Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Sun sunk lower in the sky, light of day draining away, giving way to the velvety dark of night. Air became cooler and sharp shadow of the lamppost faded into the dark of the sidewalk. Only the faintest of light shone through the leaves, soon it grew dark and a close silence prevailed in the dim evening light.

Anahita was done getting ready in supersonic speed before Yuvraaj could change his mind. She settled with a short white crochet dress, throwing a a beige trench coat over her slender figure. It came till her thighs ergo she selected boots to go with her attire. Taking out hot pink lipstick, she coloured her lips attentively and slipped a pearl bangle in one hand while her another wrist was cuffed with wrist watch.



"How much more time will you take?" She shook her head at the exasperated voice of Yuvraaj while strapping the boots. "Coming in a minute." She shouted back.

Glancing at her reflection once, she sprinted out taking her shades and reticule. She frowned witnessing Yuvraaj busy in his cellphone, he should've been waiting impatiently for her gazing at the door every now and then but she was disappointed to see him stoic. Lazily sauntering to him, she cleared her throat vying for his attention. As on cue, Yuvraaj uplifted his gaze only to be dazzled with his wife. She was coming towards her in slow strides, her wavy hairs bounced with each step and the smug smile she presented gripped his heart in a vice grip. Gulping inaudibly, he shamelessly raked his eyes from her head to toe. A gasp of pleasure escaped his lips. Anahita candidly masked her smirk, expecting the compliment he would give her. She knew that the crucial fifteen minutes of dress hunting wasn't going to go up in smoke.

Is this legal to wear this snug shirt? Her brain immediately took offence with the smooth blue shirt Yuvraaj was wearing that only served to accentuate his muscles over the satin material. Coupled with dark blue jeans, he had causally thrown his hair back in one gelled swept. The errant five o'clock shadow in his face which was a giveaway that he didn't shave this morning, only made his appearance more rustic. Not to mention, his veins were Anahita's ordeal. She was blatantly checking him out and made a mental note that if he complimented her decently, she would redeem herself by doing the same.



She was a big girl after all.

Least to her expectation as she nearee him, he rolled his eyes and gazed back to his cellphone, "Finally you're ready. Come on, let's go."

"Um. You're looking good." She blurted out halting his steps. Sending a smug smile at her, he lurched his shoulders. "I know but you don't cease to go beyond my wits."

"What does that mean?"

"You took one hour to wear this. A short dress that barely covers your legs and a trenchcoat in this sudden chilling weather." He commented, pointing flaws in her dressing. "I always doubted your intelligence but now I realise, one must to be intelligent to be doubted upon."

His cynical comment made her scowl, "My body. My dress. My choice." She scoffed a second later. "And as of fact, I saw your eyeballs coming out of socket when you saw me plus there's still some traces of saliva on your lips."

"I drooled over you?" He laughed.

"There you accept it. I know I am looking pretty, I don't need your certification." She gave him a look.

Yuvraaj leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "But you sound like you were fishing for compliment and I badly disappointed you."

"I didn't expect you to admire something that worth it." She lied. The dress she chose selectively worth the appreciation but the man of only blood and bones, didn't take one second to dislike it.

"Alright. Let's go! We're getting late." And now gluing his eyes to the cellphone as if it were his wife, he ushered her.

Anahita stomped her foot and followed her like a trained pet. She was hurt deep. He could've at least roll out a compliment for humanity's sake.

"Though I dislike the dress but your lip colour is the only thing that is making you beautiful." He said a second later, still not glancing at her. "But of course, it's your lip colour that made you look good."

"Whatsoever!" Chipping smartly, Anahita strode past him. Since she had wore shoes, it was not difficult for her to take strides and some leaps as well just in order to took over him.

Yuvraaj stifled a grin at her smuttiness. He finished checking emails and shoved his cellphone in the back pocket. Pacing himself up, he clasped her hand and pulled her in him.

"What?" She yapped, redeeming her hand and continued walking in the same speed whereas Yuvraaj encircled her waist. "Nothing. I thought you were going in wrong direction. This is not the way for coast."

"Huh!" She scoffed, glaring him. "As if you know the way to coast. To remind you, I must shed a light that you were busy in your phone. You wouldn't even know who passed you just and you know the route for coast."

"It was a heavily pregnant woman. Another one was a tourist couple and just now, as I saw you near a stumble, I gripped."

Anahita gaped at him when he pointed out the right things. She blinked and continued with her speed, "Whatever. I want to do shopping first."

"What? Why shopping? We just did that three days ago. I want to go to the coast."

"So what? Let's do it again. We can go to the coast, any other day. Probably tomorrow!"

"Fine!" He sighed, an evil idea entering his brain. "I just hope, you've taken your credit card with you."

"Why? Shouldn't you be the one paying for your wife?" She smirked, crossing her arms and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yes, I shall pay for my wife. After all, I am earning for her and all my fortune belongs to her." He replied, as calmly as he could, desperately dying to mess with her.

Anahita nodded, grinning. "Yes. That's absolutely right. Since I am your wife, pay my bills."

Yuvraaj paused in his steps and gave her a look, "You are not my wife. I mean you're temporary, just for five weeks. I was talking about my real wife,in every sense."

Anahita's heart thumped at the notion, her smile dropped, "I am your wife, Yuvraaj."

"Of course, you are but not for too long and not to mention, you have a boyfriend out there who's making fortune for both of you."

"But you are my husband. You should take care of me and my expenses." She reasoned, the possibility of Yuvraaj dying to get rid of her was something she didn't want to think over.

Even if she came out as a desperate, she didn't care. She wasn't ready to think about Mukund after what he did. It manifested that he thought of her low. Very low.

"Sometimes, I think you just forget that this marriage is out of convinces from your side. I am not your ethical husband, though I am your legal husband but since you've a boyfriend, I am null and void." Yuvraaj clarified. It was his way to save him from falling for her. The way their equation changed, he was afraid to go far and then end up empty handed.

Anahita was still not serious for him. She was just assorting to him to get thought the loneliness and to pass through the hurt Mukund had made her subjected of, but this was not a tip-off that she was ready to give their marriage a chance.

"Then why did you say that you're earning for you wife?" Anahita finally got back with her query as soon as she found her voice.

"By wife. I meant my real wife whom I will marry in somewhere near future." He stated as a matter of fact.

"You will remarry?" Anahita couldn't hide the shock evident in her voice and her eyes widened. She began to regret asking him to go out, he was better being coiled in their suite.

"Yes." He nodded, nonchalant, "I mean a fail marriage which is not the marriage in first place is not something I want to mourn upon my whole life. Won't you do the same?"

"So you mean when i will go, you won't waste a single second had get married, right?" She gnashed her teeth together, sinking in the fact that he wasn't considering to live with her. She was becoming a burden again and the mere thought was unwelcoming.

"Yes, what's the problem. Won't you spend your life happily ever after after leaving me and get marry to your boyfriend? Why not me?"

"That boyfriend has a name, Mukund Acharya." She snapped pissed off and Yuvraaj shrugged, "Whatever but are we really having this conversation now? Leave it. When the time will come, we will get through that."

He moved past her, effortlessly taking the lead and Anahita lost her interest in short itinerary. Her face ashen, traces of jubilance wiping off and her confident strides reduced to slow dragging steps. Wrapping her arms around her, she kicked a pebble unknowingly disappearing into the crowd.

How easily he said that? Will it really don't affect him? Does it really not matters if I stay or go? Am I a burden for him? Is he tired of handling me? She found herself duelling with the contrasting emotions. She should be happy that he wasn't forcing her to stay with him as this was her plan since the beginning but now, she was against it. She wanted to be with him.

"Am I not wanted?" She mumbled, soaring up high in her misery. Her eyes pooled with pain as she forcefully dragged her feet to follow him for the rest of journey but she halted. Her eyes scanned around her to trace him but he wasn't there.

"Yuvraaj!" She called stopping amidst forlorn faces who were eyeing her weirdly. Only strangers caught her sight. Panicking, her unpicked thoughts loitered to the negative poles. She fluttered like a leaf assessing the possibility if Yuvraaj left him there. This was a hogwash but she couldn't keep it off her mind.

Is he not going to come again?

The most dreading thought was, he left her here. Alone. In a foreign land where she knew no one.

"Yuvraaj! Yuvraaj!" She ran to find him in directions and then a thought crossed her mind, "Call! My cellphone! Bag..." She rummaged through her bag and her eyes spilled tears of jinxed fate.

"Why do I have to be fucking stupid?" She groaned slapping her forehead as she realised that being tired of Mukund's spam calls, she left the cellphone back in their suite. Mukund had managed to call her by other numbers, so she angrily threw the cellphone in the bed and sprinted out, excited for the day out.

She couldn't decide what to do. Another aspect of her vulnerability was she didn't know the way back to their hotel, she didn't have cellphone and No Yuvraaj with her. Feeling miserable, she paddled to the alley adjoining the main road after asking directions to the hotel from local vendors but that was of no use as the road ahead split up in multiple passages.

Staring at the endless road with her foggy vision, she bit on to her lip and her shoulder lurched coupled with the silent tears spilling onto her cheeks. She ended up wailing loudly collapsing on the steps of a restaurant. Curious and worried glares of passers by didn't belay her. She hid her face in her palms, regretting why she had to come there.

She felt like a toddler who lost her parents in a funfair. Sniffing and sobbing, she wiped her tears. Her hiccups had no end. Her hair came undone and her Kohl smudged around her eyes making her look horrible. She rose to her height and decided to cross the alley. She needed shelter for the night. Regardless where her legs were leading her, she decided to walk. The lane down didn't have many people, Anahita wasn't sure if she could find a shelter there. Contemplating, she skipped it. Walking a few more steps, she sensed someone following her. Sweat drops were palpable on her forehead and her heart sank. She stopped and the footsteps behind her stopped as well. Her legs shook as she envisioned the person grabbing her.

Run for your life, Anahita. Her subconscious prodded her but before she could run a strong pair of arm flung her body close to the person and she shrieked. The person tried to hold her steady but Anahita frantically squirmed and fought against his grip, slamming her reticular in the process to beat the shit out of him. She employed all the tricks of Marshal art she'd learnt.

"What the hell Anahita stop!" Her hands ceased from making a prominent bruise on the person's forehead as she heard the familiar voice. Her life crawled back into her because there was no way she would ever mistake in putting a name to that voice.

"Yuvraaj..."

"Are you mad? Where the hell were you? I was yelling your name like a retard from past two minutes and you didn't even respond. But, for starters, where the hell do you think you were running? Do you know the direction and why the hell did you not pick up your call?" He raged as she beheld him, stumped, without moving and her tears rolled down frantically.

With no preamble, Yuvraaj enveloped his arms around her flair frame and pulled her flushed against him. He tightly hugged her almost crushing her bones, providing warmth to her cold flesh, dragging relief and calmness in her body. Their hearts beat rhythmically and they both could heart the fear pounding within them.

"You almost killed me today." He murmured kissing her hair and closed his eyes, sinking in the reality that he had her with him. "I was so scared. Don't ever do that."

"I thought....you..left me...here." Anahita sobbed in his neck and curled her fingers clutching his shirt.

"Of course, I haven't expected you to think sincerely. You've some of your screws broken." He made fun of hers, rubbing her back. "Stupid! Why would I leave you?"

She remained silent. He didn't prod much.

"Why were you not answering my calls?" Yuvraaj asked softly, bracing her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

"I forgot my phone back in hotel." She mumbled, hiccupping and locked her arms tightly around his waist.

"You wouldn't want to know what I want to do to you right now." He glared her and swabbed her tears off her eyes. "I will buy a string for your cellphone and will make you wear it."

"Don't leave me Yuvraaj!" The words of helplessness and need emerged out of her mouth. Momentarily, making her accept her defeat before him.