Aboli

Part 89

"Let me go, Randhir!" Sanyukta tried to push him away. The more she tried the harder his grip became, though he took care not to hurt her physically.

"Admit it, you wanted this to happen as much as I did! Or else you would not have responded with such intensity! " There was husk in Randhir's whisper.

"Get over yourself, Randhir! The response you sensed was that of a woman who has suppressed her desires for a very long time! Don't read more into it! And you behaved like a cad, invading my personal space like this!" Sanyukta unwittingly wiped her mouth with her palm.

"Now that you have branded me a cad I guess you leave me no choice!" He drew her close to his body and hungrily locked his lips with hers once more, holding her firmly and caressing her back with his other hand.

"You taste of me now, like you are meant to!" He nibbled her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine.

"Abby, Abby!" The baby monitor crackled.

Sanyukta forced herself out of Randhir's grip and ran toward her bedroom, Randhir following in her wake.

"Bambi, I am here, don't worry!" Sanyukta hugged her son reassuringly. Mercifully Megami continued to sleep peacefully in her baby cot. Gingerbread waved his tail happily to see Randhir.

Suketu was unsure how to react at the sight of Randhir. He simply stared at him. Both Randhir and Sanyukta noticed 

"Hey buddy, looks like somebody just had a bad dream!" Randhir sat next to Suketu, his palms cupping the boy's face.

"I think we should visit the bathroom!" Sanyukta led Suketu through the bathroom door.

When they returned they found Randhir sitting on the bed, with Gingerbread on his lap.

"Tell you what, I am going to sleep in your room beginning today, so you don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll be right her to watch over you, Megami, Gingerbread and also your Mommy!" From the corner of his eye Randhir could see the startled expression on Sanyukta's face.

"Oh, that won't be necessary! Besides there is no space here for you to sleep!" She responded quickly.

"Abby, Coach can chase the bad guys away and protect us if he sleeps here!" Suketu suggested.

"There are no bad guys here, Bambi! You may have been dreaming! And it is not proper for Coach to sleep here! He has his own bed in his room!" Sanyukta avoided looking at Randhir.

"K2, you are absolutely right, you will be safer if I sleep here! And don't worry, I'll be comfortable on this rug on the floor, you can sleep on your bed with Mom! Abby, pass me a pillow and a sheet!" Randhir grabbed a pillow before she could respond. As he lay down Gingerbread settled down beside him.

"Abby, can I sleep on the floor with them?" Suketu asked.

"No dear, and Coach will return to his own bed in sometime. You should go back to sleep!" The anxious mother ran her fingers through her son's hair and in a few moments he had gone back into deep slumber. She rose for the bed and sat next to Randhir.

"Why are you doing this?Stop confusing him! He may misunderstand!" Sanyukta could see that Randhir was wide awake.

"Misunderstand? You are the one responsible for misinforming him!" Randhir sat up facing her.

"How dare you say that! You know that Vishad will always be his legal father because he was my husband when Suketu was born, at the time when you were living in with Nicole!" Sanyukta was riled. As far as she was concerned it was not her fault.

"Grow up, Mowgli! Nicole was not the only woman in my life. I was in a more intense affair with Nour before her, not to mention many casual hookups with others. You can continue to resent me for that, I won't persuade you otherwise. But how can you deny me the right to be a father to my own son?" Randhir was exasperated by now.

"If anyone gets wind about K2's paternity the world will hound him about the circumstances. I can never let that happen. Neither can I explain your presence in my bedroom, I don't want a scandal. So could you please just go back to your own bed?" Sanyukta wished Randhir could sense her turmoil.

"There is another way out of this mess, Mowgli! Marry me. It will make everything right!" Randhir stared into her eyes.

"Never! I am not going to let you use such cheap tricks to let you come close to Suketu. Is marriage so trivial to you?" She was positively riled by the suggestion.

"Just listen to your own words, Mowgli, you were the one who trivialised marriage by signing on a piece of paper with Vishad. When neither of you intended to live together as man and wife! If that was not manipulative what was? Either you agree to marry me and let me adopt my own son legally or I'll have to send you a legal notice for denying me my paternity right!" Randhir know he was taking a chance, he could see her expression harden.

"You are threatening me? Resorting to blackmail?" Sanyukta could not believe this was happening.

"You left me no choice! I am tired of running around Sanyukta, I want to put down roots! Be there for my child, watch him grow! If I don't get into that role you may find a man to replace me. I cannot share K2 with another man. Frankly I cannot share either of you!" Randhir's tone softened.

"Being territorial comes naturally to a man! But I cannot afford to make another mistake, Randhir!" Sanyukta did not want to walk into a trap.

"Not even if I declare my undying love for both of you?" Randhir smiled at his own words.

"Love? You were never the one to fall in love, Randhir! Look around, there are enough rich gals from your class who are waiting to be hitched. Go after any of them. We can forget what happened and move on!" Sanyukta went back to her bed.

"We belong together, Mowgli! Give me some time, I'll prove it to you!" Randhir called.

"You've been without a woman for so long it has addled your brain, Randhir!" Sanyukta was sleepy.

"And you've been without me for so long it would be criminal to waste any more time!" He responded.

"What do you mean?" She asked casually. 

"It means that you are being prudish and boring at a time when we could be using each other to gratify our mutual needs, both physical and emotionally!" He wished things were not so complicated between them.

"If only you were born to another woman, Randhir! I am not going to let my son be hurt by any unwarranted family feud. He and I are best off on our own!" Sanyukta closed her heavy lids. She was done pleading her case. 

"It is too late for that, I am far too involved. I don't care what Mom has to say about us anymore!" Randhir told himself. He realised that Sanyukta was asleep. He shut his own eyes, hoping that the dawn would bring a new hope. The three of them deserved to be a family!