Harsh And Divine

Chapter 12

Vidhushi was engrossed in her work when a thud sound shook her.

"Wh...Advith!" Vidhushi closed her book, completely surprised by his unannounced arrival. She looked at the medium-sized tiffin box in his hand that he had kept down on the table.

"Hi! I was just passing through when I saw you here. So, I thought why not meet my friend!" He smiled. A genuine smile. It made her smile too.

It has been three days since they had met. She had thought of apologizing for the drama created by Kunal, but she couldn't as she neither had his contact number nor did she know where he lived. 

"Let's talk outside." She said lowly as she gathered her stuff and guided him out of the room so as to not disturb her colleagues.

Advith nodded and followed her.

Sitting under a tree on the front lawn, they both made themselves comfortable on the ground.

"Ask away. I know you want to ask me." She spoke first when he didn't take the initiative.

"Ask what?" He asked in return.

"About Kunal." She answered pulling her hair behind her ear uneasily. This definitely didn't go unnoticed by him.

"I don't know if you have seen it or not, but I think that the man you are about to marry has some....psychopathic tendencies." He said.

Vidhushi looked at him in shock. Generally, a stranger found Kunal as charming and a witty person because he knew when to speak what. He was skilled in that area. How did Advith analyse him so correctly?

"W.What? Why do you think so?" She asked for him to explain.

"It was all over his eyes and posture. He was trying to be all nice and ...good....but...Well you see, Vidhushi, I had psychology as my alternative subject in two semesters. So, I have a little interest in this area. And, I can for sure say, that he is hiding something from others...from you." He explained.

Vidhushi just stared at him.

"So, you are a psychologist, huh!" She asked.

"No. I am not. It's just the vibes that seem to come from him. That's it. I may be wrong...but, I surely wanted to warn you about him." He said. 

Vidhushi took a deep breath. She didn't know how to explain it to him. He was a stranger to her yet she felt so close to him. Surely they were a step closer to be friends.

"Advith, I don't know how you would take this but...I kindly suggest you not get yourself involved in his mess." She gently pleaded.

"What do you mean 'his mess'?" He asked.

"Kunal is much more than you think he is. And I know all about him." She said.

"Then why are you....marrying a man like him? Surely, you deserve better."

"My father thinks otherwise." She said sadly, looking at the ground, playing with the grass straw. She didn't notice that she had used present tense while referring to her father.

Advith took the straw from her hand to gain her attention.

"Tell your father then. He'd understand. Marrying a person like him would never bring you happiness."

She looked at him.

"My father is....no more. It was his last wish for me to get married to Kunal. And...I can't ignore my papa's last wish. He had rarely asked me for anything in his lifetime. How can I possibly.....not do what he saw fit for me? Surely, he must have had a reason." She almost whispered to herself. It was a question she always asked herself.

'Why?'

The memories of that fateful night came in front of her eyes as she held her father's hands as he laid on the bed, tubes flowing in and out of his pale body. She was crying so bad because the doctors had announced to her that he probably won't make it after the novel medicine is introduced to him. Her mother sat at the opposite side of the bed, crying as well. She heard his father's pale voice calling her. She had bent down, close, so she could listen to him. And that was when he threw the load onto her.

Advith was quiet. He didn't know what to say.

"Do...do you want to marry him?" He asked.

Vidhushi came out of the memory. Her eyes showed no sign of tears but only she knew how she was controlling them. Tears were weakness, she knew. And people used it against us. She had learnt it way too early. Hence, she always had better control over her tears.

"No. But, that's not a choice. I have to marry him and I have agreed to it. Now, you need to listen to me. It was really nice meeting you Advith. You are a great person. But, our...friendship must end here. I won't hide it from you but Kunal has asked me to not acquaint myself with you. And disobeying him is foolishness. I am just...trying to save you. Please...we need to stop meeting." She said the truth.

Advith was beyond shocked. How could she say that so easily? That too, just because of a man!

"Don't you have your own free will? Are you his slave or what?" He asked, exasperated, not believing that a strong and educated woman like her was under the control of a man.

"You can call me whatever you want, Advith. But it is all to save you. I don't want to put you in any kind of danger." She tried to reason with him.

"Danger? Are you saying that...he is..."

"Don't...Advith, please! Don't try to know anything about him. Please. Forget he exists. Forget I exist." She begged again. He shouldn't know that Kunal is in the mob.

"What is this? A video game? That any person can be added or deleted on demand?" He asked, completely surprised by her words.

She remained silent. How could she make him understand?

They both remained silent for a while before he interrupted.

"Vidhushi, you are making the worst mistake of your life." He said as he stood up to leave.

"Why do you care?" She asked, looking up at him. The sun shone brightly over his face, making him almost shine.

Advith thought over her question. What could he say! Why did he care?

"Just...as a friend." He said. He walked two steps before remembering something.

"Oh, and I brought you the idlis as I promised. Unlike someone, I keep my promise. And, I won't disturb you again. You want me to forget you, that's what I'll give you." He said and left leaving her alone on the lawn.

She sat there appalled. He seemed angry as he said that. Why did it even matter to her if he was angry or not? She took another straw from the ground and threw it angrily. For the first time, an outsider's words stung her in a very long time.