I Am Guilty

17. Face Off

It was late evening when Veena walked down the steps. She was in need of a strong tea.

Sapna was already working in the kitchen, instructing the maids for the dinner. She looked at the young girl who had lost her smile.

"Can I get a cup of tea?" She asked to no one in particular.

Sapna instructed the maids and made Veena sit at the dining table.
"Do you want something to eat?"

Veena shook her head in denial.

The woman were surprised when a maid rushed to them, informing them that Arjun had been waiting at the outhouse and is asking for the keys.
Veena looked up at Sapna who was equally shocked.

Sapna just nodded and asked the maid to go and open the outhouse for him.

"How come he came now? After almost a month?" Veena whispered while Sapna was filled with anticipation. She did not want anymore rift between her son and his father. It had taken an ugly turn the last time. She just hoped someone could sit down and talk like adults.

Arjun had taken a leisurely look at the house and the surroundings while he patiently waited for the keys to come.
Last time he came, he did not have time to look around and feel that nostalgia.
He looked at the paved circular pathway, where he had helped Bansi ride a bicycle. She had fallen multiple times and he had been there to save her from hurting herself. Neither did he have up on teaching her, nor did she stopped believing in him to hold her. He smiled at the now blurred memory. He had missed ten years of his sister growing up.

He was pulled out of his reverie when the maid walked closer and opened the lock for him. She switched on the lights and ceiling fan and walked out without a word, after placing the key on the table.
Arjun stretched himself and pulled out his phone to put a message to Mitra and Kunal that he had reached.

He suddenly found himself unprepared for the moment. He did not know what to do next. Should he take a shower, change and just go to sleep? Should he go to the main house, to see if could meet his sister and maybe Veena too? Should he wait for someone to notice that he had come? 

He was still deciding for himself, when the door was opened harshly. He sighed internally. The stay was not going to be easy as always.

Veena stepped in with her eyes glaring at him.

"So you finally decide to show up after almost four weeks." She snapped.

"Is that your way of saying that you missed me?" He said, pulling a fake smile.

She scoffed.
"What do even think of yourself?"

"Well, people give me many names." He replied.

She instantly found herself angry, frustrated and helpless at the same time.
Arjun looked at her with stone cold eyes as she slumped on a chair and broke down. Her exasperation did not wash away with tears. He sighed ed d slowly and sat down on the bed.

"Don't cry, please." He softly muttered.

She looked up at him. She was startled by the soft compassionate voice.

"Then what do you want me to do? You have me trapped. I can't even live without thinking about all this. No one will understand what I am going through. It's all so false, yet it is all true. What do I do?" She helplessly asked, wiping her angry tears.

He looked at her for a moment. He then picked up her phone and handed it to her.
"Unlock it."

She did not protest and unlocked it.
He again grabbed it and entered his number in the contact list.
"I can understand your situation. I know your frustration. I know what you are thinking day in and day out. Trust me, it's not easy for me too. Bit now you have my number. Whenever you feel like taking out your anger, frustration, call me. I promise to be your sounding board. You can talk anything to me."

Veena looked at him flabbergasted.
He was so different than the last two times she had seen him. First time, when he had kidnapped her, he was a monster and the second time, he was a scared man, worried for his sister. But she never thought that he had this tender side, the one that was displaying now.

"What do you want? Instead of being this sounding board, wouldn't it be better if you end the sham of this marriage and let me go?" She asked with heavy heart.

Arjun looked down and played with his fingers.
"I told you earlier, this is not a forever. It's not that we love each other, and you can never fall for a man like me. This will end, but now is not the right time."

She furrowed her eyebrows. She was surprised that he was talking calmly and was answering all her questions too.

She took a deep breath when she realized something.

"You asked me that night to not to marry and you would let me go. Was it not marry at all or was it not marry Sahil?"

He looked up at her with slightly wide eyes.
He knew, she would bring it up.

"So, it was definitely about Sahil. What did he do?" She asked a little louder.

"He is not good for you." He simply stated. There was no point in hiding anything since he had nothing more to lose.

"And you think you are good for me, good enough to marry me?" She asked sarcastically.

He did not liked to be demeaned by her. But he did not find it worth retorting.

"Tell me, what did he do? I deserve the answer." She persisted.

Arjun stood up from the bed, annoyance was making way to his brain.
"That you do, but I will answer when you are ready to hear me out."

She blinked, more frustrated than ever. She's too stood up.
"What do you mean? I came to you for answers. Doesn't that mean that I am listening to you?"

"No, it doesn't. Now you are too high on your emotions. Too frustrated with situations and too angry with me. Come back to me when you are ready to take a step to trust me. I am nothing more than a monster to you, at the moment. When you find a tiny bit of humanity dwelling within me, we will talk." He replied while holding her gaze.

She was standing close to him. She had the opportunity to explore his wheatish skin tone with a fine layer of stubble. The bridge of his sharp nose had a scar, indicating a deep injury. Deep dark eyes had a lot of secrets hidden within them.
He was taken by surprise when he realized that she was checking him out. It felt weird.
Out of instinct, he turned around and walked away to the kitchen to fill himself a glass of water.

Veena gasped lowly as she was brought out of her reverie.
She walked behind him to the small kitchen, where he was sipping on a glass of water.
"You don't understand. The way Sahil's has been after the called off engagement, I don't think I have it in me to marry a man like him. I can't believe I was fooled. I never saw that side of him."

Arjun furrowed his eyebrows. He dumped the glass on the counter, unceremoniously and strokes a long step towards her.
"What did he do? Did he.... Did he... Touch you without your consent? Did he hit you?"

She was shocked by the concern and anger at the same time in his voice. She shook her head meekly. He stepped back, letting out a breath, he did not know he was holding.

"Why do you care?" She whisper asked.

'You are important for Samrat." He replied without a beat.

She blinked and found herself speechless.
"You did this only because I am important to Samrat. You wouldn't have have cared if I was not... That makes sense."

She did not know why a small pang of hurt erupted within her. She wanted to hear something else and she did not know what was that.

Arjun looked at her thoughtfully.
"But it's time I do something about it. It's not about only you anymore. That man does not deserve any girl."

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Dear readers,
I understand that you all are eager to know the mystery. But that forms the crux of the story.
Request you to be a bit more patient.

Thanks

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