Ekansh:
Should I feel jealous of her and her grandpa's love? She only met him a few hours ago, and now she's hugging him as if they've been apart for a decade.
"If you hug me this tight, I might die with suffocation," he joked.
"Don't say that word again," she demanded, pulling away.
"One day, I will die, Ruhi," a tear escaped from her eye.
"Then I will die with you because I have no one else here."
I wanted to ask her what about me, but I stopped myself. This will end one day, and even absentmindedly, I can't make promises to her.
"What about Ekansh?" her dadaji asked."He alreadyâ" she cut off instantly. Then she shook her head and added, "He will forget me soon and marry another woman." He laughed at her words.
As guests arrived one after the other, they handed us their gifts and shared their well-wishes. Meanwhile, I noticed Ruhi seemed upset, a stark contrast to her earlier cheerful demeanour. As the number of guests dwindled, I asked her, "What's wrong? You don't seem okay." She sat with her fingers intertwined on her lap, looking like a beautiful sculpture that belonged in a museum.
"I feel like crying, but I don't want to ruin the hard work the salon girls put into making me look nice," she said. I chuckled at her comment. "But why do you want to cry?"
"Dadu. He mentioned dying, and I didn't like it. But I'm a doctor too. I won't let him leave me. You'll also treat him, right, if anything happens to him?" she rambled absentmindedly, then shook her head and a small smile appeared on her lips, masking her sorrow. "Nothing will happen to him. I prayed only for him to Waheguru Ji today."
Her words reminded me of Maa's talk about her sick grandfather, indicating his condition might be serious. I needed to find out more before things escalated.
I took her hand. "You're a strong girl. Your positive energy alone can keep people healthy," I reassured her. She smiled brightly.
"I feel hungry," she said. "But these guests are not letting us escape." I stood up and helped her to her feet.
"They can wait. Let's go and eat first."
"You're such a nice husband," she said, sounding like a little girl. We walked to the dining area, completely disregarding the guests.
She had been cautious with her makeup but kept cursing under her breath, saying she didn't like makeup and that she was only behaving this way because of the hard work done by the salon girls. However, her lip corners were getting stained with curry sauce now and then.
After we ate, we greeted another hundred guests and called it a night. Meanwhile, Anthra kept texting me to keep her updated on the party. We arrived at the mansion at midnight. I changed into sweatpants and a shirt, and she changed back into the same Patiala suit she had worn before the party.
Ruhi:
I was aware that he wasn't going to sleep there that night, Yet I chose to sleep on the couch. As I was getting settled on the couch, he said, "I'm going out and I might not come back. You can sleep on the bed." Nodding, I moved back to the bed and lay down facing away from him. "Aren't you going to ask where I am going?" he asked.
"Should I ask? Do I have the right?" I replied, still lying in the same position.
"At least out of concern," he said.
I laughed. "Where are you going?"
"Anthra is in Amritsar, staying at a hotel. I am going to meet her. You don't have to worry. I am just going to meet her, nothing more."
I know what you both are going to do.
I tilted a little, glanced at him, and forced a smile. "Okay!"
He turned and walked to the door. But then he pivoted and said, "Good night, then."
"Good night."
After he left, I found myself staring at the ceiling. I hadn't noticed the chandelier before, and it was truly magnificent. As I climbed down from the bed, I noticed a small storeroom attached to the wall. Upon opening it, I discovered it was filled with medical books. With my fourth year of school starting after the holiday, I decided to pick up a medicine textbook and started reading.
As I was engrossed in the book, I heard Ekansh's voice calling my name. I stepped out to find him standing in front of the bathroom.
"I am here," I said. He seemed relieved. Then I asked, "What's wrong?"
Approaching me, he said, "Papaji and Maa are in the living room, going through the gifts. If I go alone, they ill not let me..." he trailed off.
Understanding his concern, I asked, "You want me to come with you?"
He smiled and hugged me out of the blue, then pulled away, saying, "You are too smart."
I crossed my arms and walked past him, sitting on the dressing table to take out the anklets from the drawer. "What will I get in return?"
"I forgot, you don't do anything without a commission. Tell me what you want," he inquired, and then assumed, "Shopping tomorrow."
I laughed. "Ekansh, I am not a spoiled brat. But I didn't like that ice cream flavour tonight. Maybe if you buy me an ice cream, I will come."
"That's it." He asked, smiling. "Then let's go. After I met her, we will have ice cream." I dusted my hands and stood up.
We used the elevator as our room is on the second floor.
Hearing my anklet voice, maa and Papaji turned towards us. "What happened?" Papaji asked us.
"Ruhi wanted to go out for a short drive." Such a liar he is.
"Ok. But be careful."
"You are such a lair," I scolded him. We went to the garage, he opted to take his Lamborgini. He sat in the driver seat of his Lamborghini and I sat beside him. "Tell me, can you drive?" I teased him. He raised his brow with swag.
"Dekhti rahiye Aap.'
"Keep watching."
"Aise nahi ki dekhte dekhte ap humari watt na laga de,"
"Not like by watching you, you'll ruin us, forever," I teased him. He turned to me and chuckled.
"You are so humorous, Ruhi. I didn't expect that." We teased each other from time to time. I realized that this was the first time we were driving alone and having fun.
He stopped in front of the Blue Royal Hotel. My face dropped as I realized one thing: no matter what we were at the end, his happiness was with Anthra.
"Hmm... I will go meet and come," he informed, and I nodded my head. After he left, I shifted to the driver's seat and started the engine. It was blissful to hear the roar of the engine.
I drove on the nearby road and made a U-turn. Only ten minutes had passed when my mobile vibrated with an unknown number.
I furrowed my brows. Who might be calling me at this late hour? I lifted the call and Ekansh's voice came out.
"What the hell, Ruhi? Where are you?" Simultaneously, I pulled the car into the hotel. He heard the roar of the engine and cut the call.
Approaching the driver's side, he crossed his arms. "Do you like worrying me?" I shook my head innocently. "Now shift back to your old place," he demanded, but I shook my head again.
"You sit in the passenger seat!" I ordered.
"Mazak mat kariye aur hatiye, Ruhi."
"I am not joking," I said stubbornly. He huffed and walked around the car to settle in the passenger seat.
"You can drive, right?"
I only smiled and pulled the car out of the hotel. First, I started with a slow speed.
"Are you riding a bullock cart?" I smirked. When I drove at high speed and bypassed the cars smartly, he began to yell. "No. No. No. Stop the car. We don't want to end up in an accident. Ruhi. Please." I stopped the car after a mile.
I laughed my ass off when I watched him with a scared look on his face. "What was that?"
"A small show of Ruhi's driving."
"Bhut badi chupa rustom hai app, Ruhi."
"You are quite mysterious," he commented as he glared at me.
"I love driving," I shared with him.
"If I set aside my ego," he paused and then continued, "Your driving skills are amazing. How did you learn to drive like this?"
"I wanted to conquer my fears. Driving was my first fear because I lost my parents in an accident. To overcome it, I started driving with my dadu before I turned 18," I explained to him. "But what happened? You arrived so quickly," I asked, giving him a once-over.
"I met Papaji's friend in the lobby. He mentioned that his room was on the same floor as Anthra's, so I didn't go to see her," he replied. At that moment, his phone vibrated with Anthra's caller ID.
He excused himself and stepped out of the car. I stared at him. The way he was strolling to and fro, I apprehended that it's not gonna end that early. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. I tilt my head at him. He was smiling now and then he cut the call.
As he settled in, he sighed and started looking at his phone. "Can I start?" I asked.
"Wait a minute. Let me order this necklace," he said.
"Necklace?" I asked.
"Yes. She asked for a gift to talk to her next time," he explained, showing me a picture of the necklace. "She's had her eye on this for a month." It was a double-layer white stone diamond necklace, which cost him 6 lakhs.
"Oh..." for a moment I felt her to be a gold digger.
"Let's go to the ice cream parlour."
"Your mission went unsuccessful." I reminded him. "I don't think, I deserve a treat."
"I agreed to a treat only if you will come out with me," he started. "So, take a right turn... for now. I will lead the way for you." Nodding my head, I started the car.
We reached a parlour. He asked my favourite flavour before going inside. After a few minutes, he came back with two large packed cups of ice cream. "Would you like to walk?" he asked, settling in the passenger seat.
"Yes."
"Then drive straight. There is a garden 600 meters away, and we can walk over there."
After 600 meters, I stopped at the curb and stepped out along with him. He sat on the car bonnet after placing the cups beside him.
I tried to jump to sit on it, but my silky top made me slip, and I reached him. "Ekansh, hold me." Though he grabbed me by my waist, I slipped along with him because he lost his balance trying to hold me.
"I am so clumsy," I giggled, resting on top of him. "I am sorry." I laughed and so did he. His voice was captivating. Like his eyes. Everything is amazing about him.
We were so busy laughing that we didn't realise when the moment between us got serious and we started to stare into each other eyes. His hands were on my back, holding me tight against him.
When it felt awkward, I interrupted, "I have to get off of you."
"Yeah." he dropped his hands on his side. I tried to light myself, but I slipped again and fell upon him again.
"Sorry," I muttered and lifted myself by placing my hands on his chest. He stood up too and dusted his hands on his sweatshirt.
"It's better to walk." He informed. I took my favourite flavour of ice cream and ambled straight beside him. There was only silence between us.
I thought of cutting the silence off. "How is your flavour?" And simultaneously he spoke too, "You looked beautiful today."
I bite my lips. So it took him the whole night to say that. Instead of thanking him, I added, "Even you looked handsome."
But his next question took me off-guard, "Will we be friends after divorce?"
***
What do you all thing about Ruhi? Isn't she amazing? When I wrote this book, I fell in love with her.
share your opinion and do vote.