“Why Sikha? Answer me for God’s sake?” Manav was boiling in rage, impatience clearly visible in his voice.
Sikha looked into his eyes and still could not say a word. And then the next moment, her mind could not think a single thought! Manav had sealed his lips on hers. His passion, his anger, his query… all melted into that one single kiss and Sikha could feel every single emotion in that split second. She closed her eyes and gave in too. The magnetic pull between them was just too strong to resist. It felt exactly the same as she had felt in her dreams. Tears started flowing from her eyes and soon Sikha pushed Manav away with force.
“Manav… Stop!”
Manav immediately withdrew himself. He knew he had crossed the limit. But he stood there firm, gazing straight into her eyes.
“Is it because you knew that I was an orphan that night? Is it because of that? Tell me? I want an answer. I want closure. Is it because of that?”
“What!! No!! How can you even think of that? Did you really think so low of me? Yeah, why not? I was, after all the girl who had run away from her own marriage !” Sikha was getting emotional.
“Ohh… Stop it already. Do not try to play with words.”
Sikha punched Manav on his broad chest, very hard.
“Ouch!! You are getting violent lady, and that is just not acceptable.”
Sikha punched him again. “ You want to punch me too. Common do it.”
Manav stood there without a word trying to understand the ball of mess in front of him. The tangled mess of Sikha’s hair had captivated him again. She looked beautifully chaotic in her smudged mascara and the pink Bandhini saree added beauty to Sikha’s curves.
“You want to know why I ran away? Well, first my own boyfriend had cheated on me, and when I discovered about it, it was too late. The invitation cards had been distributed and my family wanted me to save their name. There was not a single soul who understood what it made me feel. What was I supposed to do then? And second, on that night when we were together, I was a mess, drunk and yes I agree it was a night of passion. For me, it was so much more! But when I woke up that morning and turned around to find you on the bed, you were gone! And you made it clear. For any woman, a single moment of humiliation like that is enough to get the signal. But what right did I have to ruin your future? Tell me? When I had no vision of my own life-path, how could I even think of anything else? Have you ever wondered about a woman’s heart that can be so much in love, that it can do any level of sacrifice? I wanted you to be with someone you truly love and Manav, I knew you deserved someone much better than me. I left quietly. And wait, did you yourself not mention the ‘No -Strings’ attached thing? Tell me ?”
“But … I … How can you… I mean …..”, Manav was about to say something when Sikha’s phone rang.
“Sikha, Prakash just sent me the divorce notice. I am not shocked by that but you know what? He wants custody of my Ayush! Can you imagine, a man who wanders almost the entire month outside his house for work, and wants custody of my five-year-old! Ayush is my life. I am alive only for him. I mean I wanted a mutual separation. But now it will be an ugly fight, Sikha! You know these things. The lawyers, the court scenes, the never-ending cycle of dates, and the interrogations. They will make you naked with their questions… the battle between lies and truths …. ahhhh… If there is dignity in death, why can’t the ending of any relationship be equally dignified? I am devasted right now. I need you with me, Sikha, please. Can you imagine Prakash & I will be Exes? Really? I had never imagined this shit when we used to date. I mean!! We were the perfect couple, right? Why me, Sikha?” Deepali burst out crying over the phone call.
“Hello… Deepali, I have an early morning flight tomorrow. I will meet you soon. You have to be strong now that you know you have to fight for Ayush.”
Sikha looked back at Manav who stood there listening to everything.
“You were saying something?”
“Never mind. I think I just lost the moment. You take care of Deepali first. But we are not done yet, Sikha… the story is not over yet! I will wait for our next encounter.”
Manav said as he walked out of the room. A confused Sikha stood there thinking if the man she saw walking out, had actually lost his mind.
PS: To be continued.
This blog post is written for #BlogchatterA2Z2023
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Chinmayee
Chinmayee's Creations 
Uh oh.. trouble in love and friendship for Sikha
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