep breath before speaking.
"He misled my clients and I lost my projects... because he can't do anything to his sister" he says, his voice controlled but filled with frustration.
I blink, trying to understand everything. "Humne aapko wo video dikhayi aur aap poora din pareshan thi. Aur iska badla lene ke liye bhai ne hamare saath ye sab kiya hai" Om says and my eyes widen in shock.
(We showed you that video and you were disturbed the whole day. And to take revenge for that, brother did all this with us)
"Jhute ho tum sab. He'll not do something like this for such a small thing" I say, shaking my head in disbelief. They all start laughing like I'm a clown.
"Wo to tu hai, Sita" my subconscious says and I roll my eyes.
(You are Sita)
"Wt..." Shaurya suddenly says, looking at his phone, his expression changing instantly. We all turn our heads towards him.
"Bhai ko kya ho gaya hai?" he says, then turns his phone screen towards us.
(What has happened to our brother?)
A video is playing on the screen. Outside the police station. My breath hitches.
"Oh my goodness" all of them shout together and immediately turn towards me. But I don't move. I just stare at the screen.
H...he is wearing the hair tie. The one I gifted him. H...he is actually wearing it. My breath trembles and I gulp slowly. I thought he would just throw it away... or never use it.
But he...He is wearing it. In public. So proudly.
"Sakhi, kahan se dhoondha aisa pati?" Kanha asks, licking the makkhan he steals from somewhere.
(Friend, where did you find such a husband?)
"Ye to bas ek galti thi jo Sita se ho gayi, warna is Manjulika ko Zayran Kaalver jaisa banda milna impossible tha" my subconscious says and I take a deep breath.
(This was just a mistake that happened by Sita, otherwise for this Manjulika, getting someone like Zayran Kaalver is impossible)
"Bhabhi, aapne diya hai na bhai ko ye?" Ishi asks, bumping her shoulder lightly with mine.
I immediately look down, trying my best not to blush but I can feel the heat rising on my face.
"Ye dono bahut chuppe hai. Kal ko ye aayenge aur kahenge 'dekho goiz, ye hamare bacche hain aur tum inke chachu aur bua ho'" Om says and my eyes almost fall to the ground at his words.
(These two are very secretive. Tomorrow they will come and say 'look guys, these are our kids and you are their uncles and aunts')
"Dekho, boss aa gaye" Grover says and instantly everyone goes silent.
He walks towards me and sits beside me without saying a word. Everyone's eyes are on his hair tie. Mine too.
I slowly lean back against the couch, my face heating up again. He is still wearing it. And...His bun, which already looks sexy, today looks... sexy and cute.
"Bhai, bhabhi, aap dono kya naam rakhenge apne bacchon ka?" Yuv asks playfully and I glare at him instantly.
(What names will you both give to your children?)
"Apne bacchon ka naam hum soch lenge, tum apni fikar karo" he says calmly.
(We will think about our children's names, you worry about yourself)
I immediately turn my head towards him, looking at him in shock. I quickly look down again, trying not to think anything but my mind starts running everywhere.
"Ohoooooo..." they all start teasing us loudly.
We sit there talking but they keep teasing me again and again because nothing affects him at all.
My eyes suddenly fall on someone. His mother. She is standing at her room's window, looking at him. Her expression is strange.
I focus on her face carefully. W...why is she looking at him like that? A strange feeling runs through my body because of her gaze.
Next chapter on Monday.
Sorry for making you all wait. I'm okay it's just my mood swings and cramps are making things worse for me right now. I'm having the worst mood swings of my life right now??
Aur kal aap logo ke messages dekh kar rona aa gaya???? itna pyar mat karo...adat lag jaye gi aur bad me bhari pade ga mujhe??