TEJRAN : AN ARRANGED TALE OF LOVE

CHAPTER 35

Karan's POV

I entered the house after a long, hectic day and heard everyone's voice on the main door itself. They were all giggling, laughing and screaming too. The place seemed no less than a fish market. For a second I forgot what was going on between both of us. Those sparkling and joyful faces made me forget everything and I smiled too.

And then my eyes fell on Tejasswi and my smile dropped. Fuck! What did this girl do to herself? I felt a tug in my heart looking at her condition. She looked weak, her face had lost its glow. Her eyes were swollen and dark and her cheeks and nose were in a shade of red. She cried buckets, for sure.

Mom called me and that's when she finally looked up, our eyes connected for less than a second and then she looked down again. And after that I didn't wait, I straight away went to my room after throwing a fake smile at everyone.

I arranged all my belongings in their desired places and then headed towards the balcony, taking a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. I knew someone would send my dinner upstairs so I didn't have to worry about it.

Not even a minute passed after I lit the cigarette, I heard the door's opening sound and assumed that my dinner was there. I thought it must be mom, Meenu or some house help but no.

The fragrance of her perfume hit my nostrils and I didn't take much time to understand that it was her. I waited for her next move. Though my back was facing her, I could see her reflection through the glass window. She stood there on her place for a few seconds, unsure about her actions, completely lost.

And within a second, I found her deadly close to me, her front glued to my back, hands locked around my torso and face rested on my back.

My hands didn't hesitate to get hold of her soft hands and pull her closer to myself. I locked our fingers together and arched back my head, looking at the sky studded with stars.

My thumb caressed her knuckles and my body sighed under her touch. I felt like all the tiredness flew away at the moment when she hugged me. Keeping all the miseries and flights aside I just felt her warmth and did nothing else.

My hand searched for her ring finger, as it had become my habit to play with her engagement ring after our engagement. But, to my bad luck I didn't find it.

*She removed the ring? Was it really over for her? Then why was she standing there, holding me like she owned me? What was that fake concern or fake disappointment?*

"You broke another promise. Hmm?" And after that all I heard from her was sorry. Her every sentence was incomplete without that particular word and every time she said that I felt my heart sinking.

I wonder how fast the night changes, a week ago, nobody would have imagined that how our lives would turn upside down. How a stranger could bring such a destructive storm in our lives.

She kept apologising and I kept listening to her pleading yet helpless voice. A part of me wanted to hold her tightly and let go of everything. I wanted to say that it's okay, let's forget it and move on. But the other part of me knew that nothing was okay. Nothing was in place, nothing was normal, nothing was like it used to be.

At last when I felt my heart pounding loudly in my chest, when the place started suffocating me, when I knew I would explode anytime soon, I decided to leave.

Putting the ring on the table, I kissed her head and said, "Take care. Goodnight." And then left from there, leaving a shocked Tejasswi behind.

I came to the room, grabbed my keys, wallet and phone and moved down. I glanced at the plate on the table but ignored and left. I had to take the back door for the exit as I wasn't in a mood to answer all those questions by my family members.