Chapter 16: chapter 16

GOWRISoon we enter a city and I realize we have finally reached Chennai. Shiva takes a new  route and we enter a locality that I have never been to when I was in Chennai on the previous occasions. This area has big houses and individual villas each built differently from one other. At the far end of the street Shiva parks the car before an individual villa. Without another word he gets down and goes to the large black gate that is locked.I watch him as he takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the lock and throws open the gate widely. He slides into the driver's seat and drives inside.My breath stops at the sight of the house that is beautifully constructed. It is not so large as the other villas but is medium-sized. He parks the car under the shed and gets down. I follow suit. He walks to the porch which has a swing. He opens the door and looks back to make sure I am following him inside the house.The outside beauty of the house is nothing compared to the inside. The interior design of this house is amazing. Shiva enters a room on the left side while I take in the beauty of the house. I am standing in the hall that is spacious and has a huge brown sofa in the centre along with two single-seater sofas matching the big one. There is a coffee table in front of it and a huge LED TV at the opposite end. There are two doors on the left side and one door on the right side. At the far corner of the hall, there is a space with a dining table and a couple of chairs. After that, I see the kitchen. A spiral stair next to the kitchen leads to the terrace.Shiva emerges from the room on the left side and throws something at me. It lands at my feet and I look down to see that it is a bunch of keys of varying sizes.“Those are the keys for your room on the right side. Keep your things there and come,” he tells in a cold tone.At least I have a room for myself.I grab the keys and it takes me a few seconds to figure out the right key for the room. When I finally open the room door, I am in for a surprise again.It is a big room with an en-suite bathroom. In the corner of the room stands a queen-sized bed and a drawer nearby with a night lamp on it. The walls are painted pink with flowers and butterflies. Pink is not my favourite colour yet I somehow love the walls of this room. There is a wardrobe and an empty bookshelf along with a study table. I quickly put my baggage on the bed and after second thoughts I take out the gifts his sisters gave me. When I exit my room, I see Shiva sitting on the sofa reading something. At the sound of my footsteps, he looks up with the same frigid look. There is no negotiation now, I hate him with my whole heart.“Here,” I tell giving him the necklace box and the couple’s watch.“What is this?”“Your sisters' gifts to me. But since we will be divorced, I am not the rightful owner of these.”He eyes at the gifts with amusement. He stretches his hand and I hand him over the gifts. He looks at them fondly and a small smile appears on his face. It is the first real smile I see on his face.“Funny,” he mutters to himself as he examines the digital watch.“These gifts are given to you by my sisters. I have zero authority over them. It is your wish to keep them,” he informs returning the gifts and becoming the harsh man I know.I shrug, “If that is the case, then I think you must get this watch.”I hand him the male watch from the pair. He glances at it with warm eyes and the small smile appears again. He suddenly looks like a different man. And his smile! Oh damn, he looks handsome.“Thank you,” he tells shaking the watch before me. Heck, was I admiring him just now? I shake my head to clear the thoughts.“Shall we get to the business?” he asks in the icy tone that he always uses for me. There, the man I know reappears again.I nod.“If you want to stay in this house until we get divorced, then you have to follow some rules....” he informs.I don’t want to bore you with the emotionless conversation we had. These are the rules I was asked to follow:1. No matter what happens I shouldn’t enter his room and he wouldn’t enter mine. Fine! I would have privacy and so he would.2. I needn’t cook for him. I can use the kitchen if I want to cook for myself but shouldn’t enter the kitchen when he is inside. So, he don't want me to act as his wife. Thank God! He knows to cook. 3. The same rule applies to television and hall. Not a problem.4. I mustn’t try to converse with him. As if I am dying to talk to him! 5. I shouldn’t tell anyone about our marriage. When asked about my marital status I must say I am unmarried and I must not mention his name to anyone. Well, this is going to be difficult but I can try.6. Only to our family members, we are husband and wife but inside these four walls, we are strangers. Alright! “Do you want to add any condition?” he asks when he finishes his rules.I think for a minute and say, “No physical contact or intimacy.”He laughs. I know he wouldn’t bother to touch me but still, I need to ensure my safety.“Fine, the last rule,” he says, “No physical contact unless it is necessary.”I am sure as hell there would be no necessity for it.🍀🍀🍀🍀