Chapter 72: chapter 72

SRUTHII look around the place in awe. It is a beautiful garden surrounded by white fairy lights. In the middle of the garden, there is a table with two chairs. The table has candles lit on it. I am entranced by the scene before me. I walk forward to the table. In the dimly lit garden, I can see the silhouette of a man walking towards me. I can recognise those broad shoulders anywhere. He is holding a flower bouquet and looks like a man straight out of a cliche romance novel. He has styled his hair and is wearing an expensive tuxedo. My breath hitch when the candle's glow falls on him. He is handsome. His gaze is smouldering. I am a goner when he flashes his genuine smile.“Madhav, what is happening?” I ask looking around us. This whole set-up and him holding a bouquet in his hands should only mean one thing. Madhav is going to propose to me. My heart beats rapidly in anticipation. Do I want him to propose to me? Hell Yeah!Do I want him to love me?Hell Yeah!Do I like him? Hell Yeah!Do I love him?I am still not sure about that. But I know there is a high chance for me to fall in love with him. He may not be the kind of man I envisioned my future with but I am starting to see him as my future. I want him to be there with me in all my ups and downs of life and I want to be there for him whenever he needs me. Yes, I want him to want and need me the same way I do. My heart races as Madhav drops to one knee in front of me. His eyes are soft and gentle. A gentle breeze blows carrying the fragrance of the candle. The mood is set and perfect for his proposal. I am stunned to do anything else other than watch him in awe and wonder as he retrieves a box out of his pocket. “Do you remember the first time we met?” he asks in a soft voice.  “That day is etched in my memory. It was on your brother’s twentieth birthday. You were wearing a navy blue cocktail dress that hit your calves. You looked like the greatest sin in that dress.”The heated look in his eyes makes my toes curl and breath hitch. He continues without waiting for my answer.He looks worried all of a sudden and his voice is a desperate plea as he utters his next words, “I love you, Sruthi. I have from the first moment I laid my eyes on you. And, I am sorry for not being there when you needed me the most.”His next words are a blur but before I could hear them fully, I feel a pain in my neck. I open my eyes to find myself in my room. I blink a few times to realise that I just had a dream about Madhav proposing his undying love to me. I glance over the pillow wall to find him fast asleep.  My heart is still racing. I watch his sleeping face for a few seconds before the reality of what I dreamt hits me square in the face.WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?Blood rushes to my face as I remember his heated look. I press my palms to my cheeks and take a deep breath. Am I falling for him? Is that why I dreamt of him proposing to me? They say dreams are the reflection of your deepest desires. No matter how hard I try to deny it, the truth will remain unchanged. I am falling for my husband. Hard and fast. The teenage girl who had a silly crush on him is back with a full swag. This time she is an adult woman with a huge crush on him. The crush may or may not turn into something more. No strike that! It has turned into something more. The only problem is Madhav still has another woman in his heart. I still remember how his eyes gleamed with affection and love when he told me how seeing other women never helped him get over the woman in his heart. I saw the intense feelings he had for her.I put my head in my hands and sigh in frustration. I envy the woman he has in his heart. I am sure she is a dumb one. Because one has to be a fool to not fall for this man. If only knew I who it was, I would just let her know what an amazing man Madhav is.I lie again on the bed and glare at the pillow wall. I wish the pillow wall between us to be gone. Why can't one of us be a crawler in sleep? If that had been the case, I would have been in Madhav's arms. Why can't we be a normal couple who fall in love after marriage? ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“Bring your foot forward, Sruthi,” Madhav instructs. “Then raise your knee to the prep's groin and hit him there.”We are in the living room. All the pieces of furniture are pushed aside and in the middle of the room, Madhav is teaching me how to defend myself from attackers.I flinch, “Do you want me to try that with you?” “Yes,” he answers with a shrug.“Are you sure?” I ask again because from the movies I have seen the pain inflicted by the self-defence move I am going to do now is very intense and I don't want to inflict it on Madhav.“Damn sure,” he replies.“Okay,” I nod and take the position. In the next second, he grabs both my shoulders in a stronghold. I don't panic like I would panic when a real prep grabs me. Because, somewhere deep down, I know Madhav would never hurt me. I raise my knee to hit him where he asked me to but before I know it, I am on the floor with both my hands tied around in the back with a rope. A cloth is shoved in my mouth and for a moment I am confused. I roll on my front to find Madhav staring at me with a frown. He shakes his head and then helps me up. He unties the rope he tied and I spit out the cloth shoved in my mouth.“You are too slow, Sruthi,” Madhav says with a shake of his head. “With your reflexes, a kidnapper would have no trouble in kidnapping you.”“Not everyone is trained to have quick reflexes like you killer,” I snap in anger. My ego is hurt. I agree that I suck at physical exercise and self-defence. But this is the first time, I am learning this and it would help if he was gentle with me. But the husband Madhav and the coach Madhav are very different. The former is gentle and kind while the latter is ruthless and unforgiving for every mistake I make. “I am done with this.”I turn around to walk out of the living room when warm hands grab me from behind. Madhav pulls me flush against his chest. He wraps his hand around my waist and I find myself frozen in the spot. His arms are strong and I feel safe in his hold. His breath is hot on my neck when he whispers, “Please, don't give up on this. I know I may be ruthless and rude when I am teaching you but it is for your good, Sruthi. Please, tolerate it until you can defend yourself without being dependent on anyone.”“Why are you so set on teaching me self-defence?” I whisper back. Since my back is to his front, I don't know what expression he has on his face as he says the next words, “Because, I don't want things to repeat themselves. I can't bear to see you in the hospital again. So, please cooperate with me.”There is desperation in his voice. He sounds worried and in pain. A lot of questions pass in my mind. Was he worried about me when I was on the death's doorstep?But I don't ask any of it because he has a valid point. I should learn this no matter how tough it is. I can't always be dependent on someone for my protection. I need to learn self-defence. I take a deep breath and regret doing it the next moment because Madhav smells good even at the end of the day.“Okay, I will try to learn it but promise to go soft on me.”“Nope, never happening,” he says to my utter surprise and before I could anticipate it, he has me on the floor again with my hands tied.“You are going to regret doing this to me, Madhav,” I shout at him but he only grins back. “But you won't regret it,” he says with a chuckle. He watches me struggle to free myself from the rope he tied around my hands. He did teach me how to get out of the knots but since my hands are tied back and I can't see what I am doing, it is difficult to remove the ties.“One day or the other, I am going to tie you like this,”  I say gritting my teeth in anger.I am not sure if it is my imagination but Madhav's gaze looks heated for a moment before he says with a big grin, “I am looking forward to that day.”❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥