Fatal Attraction

Part 17

Two of the commonest reasons for indulging in long hours of slumber are the sense of satisfaction and utter desolation. The master bedroom of Malhotra Mansion had housed the epitomes of the two extreme reasons of refusal to abandon the arms of the Morpheus. While one among the newly wedded couple could not rise because of the solace that lulled him in its embrace after claiming the one that he wanted, the other half of the couple had lost herself in the vortex of depression, forgetting the time and place.

Multiple nightmares had haunted Asmita throughout the night, but they did not rouse her up from her slumber but pushed her further into it. The myriads of aftermaths of the marriage and the consequences of an emotionally driven decision haunted her.

Would he force her once again to claim him right on her?

After all, she had proven to him she would bend in front of his emotional blackmail. Every nightmare of hers was a varied version of the same. She let out a desperate and earnest prayer that they never turn into reality. The very thought of the possibilities made her heart clench in fear and fear gripped her in its vice-like grip, and she could not bring herself to imagine if they ever actualized.

Pleasing and enamoring fantasies had taken over Daksh's contended mind. The ethereal and surreal vision she was, in the color red, made sure that they etched her into the canvas of his heart. He replayed the image over and over in multiple scenarios with hues of pleasure splayed over it.

The Malhotra family mistook their delay to wake up from their sleep to be a sign of their conjugal bliss, but they were oblivious that the reality was the stark opposite of their imagination. Despite knowing that Daksh did not believe in fulfilling any rituals, they had tried and Anisha made her way towards the couple's room to wake them up for the same.

With the constant knocking at their door, the couple, ironically, woke up simultaneously. Knowing what awaited them upon opening the door, Asmita rushed into the washroom while Daksh pulled himself to open the door.

"Good morning! Why are you waking me up so early?" asked Daksh, rubbing his eyes to remove remnants of sleep and trying to erase the haziness that occluded his vision.

Anisha cocked an eyebrow at him. "Early? Bhai, I was about to berate you for forgoing your punctuality just a day after your marriage and you are telling me I woke you up too early. Seriously? It is 11 AM!"

"11 AM?" Daksh brought up his watch to confirm his sister's words.

"Why did I even expect you to look at your watch when you have found something better to look at? My bad!" she said, with a suggestive wink and a nod in the general direction of his room.

Anisha ran away as Daksh tried to catch her to engage in their usual sibling banter, leaving Daksh shaking his head in disbelief, with a playful smirk playing on his lips. Asmita, who had heard the entire conversation from the washroom, sighed at the irony of the situation. The family was oblivious to the fact that there was nothing akin to love in the relationship shared between the newlyweds.

Asmita stared at herself in the mirror. The bright vermilion at her partition stood proudly amidst her disheveled hair. She carried the signs of a married woman, but the quintessential glow of a bride was absent. Her eyes did not glisten with love and happiness. Instead, her eyes had turned into two hollow black holes from which he sucked every sign of happiness out. She had always dreamt of her wedding and her love life, but she felt every dream of hers shatter with every passing second.

Her husband was the one who tried to force himself on her, instead of being the one who would save her if she needed.

Her husband was the one who had snatched love from her life as he forcefully married her and not the giver of love that she had wanted.

Her husband was the one many dreamed of because of his looks, fame, and power, but he did not possess the golden heart that she desired.

Asmita walked out of the restroom after freshening up, hoping that Anisha had not given him any ideas to act upon. Her gaze clashed with that of Daksh Malhotra, as he played Anisha's words in his mind, repeating to himself that he had finally claimed the object of his interest.

Daksh covered the distance between them but, unlike the times in the past, Asmita mustered the courage to stand to her ground. Daksh appreciated the new found courage of his dear wife, maintaining the frenzy eye lock, and erased the distances between them. He unbuttoned his shirt, looking for any signs of trepidation and fear in her determined eyed. Although she had maintained the nonchalance in her stare, she could not help the shiver that ran across her spine as she pondered over his intentions.

He was about to peel the shirt away from his taut and muscular frame when Asmita held his hand, stopping him. He eyed the hand for a few moments before bringing it towards his lips. Looking straight into her apprehensive and expecting eyes, he showered butterfly kisses over her wrist, much to her surprise.

"What are you doing, SIR?" she asked, trying to maintain a firm voice, but his ministrations had ensured her failure.

"Sir? Have you lost it by any chance, Asmita? I am your husband, not your boss. Why are you addressing me as 'Sir'?" he asked, dropping her hand from his grasp.

"What else should I call you? You made it clear last night that you dislike listening to 'Mr. Malhotra' from me."

Daksh rolled his eyes in exasperation. Of course, he did not like to listen to 'Mr. Malhotra' from her which was restricted to clients and formal affairs but, it did not mean that she would address him as 'Sir'.

"My name is Daksh, in case you have forgotten, darling."

"Well, the same shastras which declare you to be my husband also advise against addressing one's husband by their name. So, if you accept one part of them, accept the rest as well."

She was incredibly uncomfortable to address him by his given name. It invoked a sense of familiarity and affection which were absent in their case.

"You think you are too smart, don't you? I think you forget I am Daksh Malhotra, sweetheart. Don't worry. I know how to set you straight!" he said, leaning in to place an open-mouthed kiss over her right cheek before he walked into the bathroom.

Something told her she would not like what he was planning for her, and little did she know he would prove her right.

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Daksh is -_-