Exiled Hearts

14: Solace in the Droplets of Rain

Sumedh

I strolled along through the forest with a cloth tied full of fruit. Her words still echoed through my head the whole time. I felt guilty. She doesn't deserve this struggle. But what can I do...?

Suddenly, a weird sensation arose inside of me, distracting my thinking. Something didn't feel right. The air around me felt heavier, my guts started tightening, and a shade of negativity disturbed my mind. Something felt really wrong...

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Mallika

"Not so fast...pretty lady," the man whispered, pulling me back. His eyes were full of lust.

I struggled to get out of his grip, but he was too strong for me. "What do you think you are doing?!" I said, raising my voice slightly.

"Don't you know what I'm doing...?" he replied back, holding onto me tighter. "I first saw you and your husband arriving here...but you didn't seem very happy. I figured you would be better off with me."

I scanned the area around me for any sort of option to get out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let me budge an inch. With no other option, I only had one thing left to do. "HELP! HELP!" I screamed, but he quickly muffled my cries for help.

He started to pull me towards the hut, but I kept strong, Struggling against his actions, I pulled him in the other way. Not liking the friction, he came over to me and lifted me over his shoulder, forcefully. But I wasn't ready to give up, I made him struggle and delay by hitting him. Frustration grew over him, and he fastened his pace, ignoring my cries. Just then, I heard the voice I was craving to hear. "Put. Her. Down. Right. Now."

Rajkumar! Thank god! A sigh of relief left my mouth as I gained back my confidence.

The evil man put me down, but then started walking over towards the Rajkumar.

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Sumedh

I did not like what I saw at all. Not. One. Bit. Anger started manipulating my words, my actions, my body.

"Put. Her. Down. Right. Now." I gritted through my teeth. And he listened. He put her down, but then started coming towards me. He's choosing to mess with the wrong person.

I walked towards him, with the same fierceness. Meeting him in the middle, he stood there looking at me. "And what do you think you are going to do? What type of husband even are you? This pretty lady doesn't deserve you - she deserves a veer purush like me," he said, trying to distract me with his talks.

"If you're here to talk, then there are better ways to do that. But for right now - LEAVE," I replied back, unfazed by his words. Brushing past him, I started walking towards her. I could tell that she was scared and uncomfortable, but was refusing to show it.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide, a look of shock on her face. "Sumedh! Watch out!" she shouted, pointing behind me. I froze. "Sumedh"..."Sumedh"..."Sumedh." I looked up at her, confused and shocked. At first instinct, I thought she had figured out everything. But the same look of puzzlement was exhibited from her face. It was an accident. Just a simple accident. Turning back around, I saw the man running towards me. I stepped to the side, pulling the Rajkumari along with me. He hit his head on a nearby tree, with much force as it seemed, causing him to fall back down. Walking over to him, I crouched down, making my message clear. "I'm warning you one last time. LEAVE. At this very moment. And one more thing - If you even pick up your head and look back at my wife with those disgusting eyes, I'll make sure you'll never be able to see again."

Seeming to get the hint this time, he stumbled up holding his head. Watching him go, I turned around to see that she was in deep thoughts.

"Starting from tomorrow, you will come with me." I looked at her for just a few seconds before turning around.

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Mallika

That night, the incident flashed through my mind over and over again as I layed down to sleep. I called him Sumedh. But I don't even know why! Slip of the tongue? I replayed his threat to the evil man. "If you even pick up your head and look back at my wife"... "my wife"... "my"...

Mystifying flutterings occurred inside of me as I replayed his voice over and over. Without thinking, I stood up and walked to the window of the hut. I peeked outside to see him sitting under the tree thinking about something. I've seen him angry, irritated, disturbed...but I never once saw him smile. These thoughts just made me more and more eager to find answers to why he brought me here in the first place. He's a rajkumar...from some secret kingdom...then what does he want to do here? He doesn't seem happy about it either. And why me?

The booming rumble of thunder, hastily, shook me from my thoughts. I jerked my head back to look through the window. He was laying down, undisturbed by the oppressive booms that filled the sky. Unknown panic started filling through me. He didn't even seem bothered by the escalating droplets of rain that crashed onto the ground. Is he crazy?! Before I could think twice, my feet started taking me outside...towards him. He didn't seem to notice me running to him, until I used the end of my sari to shield him from getting wet.

"Come inside!"

I watched as he looked up at me surprised, as if he just now realized the circumstance. "N-no no...I shouldn't. Go back."

"It's raining bad! You can't stay out here the whole night!"

"I'm telling you. I'll be fine."

"Okay be stubborn like that! I will too! I won't move from here until you do."

He hesitated, watching me get drenched. But my stubbornness seemed to have done the trick. After mumbling words of vexation, he gave in:

"Fine...I'm coming." 

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