The other girls had left for their own rooms to complete their beauty sleep.

While I sat in my room listening to the one-sided chatter by Vaishali. I suddenly recalled the promise made to me by Rudra of giving a safe passage to my friends after 'his' marriage. Anil and Vaishali had yet to decide on their travel plans.

Anil had not attended or as I believed had been stopped from attending most of the wedding rituals, but whenever he did I saw him look unhappily towards me making me feel guilty about him being stuck here because of me. We had yet to have our talk.

"You have started giving those brides' like vibes... You know absent-minded ... Lost in a dream sequence somewhere singing around the tree with her 'husband'." teased Vaishali emphasizing on the husband.

"I am feeling tired as I got only a few hours of sleep last night and then again had to wake up early in the morning to go worship in the temple while you were sleeping," I said annoyed.

"Even I went to the temple with you... Yes, I had those extra few minutes but they don't count... You can't whine about it"

"Ooo you are whiney because you miss Rudra ... Poor you had to make do with me as a substitute" she teased.

"Let me rest Vaishali... I have to again go downstairs to see off the guests who are leaving"

"You are like a grumpy bear. You are no fun"

She left me alone in the room as I laid on the bed for a little bit of eye shut. Only a few minutes must have passed when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulders trying to shake me awake.

"Leave me alone... Vaish..." I said angrily as I turned around but saw Rudra standing there instead of Vaishali. I gave him a glare and ignoring him I turned my back towards him.

"Can we talk?" he asked softly.

"No," I said in a rude tone, even though I was dying to talk to him and fulfil my curiosity.

Let him beg I decided. It wasn't that I would actually 'die' of curiosity. I could now take my own sweet time and keep him hanging in a loop just like he had done with me.

"Lekha.." he let out a big sigh. He seemed frustrated but then I was feeling the triumph of being a sadist towards him.

"You have to talk to me... Look don't throw tantrums like a child ... we are adults here. We can resolve things... Let me explain"

I lay still not turning towards him as at that moment I was getting satisfaction out of his misery. I didn't want to be the bigger person.

"Lekha that day when you..."

"What are you doing here bhaisa ... Didn't maasa say no sharing the room" teased Vasundhara.

The moment I heard her I turned around and sat up to watch the ultimate humiliation of my torturer. He seemed flustered at being caught and looked towards me uselessly with hopeful eyes. I gave him a blank look as if I too wondered why he had come. If he thought that things would get fine so soon he was mistaken. I was in the mood for war.

I loved him and there was no doubt about it but then there was something called female pride which he had the audacity to hurt. He had to suffer.

"I had just come to talk to Lekha" he said sounding grim.

"About what?" Vasundhara asked with her hands on her hips.

She seemed to be enjoying it as in general he being the eldest was always acting authoritatively and this was her payback time. He again looked towards me as if trying to gauge my reactions.

"Nothing much," he said and then after giving both of us a hard stare he left.

"Maasa is calling you downstairs," said Vasundhara turning towards me.

"What did bhaisa say?" she asked giving me a teasing smile.

"Nothing... You came before he could say anything" I lied, which seemed to have satisfied her.

I was lead downstairs by her where maasa was distributing boxes of sweets to the departing guests.

"You rested well Lekha" she asked placing her hand on my head. I gave a nod.

"Jeeji will also be leaving soon so I called you"

"Gayatri baisa too?" I questioned not liking the prospect. Before we had been friends but now she had become my sister in law which made me add the suffix to her name.

"No Rudra will be dropping her off later. She didn't want to part with you all so soon " she smiled.

I felt someone come and stand beside me. As I looked up I saw Rudra standing there but he didn't look towards me.

"Good you have come too. Have you asked Vikram and others to help load the luggage"

"Yes kakisa"

She left us standing there as she attended to the other guests. Neither of us moved or talked. I could feel the tension in the air. He hadn't moved even an inch and I could feel his body heat even if he wasn't actually touching me.

"You both playing the game of 'statues' " smirked Vaishali as she appeared behind us. I didn't even hear her arrive as my whole concentration was on the other person.

I quickly moved away from him dragging her along to stand near maasa. Soon taisa came down and as I bent down to touch her feet she moved back. I immediately remembered her previous instructions and looked back at Rudra hoping he would join me. She smiled at me but when no Rudra seemed to make a move she frowned at him.

"Should I send a special invite for you. My bahu (daughter-in-law) is so intelligent that she remembers all "

Reluctantly Rudra made a move and then we jointly touched her feet. As we bent down he looked towards me trying to pass a silent message but I ignored him.

It was war I repeated in my mind.

We moved towards tausa and touched his feet too. After getting all kinds of blessings I was the happiest when taisa said "I am leaving my bahu (daughter-in-law) with you but not one tear should fall from her eyes. Now you are a married man you should start being a little less arrogant. A happy married man has to know when to bend a little in front of his wife and agree with her when needed."

Saying this she looked at tausa and smiled, which made everyone laugh. The only person not laughing was Rudra. I wondered if he was sulking because he was going to miss his parents or because the people made fun of him. Rudra I knew before never sulked especially not in front of elders.

After we had said our goodbyes maasa permitted us to go back to our rooms. There were still a few guests left to be sent off so she was quite busy.

Maitri and her parents had agreed to stay back for one more day especially as they were good friends with maasa and baapusa. A very reluctant Vikram had left to escort his parents' home.

I had to still decide on the travel plans of Vaishali and Anil. Everyone had grouped in my room and were quite engrossed in conversing so I slipped out and went hunting for Anil. I had not seen much of him except for a few glimpses of him here and there.

The first place I searched was in Rudra's room and found him sitting alone on the bed in deep thoughts.

"Anil, I had been looking for you," I said from the doorway.

"So finally you decided to marry him ...hmm," he said without even turning towards me.

I couldn't tell him the truth of what I had actually thought and what had actually happened. It wasn't a thing I could discuss with just anyone without first having a talk with Rudra, with whom I was still angry.

"Yes"

"So you don't plan on going back"

"No"

After that, there was complete silence.

"Have you thought of going back? Have you talked to Vaishali as I have not been able to get her alone." I initiated.

It was not that I didn't get time to talk to Vaishali alone but I had not been in a right frame of mind for that, plus we were to return back together and I couldn't discuss that with her at that point of time.

"I want to go tomorrow if Rudra will arrange for the travel. Vaishali... I don't know about her. She seems too fond of this place" he said slowly without looking at me and then added, " just like you".

Suddenly he got up from the bed and came towards me and held me by the shoulders.

"Did you ever like me Lekha?" he asked bending down and peering into my eyes.

I was taken aback by the look of desperation I saw in his eyes and as I took a step back to move away he let me go. In my hurry to leave I didn't see where I was going and bumped into Rudra who had appeared out of nowhere.

I involuntarily asked "When did you come? " Expecting no answer.

"Just when he was propositioning to you" Rudra replied grimly. It took me by surprise that he had been silently hearing our conversation.

"He didn't mean it in that way ... What absurd things are you talking about" I asked in anger.

"Didn't you still want her to run away with you? " he asked looking at Anil but still blocking my way.

"A married woman...!" He added after a pause.

I felt shocked at his assumption and I looked back towards Anil praying that what Rudra said wasn't the truth. I saw him hang his head down. He was silently accepting it. I had thought that he just had a platonic kind of liking for me and was concerned about my future. Even after he asked me that strange question although a little bit shocked I never thought that he would want me, a married woman to run away with him.

I looked back and forth unable to react to this odd situation.

When nobody spoke for some time I looked towards Rudra and said " Anil wants to leave by tomorrow if you can arrange everything. I still need to confirm with Vaishali."

Rudra looked towards me silently for a long time as if searching for an answer and then slowly nodded his head.

I left without looking back at any of them. This meeting had again turned into a disaster, even when my intentions were pure.

I had to ask Vaishali about her decisions in this context at night as I wasn't able to separate her from the group without raising suspicion. The girl was so engrossed that she didn't pick up on any hints that I sent towards her for meeting me alone.

Now that the unhappy bits were over I could sit back and think about the way my life had turned out. All my friends were in my room-filling it with laughter and for a change, even I felt light-hearted.

Rudra was another matter altogether to be sorted out later. With the kind of orthodox lifestyle, everyone here lead I didn't think I had to trouble myself over Roopmati again.

In the evening as we were called downstairs the place felt a bit empty without all the relatives around. To enliven our evening, we girls decided a song and dance event amongst ourselves as it was the last night we would all be together.

It was family get together as the fathers too joined in. Anil had been invited to which he reluctantly consented to after Vaishali pressurized him by hanging on to his shoulders till he agreed. Rudra was the only one missing. He had claimed to go out for some work which I truly didn't believe in.

I was surprised to see Lajjo preening in front of Anil. I really had missed out on a lot of things submerged in my own miserable world. Anil although didn't pay her much attention but that didn't stop her from trying to sit near him or trying to engage him in a conversation.

Young crushes, I smiled to myself. He avoided looking at me and talking with me. I too gave him space understanding his dilemma.

As we lay down to sleep at night I asked Vaishali " Anil wants to leave tomorrow. Do you want to go or stay back here?"

She suddenly jumped up and sat.

"Why so soon? What's his problem? He is such a spoilsport. He should never have come. Things are so much fun here. No school, no exams...handsome boys" she said the last part so dreamily that it took me by surprise.

"You like Udai bhaisa?" I asked curiously.

"Yes and also a lot of other boys who had come to the wedding. If you had not been sulking around you could have also seen those eye tonics."

Now I firmly believed that my friend had gone boy-crazy if there was such a term.

"So you want to stay back. Should I confirm it with Anil and Rudra as they have to make preparations for the travel tomorrow."

"Nooo... I am going. I can't stay here permanently. I know I will crave for all the modern amenities sooner or later and then I won't have anyone to travel with me."

I wanted to say that I travelled alone but then I was one madwoman.

"You are lucky to have Rudra and the family but I have no one here that I want to live permanently with ... being a tourist to such a place feels good but some places lose their charm when we have to live there on and on forever."

I agreed with her on this. I knew that if not for the few people I loved and cared about I had nothing keeping me here. But then even in my timeline, I had nobody waiting.

I hugged Vaishali in advance even if the goodbye would come later. She was the only thing I would miss from my timeline.

After our emotional hug, I said, " Let me go and inform Anil and Rudra that you are going with him."

The corridor seemed dark but I was not afraid as by now I knew each nook and cranny without the danger of missing a step. As I rounded a dark corner moving towards Rudra's room somebody grabbed me from behind with a hand on my mouth and his other hand holding me by the waist entrapping my hands. I knew it was a man by the size of his muscled hands. I wanted to scream but I realized that the assassin was quite agile as well as strong as he pulled my struggling self back towards the stairwell.



You guys happy now. Two long chapters in one day. The next one is a bit tough to write so give me a break :D Will definitely work towards a faster update :)

Keep sending me your comments. <3 <3 <3