My dear Princess

38. That dreadful day

Abhinav

I hugged her very close to me as soon as we both hopped into the car. She too wrapped her hands around my torso.

"I am here Princess," I said kissing her hair and she nodded before saying.

"You are, and I know you will always be," I let out a small smile and she too smiled looking at me. She leaned in toward me.

"Kiss me, Nav!" She said holding my face in her hands. I rested my forehead against hers and touched our noses. Our breaths fanned each other and a lone tear escaped her eye which I wiped off with my thumb pad that was on her cheek.

We both leaned closer and our lips touched. That kiss was slow, calming, and reassuring. We were assuring each other to stick together and fight the odds. She needed my warmth and I needed hers. We both needed each other to feel strong again. To feel ready to face our demons. She needed assurance that I am here to save her, to protect her, and I needed her to promise me to stay with me. We both parted after a while and I kissed her forehead. She held my bicep and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Let's go home?" I asked and she nodded a little. Her one hand left my bicep and reached my palm and I interlaced our fingers and kissed her fingers. I asked Khanna to drive the car and raised the partition in the middle. Isha rested her head on my shoulder and I kissed her hair. She lifted her head and kissed my cheek making me chuckle at her giggles.

"I want to say you something," She said and looked at me for a while. 

"Hmm," I hummed indicating her to go ahead. She inhaled sharply and took my hands in hers.

"I'll say once we reach home but can you hug me till then?" She asked lifting her lashes and looking into my eyes. Her eyes that shine every time while looking at me held fear in them today and it made my heart twist. 

I pulled her into my lap and adjusted her. She interlaced our fingers again and rested her head on my chest. I placed a kiss on her head and wrapped my free hand around her waist while she kissed over my clothed chest leaving a mark of her lip gloss.

We reached home and walked in. We saw all the elders sitting in the living room discussing something. They stopped seeing us. We both walked to them and sat on a couch after wishing them.

"Isha beta, did you bring the gift I asked?" Dadi sa asked and Isha lowered her gaze fidgeting with her fingers.

"I called her to my office for some work Dadi sa. She couldn't go. I will arrange some designer tomorrow and you can pick whatever you want." I replied and Dadi sa nodded understandingly.

"Why did you both come back at this time? Don't you have a meeting Abhinav?" Papa asked and everyone looked at us expectantly.

"I had to postpone it, Papa, We have to solve something related to the project our companies handling so we both came back to work from here itself," I answered. I don't want them to get tensed. Abirs' matter was a big blow to them and they won't be able to handle another revelation which is also a threat to kill their daughter-in-law whom they treat as their daughter.

"It's almost lunchtime. Have your lunch first," Chachu suggested and I looked at Isha. She spoke at last,

"Can we have it in our room?" Her voice was very low and it was audible just because there was no noise.

"Why does she sound low beta?" Papa asked in a worry-laced tone. 

"She is feeling weak Papa," I replied and she just nodded in agreement.

"You both workaholic best friends don't stress my sweet granddaughter or else my stick and your bum," Dadu said in a warning tone and I nodded immediately.

"Go and rest for a while after lunch. You can work later." Dadi sa ordered and we both nodded like obedient kids and left for our room. 

"Do you want to change?" I asked and she nodded. We both changed into comfortable clothes and sat on the couch. A maid bought our meals.

I tore a piece of roti and dipped it in curry and took it to her mouth. She had it and then tore a piece and forwarded it to me after dipping it in curry. I ate it and she kissed my forehead.

"It was not easy for you, right?" I asked tearing another piece and she nodded.

"Neither it was for you," she said after a while and the silence followed when we fed each other. We both washed our hands once we completed eating and a maid came to take the plates away.

"I saw him, Nav!" She said resting her head on my chest while I caressed her hair gently. I did not speak anything and let her express herself.

"I was 10 years old and was waiting for Papa to pick me up from school. Ishaan bhai had a basketball match that day and he didn't come with me. I was all alone when a man came to me. He was scary and was eating some pan. He lifted me and threw me in a car. I tried to shout, I tried to open the door but I could not. He...he slapped me and my head hit the door which made me unconscious."  She was shivering like a leaf in my arms and I pulled her closer and made her sit on my lap. 

"It's okay, princess. You don't need to share if it's scary." I said kissing her forehead again and again wiping her tears.

"No, I have to. He came back Nav. You should know the past to protect me." She mumbled. I shook my head in no and said,

"Protecting you is my responsibility, Princess. A responsibility I want to fulfill all my life. A responsibility that helps me live because I am incapable of living without you. And, I don't need to know anything to protect you, mainly when it opens up your scars. I will always protect you no matter what the past is, what the present is, and what the future holds. I will protect you from every harm, every sorrow, every misery, and every evil" I kissed her forehead again and she nodded kissing my chest.

"I want to get free of this burden, Nav. Please be with me and hold me close to you when I walk down the nightmare for one last time," she almost pleaded in a hoarse voice and I nodded pulling her more closer.

"It was raining with thunders outside and I was all alone in a dark room. There was no source of light in that room except when lightning hit followed by a thunder making me shiver. I was shivering due to coldness and fear. I ran to the door and banged it crying for help but no one opened the door. I didn't realize when I fell asleep against the door. The following day when I woke up my body ached a lot and I just sat by the door cocooned into a ball and waited for my Papa to save me. I prayed to god to send me home. "

" His wife was terrifying. She... she used to beat me with a whip when I cried and refused to eat and cried to leave me. He and his wife used to beat me. His son used to take my pictures daily and used to paste them into a diary. He was 15-16 years old back then and was a creep. The police managed to save me and arrested that man. He came out recently. But his son..." She started trembling and I pressed my lips on her forehead for a lingering kiss. She held my hands and tightened my grip around her.

"He used to follow me after that too. When I said to Bhai about it, he and his friends bet him a lot. I didn't see him after that. But, he... again came back Nav. I saw him on that day when we attended the wedding. He was in the jewelry shop today. Back then, you were with me. Bhai was with me. Our entire family was with me. But today... Today I was all alone Nav. I was scared. I thought he would take me away from you. I don't want that nightmare to repeat Nav. I want to be with you. " She said choking on her tears and hugging me very close to her as if trying to hide herself in me. My eyes turned red with anger hearing her words. 

He is going to pay for every tear of my princess with his blood!

"You will always be with me, Princess. No one can separate us. And it is a promise of your Nav to his little Ishu, his Princess." I said kissing her forehead.

"Let's sleep for a while," I said and she nodded. I stood up with her and placed her on the bed. I climbed from the other side and took her in my arms. I made her head rest on my chest and ran my fingers in her hair. Her breath became eve after a while indicating she dozed off. I kept caressing her hair.