Cigarettes & Peonies

39

Maahi woke up with a severe headache. Drums seemed to be drumming in her head as she stirred uneasily on an unusually soft and comfortable bed. She couldn't recall anything from the last night. Specifically her mind hadn't gone to any episode from last night nor did she felt the need to retrospect over the events of yester night. Slowly she opened her eyes. Her vision was hazy. Nothing to fret for it was a rather common thing for her or anybody else. Your eyes take a little time to adjust to your surroundings when it have been closed shut for 10 or more hours. Now, a second later, and when her vision grew clear, she peered around into the partial darkness. A look of horror flashed across her face. This wasn't her room. She was, to her horror, in a complete stranger chamber with no memory of how she ended up here. Her heartbeat soared as she looked around in fear. Slowly, and after racking her brain hard, she recalled she was in her very room last night when a strong hand covered her mouth. And, it wasn't very hard to decide that she was knocked unconscious and brought here against her will. Honestly speaking she wasn't knocked unconscious because, as far as she can recall, it was chloroform that her abducter had made her inhale. But, she was abducted and that was a hell of a big deal. Peering around horror-struck, she found she was in a moderate sized room which was predominantly created out of wood. The flooring was of wood, the ceiling, the rafters, furniture, everything was of fine grade wood. Right across her was a big bay window, outside of which she could see huge trees clustered and rising feets high in the nearly invisible sky. Fear seeped inside her. This much was certain that she was inside the forest, I mean this house where she was held hostage was inside a forest. On her left was a small console table upon which was kept a jug of water and a glass. Her throat was parched but she couldn't just trust the kidnapper and drink things from his utensils. I mean he could've drugged it. Suddenly, as she was busy studying her new surroundings, she caught the doorknob twisting and, after a short clicking sound, the door swung open. There she found the shirtless figure of Karanvir standing cradling a tray in his big hands. Maahi shrieked and quickly hid her face in her hands.
"Maahi what happened??? Did you had a nightmare??" cried Karanvir as he dashed into the room anxiously. It easily dawn on maahi that he's the one who has abducted her. But, the concern right now was his absence of shirt. Ofcourse he had a great body but hey, she didn't wanted to see it.
"Baby." he whispered tenderly, kneeling down beside the bed. She still didn't take her hands off of her eyes.
"Put on a shirt please." she yelled at him. He held back his laughter.
"I only have one shirt here and that too is wet, I have no choice but to roam shirtless here. Besides, c'mon, I don't have issues with your eyes on my bare body." he lied maliciously. Maahi was irritated already.
"But I have issues looking at you naked. Just cover your body with anything." she urged. He chuckled softly before gently grabbing her little hands and prying them off her eyes. She gasped loudly as his six-pack abs were right in front of her eyes.
"I guess you need to get used to of me roaming around shirtless. I mostly refrain myself from covering my upper body while I am at home. Perhaps, you'll grow habituate of this once we're married." he told her sweetly. Her eyes widened.
"I'm never marrying you and..... and why have you brought me here. Just let me go already." she said with fear. He drew in a breath. Cupping her face, he looked into her scared eyes and started.
"Baby, first of all I want you to just delete this thought from your head that I'll ever hurt you. I won't baby. You're my princess and I am no fool who goes around and hurt the very person who lives in my heart. Look baby, I just want you to be with me. I swear I can't live without you. I love you so much......I swear baby, I'll fucking eliminate anybody who'll try to take you away from me. Maahi, I promise I haven't loved anyone the way I love you. You're the only one in my heart and you'll be the only one who I will love all my life." he pressed his forehead against hers. She gasped in fear.
"Maahi. Just give me a chance. All I ask is for one chance. I promise maahi, I'll love you so much that you won't ever look back. I swear you'll forget your family, I vow to love you that much. We'll be so happy together. I'll take you faraway from here where we both will peacefully make a life of our own. I'll just be the guy you want. Please maahi. I just ask for one single chance. I think I deserve that much." he completed breathlessly. His hot breath literally on her face. Her toes curled. Like was this guy crazy or what?? Who she was fooling, ofcourse he was unstable and she very well knew it. And although Karanvir looked fit from the outside, he had serious mental problems going on in his head.
"Please let me go......my parents must be worried for me." she pleaded. He kissed her cheeks harshly and she cried.
"No baby. I won't ever let you go. You don't belong with them but me alone. Maahi, I know you will feel that I am wrong but baby with time you'll also start loving me. I just know it. I have full trust on my love for you. My true love will definitely compel you in falling in love with me. I just know it." he said, smiling through those tears. Maahi dreaded him greatly. Like, he looked atrocious right now and though he wouldn't just inflict any sort of 'atrocity' on her, yet his obsession was what she needed to watch out for.
"Where am I??" she asked timidly. He tucked few wisps of her hairs behind her ear and looked into her terrified eyes.
"This is my farmhouse. Viraj Chachu gifted this to me on my 20th birthday. It's big enough to be called a 'bungalow'. However I still stick to referring it as a farmhouse. We can live here peacefully maahi. I mean, having a house just in the core of the forest gives you the luxury of quietude. Peace and you, that's all I want." he said, taking her in his arms. She sniffled quietly, too afraid to say anything which might piss him off. In the core of the forest, no one's gonna hear her scream for help while he does his way with her, if he plans to do so.