Chapter 27: The Seduction

Salaam everyone. How are you all? Here is the next chapter of Misconceptions. Hope you like it, I have tried something that I have never tried before, you will know it in the go.

Happy reading.

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When it comes to democracy, liberty of thought and expression is a cardinal value that is of paramount significance under our constitutional scheme.

- Supreme Court of India, Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India.

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Dedicated to: 007rossy Di, you will get what you wanted from a long time in this chapter. Enjoy! 😉

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It's been a week since Arjun spoke to Radhika. She didn't like this silent treatment at all, that too with her. She thought to give him some time to adjust to the situation he was thrown into. But the guy is stubborn as hell and was not ready to listen to her at any cost. What is she supposed to do now! She knew from her instincts he doesn't have a wish to speak to her even if she begged. And she is not of the kind who begs, well perhaps, she can do that if it means to save her relationship with her childhood friend and husband, no? Of course not, she snorted, she can never beg anyone for doing any favour to her. She should have to think some other way to make him talk and what could that might be is the very thing she should figure out. She was thinking of the ways to make him talk when the object of her thoughts strode into the room as if he is on purpose and she knew from his schedule that she overheard from his talking with Pawan that he has no meetings whatsoever that day and he is free to roam the streets of the city as he wished. But he cannot surely roam the roads as before, even though the minister who is responsible for his near-death is behind bars, they cannot be very sure to take his car and drove it by himself wildly. Why, some other person who is pissed off with his honesty in the assembly might do something harsh and harm him. She does not wish that and she has no desire to see him in that situation again, one time is enough to make her see what she will lose if anything happens to him. If only he talks to her she can share her fears with him, but the guy is as stubborn as her. She cannot wait for the day he will talk to her and their relationship will be back to normal. Has their relationship ever been normal? She knows the answer but she cannot voice it loud because she knows that will not be in affirmative. So she took the plunge of initiating the conversation herself and see where that leads her.

'You know we have a past and you cannot very well escape from that without talking to me?' she asked suddenly and loudly enough to break his eardrums.

She knew she is being a drama queen by talking loudly and wailing the words as if she has lost her candy in the market. But she cannot help it, she wanted him to talk to her and she will do that with or without her mother's help. Ah! Her mother! When she asked her mother for help, she took an once-over of her from head to toe and said to help herself, she cannot very well help a daughter who cannot help her mother. Why, she even thought she is exacting revenge from her for not intimating Arjun about her mother's arrival and she turned out to be right, of course. Her mother took every chance to show how much she was hurt by her behavior. What can she do even, I mean she cannot go to Arjun and say "Arjun, your mother is dead and my mother is alive and she wishes to see you as she cannot wait any longer to tell you how we are saved." Come to think of that, he would have strangled her on the spot even she is his childhood best friend and that would have left only bones of her for their eyes. Arjun is really scary when he is angry and she doesn't want to anger him. Well, then again, didn't she do the same? Angering him? She sighed and looked up to see that Arjun was waiting for her to continue on her mono talk. Bastard! All this while she is trying to get his attention and he doesn't seem to notice her and when she is in her own thoughts, he will see her as if he had not seen her from a long time.

Just wait and watch, Mr. Arjun Mehra, you will talk to me today and I will make sure of that. -- thought Radhika.

What does he think of himself anyway? He is not some collector of a district, well yes, he may be Chief Minister of a state, but that post he got it because of his ancestors, not because of his credit. Who is she fooling by thinking and talking about him like that, doesn't she know that the party would have been in shambles this election time if he is not the face of the party and did not promise all the promises he did while taking his party to public. And now she is talking to herself again.

Focus, Radhika, focus. You should not talk to yourself, you should make him talk. -- Thought Radhika and straightened her shoulders as if she waged a war against a nation and she was leading the army.

'We had a pact that we will talk out our problems which we are facing in our relationship.'

Take this bait, boy, take it and talk to me.

'And when did we have that pact?' asked Arjun without even thinking that he is not talking to her and bit his tongue to stop talking further.

Too much for trying to show her that he is hurt by her behavior.

He groaned loud seeing the triumphant smirk on her face. Why can't he shut his mouth around her? This devil will eat him alive now. He will not be saved by anyone except they had a telepathic connection to him and land on his doorstep when the discussion-slash-debate gets heated.

'Attaboy! I got you. I knew I can make you talk. See! I did it.' said Radhika clapping her hands gleefully and walking towards him.

He didn't like the look on her face. She should not get the last laugh, she definitely should not get it. But he liked to see her smile nevertheless, he loved her, goddamit, he loved her with every pore of his being. He was hurting too to see her try to make him talk but failing miserably. He did not have a choice either, he wanted to show her her mistake and make sure she does not make it again. It seems, he failed miserably to resist her charms and baits. He sighed again when he saw that she made her way to him and stood only few steps away from him. If he wants he could drag her to him and have his way with her. But he needs to keep his hands to himself till he gets his answers or so he thought because his sweet little wife has other thoughts. She threw herself on him and hugged him tight. Can he resist this? Can he resist her? No, even if his brain told him not to hug her back, his body has other thoughts of its own because his hands wound around her and hugged her tight in his embrace. He wished to all Gods that this scene freezes and he will not have to think about anything, anything at all. He cannot have his thoughts come true, so he moved her away from him and said...

'You can make dumb people talk, what is new in that? And what am I in front of you? A drooling puppy waiting for the lick of chocolate from your hands.' said Arjun walking to the window to put distance from her.

Radhika narrowed her eyes at his slight hint that he wants to put distance between them and said with hands on her hips. 'You are not a drooling puppy. You are Aristotle, my Aristotle. Get that in your head and act like that from now on. Understood?'

Arjun smiled listening to the possessive tone in her voice. He liked it when she made her feelings loud and clear to everyone to see and most importantly when she staked a claim on him. He didn't want to voice it out but he loved her when she is all railed up and ready to pounce on anyone like an angry tigress.

Not anyone's tigress, but mine.

'Do I have a choice to deny that, Ms. Minx?' asked Arjun using her nickname for the first time after so many days. It's been only Pawan who used that nickname these days as Arjun was accustomed to calling her Doll. But now testing that word on his tongue and uttering it brought a surge of hope and he felt he could get his life on track again.

'Nope.' said Radhika firmly and later it dawned on her that he used her nickname.

It is a first and I am so near to peeling off his mask of indifference.

'Did you just call me minx?' asked Radhika with a smile in her voice.

He could actually see her smile in his mind's eye and he liked it. He liked the fact that he can make her happy. He was not able to make anyone from a long time. Now he made his wife happy. And he wanted to make this happiness permanent. He wanted no one to interrupt this moment. Okay! He would have wished someone to land on his doorstep but not now, not when he can make his wife happy, not when their life is going to be same as before again, not when he understood he cannot stay away from her any longer, not when he just needs to say to her how much he loves her.

'Yes, can I get a minute to talk about what I was feeling before you continue on your triumphant speech?'

Radhika let go of his sarcasm and only nodded that she will not disturb him whilst he is talking.

'When I saw Ma, I thought my luck has been reopened and God showed mercy after years of sadness. I saw a ray of hope for my past and I was certain that the mystery surrounding the fire that abruptly burst in our home will finally be revealed because Sweta Ma was the eye witness for all of it. I knew this because I got a phone call from my mother that evening and she said she was very happy that she is having Sweta Ma and you over our house and you guys with Pawan and his mom were going to have a night full of games and enjoyment. Truth to be told, I was jealous that time. I was jealous of you, Pawan and Sweta Ma that you were all there with her and I was not. I said the same to her and she laughed so hard on that and said she will plan something like that when I return. That was my last phone call to her. I didn't hear anything from her again. I thought...' he cleared his throat that was thick with emotion and continued, 'I thought she will call me once she reached safety as I got the news of fire break out in our house from my relatives. Even though their words were grim their eyes said another matter. Their eyes glittered with something akin to victory. I would have imagined it all but not with the smugness and cruelty they have treated me later. No one called me to ask how was I faring. No one was there in that foreign country who would help me with my problems. No one was there to console me. And most importantly, you and Pawan were not there to pick me up when I fell down.' said Arjun looking straight into her eyes.

She knew then how much pain he has suffered over the years. Hers was always physical pain but his pain is psychological, he was being treated cruelly by his own relatives and here she thought he was as cold as his father when it came to help someone. But she was wrong it seems, he had his own demons to battle with and he had raisen from all those problems to this position where she can proudly say he is her friend, husband and lover.

Arjun continued on before he lost his courage and could not be able to bring himself to talk anymore. 'They used to mask their hatred when they knew my father would send them the money they were owed to when I was sent to London, but after the accident...' he took a deep breath here, 'after the accident, it is not the same anymore. The money was not sent to them. My day used to start with their tantrums and end with them too. I was always looking for an escape from that hell, but to come out of that house meant to leave the dreams which I have dreamt behind and start picking up the scrapes on the roads of London. I did not want to be a person who picked up scrapes and I didn't want to be a beggar. I know I was living on their charity till I reach a certain age and when I reached that age and when I was certain I could make my own money and show them that Arjun Mehra is not a beggar, I moved out of their house and started a company with few of my friends from the university. We did not expect the success of our start-up. It went well and we were categorised as one of the billionaires who started the company from a scratch. There is no turning back from there, I have completed my dream of living and studying in London. The life of there thought me lessons, Doll, very valuable lessons. And I learnt them all without a frown on my face because I know there are so many unfortunate people out there who cannot afford the life style I was living right then. I helped as many people as I could. You see, I didn't forget my mom's lessons, after all.' He allowed himself a small smile then and continued, 'then one day when I least expected the call, Pawan called me, that slimy bastard called me then to inform me that I was expected to fill the position of party leader in the next elections. It was always a non-shared truth that I am to be the next party leader but the circumstances were that I cannot come to India to fulfill that my duty. So yes, I caught hold of my personal pilot and landed here as quickly as I can. Firstly because I wanted to see all of you, if Pawan is alive that means you were all alive too. My happiness knew no bounds then. I landed in the airport to see only Pawan was present there to receive me. When Pawan gave me the recounting of what had happened, I was beyond my thinking capability. I lashed on him, I cursed him for putting me in dark for so many years. He took it all without uttering a word to me. Later when my anger was cooled, I asked him about you all. And all he can say is he was unable to track anyone of you after the accident. It is like you vanished in the most of the bombs that were fitted in our house. Even then he tried his level best but cannot trace back to you. So we were in an opinion that you were all alive and safe somewhere including my mother. Only that...' he said and turned away from her, 'only that my mother is not alive and she is pronounced dead on the same day our lives were thrown in tumble.'

Radhika wanted to hug him and say everything will be alright, but she knew those words will mean nothing to him now and she doubted he will appreciate her comforting him. All these years, he held on to the thread that his mother is alive and suddenly he got to know that she's been dead and no less from the person whom he least expected the news could come from. She dashed all his hopes of reuniting with his mother ruthlessly at the time he least expected.

'You were so different from the girl who used to be my friend. Gone was the chubbiness in her cheeks. Gone was the mischievous glint in her eyes. Gone was the warmth she had whenever she saw me or her brother. Gone was the girl who is my best friend and confidant I could ever ask for. It is not all the attributes that have changed, it is your face too. I suspected something happened to you to change like this when I heard you are Ayushi but didn't know what until Sweta Ma told me. You were burnt from the flames rescuing my mother but she pushed you out anyhow and became the feed to the fire herself. Why did you throw yourself in the fire, Doll?'

It is only after a few moments she realized that she was asked a question. She is living the nightmare again while he is explaining what had happened to her. She slowly met the eyes of the man who now looked hurt, sad and most importantly betrayed. She couldn't shake that last emotion from him because he obviously is betrayed, by the one who should have been his closest friend.

'I loved her too, Aristotle. If you forgot, she always wanted a daughter and she was unable to conceive again after a major block in her uterus. It was a miracle that you were even born. She gave me the same love she had given to you. I wanted to save her because I did not want my mother to die and I did not want to see the look in your eyes that I am seeing at - now. I promised you I will look after her in your absence. I really wanted to keep my promise but she saw she could save either me or her, she sacrificed herself, Arjun. I couldn't do anything. I didn't know I was burned on my left side, all I know and saw is our mother dying in the flames saving me and I didn't know what to do. I was told I fainted right after the flames swallowed the whole building. I was told I was taken to safety by Vikas's father. I was told I didn't open my eyes for a whole month. But all I know aside from what I am told is I lived the nightmare again and again that it became a part of my life. I woke up to listen that your father did not try to contact us nor my father did. I didn't expect you to call, by then I knew we were taken out of the country and you would not have our contact information. But in my foolishness, I developed hatred towards you too. Now I know how foolish I have been to develop such feeling. I love you, Arjun. I love you so much that it hurts to see you ignoring me. I love you so very much.' said Radhika and hugged his tight.

'I love you too, my Doll. I love you too. I have been in hell trying to ignore you but in truth I know I was being childish.' said Arjun and received a smack on his shoulder then.

'But hey, what was that for? I wanted to make you realize that you are wrong.' said Arjun and chuckled despite of the gloomy mood they were in till now.

'I understood that, you idiot. Even I wanted to be someone's love, not the betrayal I have seen in your eyes when you got to know my identity. I am sorry. I am sorry I hid everything from you.'

'Why are you saying sorry? There is nothing to be sorry about. I behaved as an asshole that I am and you became my saving grace.'

'I will not argue of you being an asshole. I was on verge of crying because of your avoidance.' said Radhika and smacked him again.

'Woah lady, do not smack me like that. After all domestic violence is a crime, you know.' said Arjun and bringing to his embrace again.

She snorted and said that domestic violence favours woman, not men. He laughed out loud listening to her reason and closed her lips with his when he saw she is not going to stop her tirade.

She sighed when his lips opened her lips as well as her heart. She wanted this, she wanted him. She moved her hands up to his shoulders and clutched them tight to keep her from falling. She then moved her hands to his hair and moved his head to her when she knew that he was going to leave her lips. She felt his smile against her neck. She knew she was being bold but she wanted this to happen now when all the misunderstandings and misconceptions were cleared between them. Who knows what will happen the next day! Their future is very uncertain. She pulled his head to hers and leaned her forehead against his.

'Take me, Arjun. I want you to make me yours now.'

'Ah! There you are, my wild kitten. It will happen but let me make it good for you.'

'I am not kitten, you idiot...' her next words were swallowed by his lips.

When he allowed her to come up for her, she said...

'If this is how you are going to shut me up, I never want to stop talking, Mr. Prince.' said Radhika and grinned when he scowled listening to his not-so-best nickname.

'I love you, Doll.' said Arjun and lifted her in his arms paving his way to their bedroom.

He is paving his way because he is pushing everything away from their places to get to the destination which is their bedroom.

Radhika laughed seeing the condition of their living room. Surely people will know what had transpired in the house if they once look at the room.

Seeing her laugh, Arjun grinned and threw her on their bed. Radhika bounced once, twice and scowled at him for being thrown on their bed like a ragdoll.

'I am going to give you back for that, you sly bastard.' she said and tried to move away from him but could not because of his hold on her from the back.

'I will not be called any names after what I am going to do now.' He whispered in her ears making her shiver out of anticipation.

'I thought you waited for your true love for this to happen. And now I see, you are talking as if you have an experience.'

Arjun threw his head back and laughed hard on this.

'I did wait for my soulmate, sweetheart. But that doesn't mean I will be ignorant of such things when I have friends who boasted their pursuits back in London.' he answered with amusement coating his words.

'So start loving me. I guess those are the correct words to start our pursuit.' said Radhika and gave a sound kiss on his lips.

'Since when are you thinking to talk the correct words in front of me?' said Arjun relieving her from her ornaments one by one.

Her answer was forgotten when his hand touched her most sensitive part and she threw her head back and cried out his name.

'Didn't I say that you will not curse me when we are in passionate moments?' asked Arjun when they laid side by side on the bed with Radhika's head on his chest.

'Don't be so smug about that. I will not call out your name again if you tease me like this.'

My minx, you threw me a challenge. Let's see how you will win in this challenge. -- thought Arjun and squeezed her waist pulling her above him.

'Arjun!' sighed Radhika.

'Someone said they will not call my name again.'

'You idiot, stupid, bastard. You did this just to infuriate me? How dare you? I will not leave you.' said Radhika accompanying every sentence with a smack on his shoulder, head and chest.

'Now, now, sweetheart. Don't exhaust yourself anymore. I think I have exhausted you so much already.' he said with a wink. 'And by the way, I was meaning to ask what made you laugh so hard during my introduction conference as party leader?'

Radhika buried her face in his neck not able to look at his face anymore. How can she say what she was doing and what made her laugh so hard! God! This is so embarrassing.

'Well, I am waiting for your answer.' asked Arjun cocking up an eyebrow.

'I will not be able to say. This is so embarrassing. Arjun, don't ask me that.' pleaded Radhika.

'Okay then we will not be loving for a while if I don't get my answer.' said Arjun with a serious face.

'What the hell! You cannot be serious, Arjun. We cannot stop loving each other for this silly reason.' shouted Radhika sitting on top of him.

'Why can't we? How can I when I don't get any answers for my questions from my wife, no less.'

Cunning idiot. He chose this time just to irritate me. Well, Mr. Arjun Mehra, you should have never seen this coming. -- thought Radhika and smirked.

'What got you smirking now?' he asked with a bore face.

'The answer I am going to give you. I was listening to D K Bose song from Delhi Belly movie.'

'And what is there in that song that made you laugh hard?' he asked with a confused expression on his face.

Radhika laughed even harder listening to this.

'Oh Arjun! You will never like this. There is a line like "Daddy mujse bola tu galti hai meri."' she said and laughed hard seeing his scowl. 'Now you know why I laughed and laughing now. And from now on, you will not threaten not to love me when I don't answer your question.' and followed her words with a kiss.

If Arjun is an insane person, he would have stopped her but he is sane and red blooded man. Who was he to stop his pretty wife when she returning the favour in a very delightful way!

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End of the chapter twenty seven. Hope you liked this. I know most of the story revealed and only one part of it is missing and that is Arjun's father. He will come into picture soon enough either to placate their lives or to cause havoc. Let's see what it will be. From this chapter, you could guess what it could be, I guess. Not proof-read, will be edited later.

Now please review the chapter and show you love to the book through your votes.

Love you all and have a great weekend.

Till next time, Sayonara.