2
( You...)
For a second, neither of them spoke. The noise from the other room felt distant now, muffled and dull, as though someone had turned the volume down on the rest of the world. Voices, chairs scraping, files shuffling, all of it faded into insignificance.
It was just the two of them in that office, staring at each other like strangers who knew each other too well, burdened by a history neither could escape.
Zaviyar's gaze swept over her slowly, deliberately, from her face to her clenched fists, then back to her eyes. His expression remained calm, controlled, almost clinical, as though he were assessing a situation rather than standing before the woman who had just stormed into his office.
" Head of the village committee. Final authority. ", he said calmly. She knew he was the village head but she thought it was more of a traditional term rather than an offcial term.
" That's me. ", The words landed heavily in the space between them.
Safiya let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.
The sound was sharp, almost broken, as reality settled in piece by piece.
Everyone declining her. Making her run from one office to another.
Making her wait in that corridor for hours even though she had been the first one to arrive.
All of it suddenly made sense now. All of it had been orchestrated. Not by some faceless system but by him.
All this just to make her realise that she had offended him, challenged his authority.
" This is a joke, right? ", she scoffed, the disbelief coating her voice.
" You're telling me you are the reason I was made to sit outside like some nobody for seven hours? ", she couldn't help as the mocking tone overtook her demeanour, all logic leaving her senses as she stumbled forward towards the desk, her movements sharp and restless.
Zaviyar leaned back in his chair, unbothered by her approach, his posture relaxed to the point of provocation.
" You were sitting there because you didn't have an appointment. Just like everyone else. ", he pointed out.
And for some reason, her eyes burned. The sting came suddenly, unexpected. She blinked rapidly, trying not to let the water pool at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know why it affected her so deeply. She wasn't weak. She wasn't sensitive. She had handled far worse than this.
" Don't give me this bureaucratic nonsense. You knew I was here. You knew why I came. ", she said, slamming her hand on the table, the sound echoing sharply in the room.
" Yes. ", he replied without hesitation.
He pushed himself off the chair and walked up to her side. His closeness made her stiff. She bit her lip hard, the urge to slap him right across his face burning in her palms.
" And I also know you were denied at the panchayat. And by the revenue office. And now by me. ", he added, leaning against the edge of the table beside her, his presence unyielding.
Safiya tilted her head downward, staring at her shoes as several thoughts raced through her mind, colliding into one another without order.
" You are doing this deliberately, aren't you?
Making me wait for hours, when you knew why I was here.
You were the one who told everyone to decline my appeal.
It was you who told everyone to turn me away.
", she said, her voice quieter now as she stared at the polished surface of the mahogany table.
" I simply told them to stop considering your words as my wife's and start treating you like you are, Safiya Shah. You wanted an identity without my name attached to yours so I gave it to you. You wanted everything to be fair, legal so I gabe it to you. ", he deadpanned.
[ Did you all vote? If not then please do so. ????? Literally begging for votes ?????????? slap or kiss the star button like you want to slap/kiss zaviyar ]
" I was helping you, like a husband is supposed to.
I didn't want to excel you or assert my authority over you.
I just wanted to be your equal and help you build something which you desire like the NGO.
But you pushed me away, you insulted my family traditions and my name.
You wanted your ego to win and I simply am complying with you.
You are not my wife here but just an outsider. ", Her breath hitched.
" You are doing all this for what? ", she asked, finally turning to him, her fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
" I am doing my job. ", he corrected, his tone suddenly sharp.
" You walked into an official process assuming rules don't apply to you. They do. Even if you're my wife. ", he said with a shrug.
But that word hit her like a slap.
Wife.
" Funny how you remembered that now, isn't it? When it was convenient. ", he scoffed.
" Funny how you think I will need to use your name to get things done. ", Safiya barked back, her voice trembling with fury.
" And funny how you refused to use my name all day, but the moment you were cornered- ", he leaned forward, eyes dark, " you were ready to say it. "
" I didn't say it. ", Safiya looked away for a second. Her jaw tightened.
Did she consider it? Yes. Almost. But there was no way she would ever do that.
" You were about to. ", he said quietly.
" I saw it on your face. ", She snapped her gaze back at him, glaring.
Then she straightened, lifting her chin, refusing to let him see the crack forming beneath her anger.
" Fine. You want to play head of the village? Let's play. Tell me exactly what rules I have broken by wanting to open an NGO. I have submitted the required documents. ", Zaviyar stood up slowly, his movements measured.
" You didn't break any rules. ", he said. Her breath stuttered.
" But you skipped every required procedure.
Half written proposal file. No budget audit.
No land-use clearance. No Gram Sabha approval.
You just walked in expecting a yes. And that file.
It was more of a statement than a request. That's not how things work.
Maybe they did while you were in Almora and living off on your dad but not here.
", he said as his eyes travelled to the dustbin.
Safiya's eyes followed his gaze and her breath caught when she saw it.
The file she had submitted earlier lay lifelessly in the dustbin.
" Because I'm trying to help people! ", she snapped.
" And I'm trying to stop chaos. ", he shot back just as fast.
" This is not a charity stall, Safiya. This is a village with laws. And you can't barge in here and try to act all authoritatively. ", Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, anger and hurt tangled together so tightly she could no longer separate them.
" So what is this really about? Files and procedures... or you proving that you still have power over me? ", she asked, the hurt finally spilling through. For the first time, Zaviyar faltered. Just for a second.
" This is not about us. ", Safiya laughed bitterly at his words.
" Everything between us is about power, Zaviyar. You just found a new place to exercise it. Just when I thought you were better than you seem. ", He looked at her for a long moment.
Then, in a low and controlled voice, he said, " Submit the proposal properly. Come tomorrow. And I will judge it like I judge everyone else. No favours. No shortcuts. ", She stared at him, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.
" And if I fail? ", Zaviyar held her gaze.
" Then I will reject you ", Safiya slowly picked up her bag.
" Fine. ", she said, turning towards the door.
" I'll come back... ", She paused at the door, not looking back.
" But remember one thing, Mr. Head of the Village. If I succeed without your name... it won't be because you allowed me. It'll be despite you. "
The door closed behind her.
And for the first time since becoming the head, Zaviyar realised he had just declared war on the only person who could ever defeat him.
Safiya stepped out of the building and got inside her car. She rested her head against the steering wheel, before letting out a sigh to compose herself.
She started the engine but immediately noticed something was wrong. The car felt tilted slightly to one side. She tried moving it forward but it resisted, refusing to budge. Her heart sank.
She got down quickly and walked around to the front, only to see that one of the front tyres was punctured. She stomped her foot against the ground in frustration before going to the trunk to get the spare tyre. She froze when she opened it. The tyre wasn't there.
She was fucked!
She opened her phone to call Kabir or anyone nearby but screamed in frustration when she saw that her phone was dead.
The screen remained black, unresponsive.
Suddenly, her vision blurred. Tears spilled down her face before she could stop them.
She crouched down behind her car, not knowing why she was crying so hard.
She didn't know why she felt so shattered, so stripped.
Shame clawed at her chest. It felt like she had lost her self-respect today, piece by piece. She knew she could still walk back into that office and ask for help. But why would they help her anyway?
When Zaviyar had clearly told them not to. Why would they help an outsider?
She let out a shaky breath, locked the car with the keys, after taking her bag and water bottle and abandoned the car there.
With nowhere else to go, she started walking towards the mansion.
It was starting to get dark but what else option did she have.
She would take a rickshaw or something but she couldn't spot even one.
She had walked for nearly ten minutes when her foot caught on a stone she hadn't noticed. She stumbled forward, balance slipping away. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the fall.
But it never came.
She opened her eyes to find an arm wrapped securely around her shoulders. When she looked up, her breath caught.
Zaviyar.
" Why are you walking? Where's your car? ", he asked, holding her shoulders. Safiya didn't meet his eyes.
" We will meet at home. ", she said, trying to step away but Zaviyar pulled her back gently but firmly.
" Why are you so stubborn? ", he asked.
" I'm a-already embarrassed and i just need some time... ", she said, her voice breaking, words failing her.
" Safiya, you don't need to walk. I'm your husband. You could have just told me that your tyre got punctured. ", he said. " Infact i was about to ask if we could go home together but then you left in a hurry so I didn't stop you. "
" I- Its okay. I don't want favours from you. ", she said, placing her hand over his before stepping away. She just needed some time. She hated feeling so pathetic, like a meek woman.
" Why are you acting like this? Just because i was a little harsh why are you pushing me away. I was doing what you wanted me to do-", But Safiya had already walked past him after staying, " I know... I'm sorry. "
Zaviyar let out a breath before storming towards her and blocking her path. Before she could react, he ducked down and lifted her up bridal style, barking an order to the driver to open the passenger seat.
" Wha- wait. Stop- you can't do this. Wait-", she struggled, pushing against him but he didn't flinch.
" Sit here like a good girl or I'll tie you up to this seat. "
He buckled her in swiftly. Then, unexpectedly gentle, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, closed the door, locked it, and got into the driver's seat.
" What the fuck are you doing, you fucking moron? ", she screamed, trying to open the door frantically. She was a message. Her hair tangled, face probably dusty due to walking, her body sweaty not to mention the tears that were uncontrollably streaming down her face.
Zaviyar crossed over to the drivers side, before patting his driver's shoulder for puncturing her car's tyre successfully.
Yes, he was the one who had gotten it done. He knew he had somewhere or the other created problems for her but he was simply doing what he had been told to. Though he had already planned to help her.
Safiya watched in horror as Zaviyar got in, shifted the gear, placed one hand on her shoulder to hold her back against the seat and drifted the car sharply to another side, before they had started travelling on a different route.
" What are you doing? A-are you out of your mind? ", she asked desperately, wanting nothing more than to leave. She wanted to go home and get started on the papers, only for his next set of words to surprise her.
She watched as he drifted the car around, making her feel somewhat dizzy.
" Kidnapping you.. Of course ... "
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