Five Weeks

Chapter 16

"Extra rooms? Why extra room?" Anahita queried confusingly looking at the customers details register that Yuvraaj was filling even after being confirmed of their personal open villa boat.

Yuvraaj didn't even bother to glance at her back and after filling in details, he passed back the register to the receptionist, she took it politely and asked them to wait for a while till she fetch them the key cards. Reception at LA Cassita hotel had always been as crowdy as the railway station, you wouldn't know when you're being dragged from one corner to another. Decently, of course.

"I asked you something, why another room? You told me we have villa boat." She asked again softly, knowing completely well that he might have heard everything at the hotel there and judging from his temperament, it was very certain that he must've been boiling inside now.

The very uncertainty of her troublesome had to be alleviate somehow and it would be good if she came clean but his silence wasn't helping her.

Anahita cleared her throat once again, "I asked you.."

"That why am I booking for another room? Right?" Yuvraaj asked harshly, making her jump in surprise catching eyes but she composed herself and nodded.

Exhaling deep, Yuvraaj shoved his hands in jean pockets and snapped, "For your boyfriend. Since you were missing him too much and my presence must be suffocating you, I thought to deliver some relief. You can move in with him, I won't mind."

His voice was so loud and clear that it made wasps of heads turned to them, Anahita looked around in embarrassment as she sensed eyes on them; particularly on her. She began softly, "Yuvraaj...I didn't..."

"No..hear me first. Now since you've asked me let me make it clear, the only reason of my persistence to bring you here was just to shield my family from getting hurt furthermore." He continued, not paying heed to the gasps people let out on this blunt remark as he proceeded, "I knew it from the beginning that you're going to elope with your boyfriend and that would pain my family, they would blame themselves for trapping me in something as trivial as this marriage and I wouldn't want that. Hence, you're here. Now you're free to live with him. I won't bother you anymore and my family would be happy as well."

Tears surfaced in Anahita's eyes. She couldn't bear his acidic words against her. So true were they but she never expected him to humiliate her publicly by stigmatising her like this, broaching their personal matter and literally painting her characterless.

"So, this was the reason. You brought me here so that I can elope with my boyfriend." She repeated, processing the words and clenched her fist hard, looking in his eyes, penetrating his soul, "What will you tell them you when you go back?" She bitterly asked, desperately hoping that he would not say anything that would hurt her more than his harsh act.

"Anything. Anything but the truth." He enunciated, clapping his eyes over the desk to the receptionist who was busy staring at them in shock, her hand still in the key card wallet and her lips parted in a perfect O.

"My card please!" Yuvraaj's stern voice flabbergasted her and she handed him the cards, apologising. "Sorry Sir, here's your card."

Receiving the cards, Yuvraaj swivelled one of them at Anahita, "Take this and go to the room. Do not forget to call Mukund, because here I'm done with the responsibilities." He punctuated, arrogantly and walked away, sparing her the last glance.

Something broke in his heart as he saw a tear drop dribbling onto her cheek and her lower lip tightly tugged between her teeth, depicting how hard she was trying to curb her sobs. He knew it. His conscious spanked him umpteenth time for losing his temper. Despite it, he refused to be affected and dragged his reluctant feet towards his booked villa.