Ruined (COMPLETED)

Chapter Ten

Veer froze in his tracks. The child whimpered in his arms. And almost as if instinctively, he  swiped his arm on her back.

"It's okay sweetie, I'm right here."

He didn't know why he said that. As he said it, the child slumped and fell into slumber again. He looked at Janvi and she looked as pale as a sheet of paper. The elevator dinged and the door opened and he stepped outside first. Janvi pushed the key in and opened the door.

He walked behind her. He saw the living room was cluttered with boxes. He remembered that she had just moved to Mumbai. He followed her through the passsage way and she opened the door to a bedroom with two beds with pink sheets.

She laid down the sleepy girl in her arms and tucked her in. He did the same. He looked at the child. The child had black hair and a round face. A sense of deja vu washed over her. He tucked her in and tried to moved away. The child opened her eyes slightly blinking.

"Who are you? Are you here to drive away my bad dreams?"

She had held his arm and tugged. Veer found sweat trickling down his neck. Janvi rushed beside him and pulled her hand away from his.

"Usha! Go to sleep." She said in a stern voice.

He noted her name. Usha pouted and whimpered and she began to cry and kicked off her blanket. "Mummaaaaaa. The monsters in my dream, they ate you." She wailed as tears rolled down her cheek.

Janvi looked at the child horrified. Her wails were getting louder and louder. Veer moved out of the room to find something to pacify the child.

***

Janvi looked at Usha crying uncontrollably. Veer had the left the room, in horror she assumed. She tried to hug her and tell her that she was fine and it was fine. But Usha was inconsolable.

She was glad that Asha was a deep sleeper unlike her twin. She couldn't even imagine how she would've controlled if Asha woke up too.

The door opened and she saw Viren walk in again. Usha had stopped crying too and looked at him curiously.

"Has Usha stopped crying now like the good girl she is?" He asked softy.

Janvi looked at him as she thrust a glass of milk towards her. "Make her drink this." He said and left the room once again.

She tipped the glass towards Usha's lips and Usha sipped the milk slowly. The door clicked open and Viren came in again.

"Do monsters give Usha bad dreams?" Viren asked her and Usha nodded furiously.

"How fortunate! I am a monster hunter by night. Here, this is my anti-monster spray." He said revealing a can of air freshener from his back. "Where do you want me to spray this?"

Usha looked at the cupboard. He sprayed it on thr cupboard. One by one Usha pointed places and he sprayed a little air freshner there.

"Now, you're a good girl no? Go to sleep. Now." He placed the can on the bedside table and squatted beside her bed. He wiped her milk mustachr as he laid back.

"Can you stay till I fall asleep, monster hunter?"

"Ofcourse sweetie. I'll be right here. Come on now, close your eyes." He said without missing a beat.

Janvi watched as Usha closed her eyes. "There. Good girl." He said.

Janvi patted Usha in a rhythm.

***

Viren woke up squinting his eyes. He didn't even know when he had fallen asleep. He looked at Usha who was sleeping peacefully and Janvi slept by the bedside too.

He stood up carefully and tapped Janvi on the shoulder. She stirred in her sleep and woke up.

"I should go." He whispered.

Janvi nodded and stood up following him outside. He yawned.

"What time is it?" Janvi muttered turning towards the clock. "It's 2 a.m."

"Yeah...it's late." He yawned again. He was sleepy. He felt lazy and tired to drive all the the way back.

"You want to stay?"

"What?!" He looked at her in surprise.

"It's so late. Why don't you sleep here and it'll be morning in a few hours anyway.".

"Should I?" He scratched the back of the neck. "I don't want to impose on you"

"You won't be. I'll get you a blanket. Would you feel comfortable on the couch?"

He looked at the couch. It was big enough for him. "Yeah, it's fine."

***

"I told you it was no dream."

"I didn't see him."

"You were sleeping, silly. He sprayed the moster spray. It smelled nice. He really is a monster hunter."

"That's so nice. We can tell Maya that we have our monster hunter."

"Yes we can. She's so mean."

"Oh girls! What are you doing?!" Janvi rushed when she saw the twins poking him.

"Mumma I was just showing monster hunter to Asha."

"Get inside and don't disturb da-...don't disturb uncle. Get ready, I'll drop you off to Mrs. Anna's house." Janvi scolded as both of them padded towards their bedroom.

  Janvi sighed while she looked at him. He was a deep sleeper, like Asha. Her heart tugged in guilt. Maybe, it was time to tell him the truth. She brushed back his hair and they stubbornly fell back in his eyes.

     She didn't want to lose her children. But she was assured that he wouldn't take them away.

***

    Veer felt a million tiny pokes on his face and he was too sleepy to a acknowledge it, they stopped and he fell back into sleep. He just guessed it was the children but he was too sleepy to even pry his eyes open.

    He then felt someone shake him, he groaned.

"Veer....wake up....you're getting late."

He groaned and pried his eyes open. It took him a minute or two to gauge the woman in front of him.

   It was her. Her hair which was usually tied behind her head in a tight bun was open. It fell over, framing her face. The strands were were wet and he found himself parched.

   Her face was devoid of any make up. Her eyebrows were frowned and her lips were pouted. She swiped a tongue through her bottom lip and he felt himself swallow.

    In that moment, his life flashed before him like a dream. He saw being woken up by the twins jumping on the bed and over him. He saw himself cooking with her and making her taste it with a spoon. He saw them stolling alongside a road, with the kids in between. He saw him pacifying the kids after her scolding them by slipping them ice cream and her catching them and him pacifying her anger too.

    And the more he saw, the more he wanted it. He wanted it all. He wanted her. Her wanted the twins. He wanted to wake up with her for the rest of his life.

   A knot lodged in his throat. He never knew what what he wanted until that moment but it seemed perfect.

   "Veer, are you okay?" She was frowning.

     He wanted it all and he didn't want it to slip away. So he slipped his hand to her neck and pulled her closer and he kissed her.

***

A/N: vote and comment