Touch Her And... (Completed)

Chapter 29

"He seemed to be genuinely concerned." Ashok said. He was sitting on the usual rock beside Aditya. It was afternoon already. Aditya's eyes were closed. One who didn't know him would have considered him asleep. But Ashok knew him too well to understand that this means the news was bothering him. "Umm..It's good isn't it? At least she will be able to see the Puja." Ashok continued to look at him but he didn't budge. When he kept on being like that Ashok lost his patience and shook him by his shoulder. "Adi.. don't you have anything to say?" Finally the honey brown eyes opened but what they displayed seemed dangerous. "Does she know?" He said. Ashok did not like the tense tonality. "She probably doesn't? Why? See Adi, I know you two have some personal issues but she should not be dragged inside it" Ashok said. Aditya stood up to leave while he said,"Yes, that is what I don't want and I would never tolerate. Nobody should dare to play with her, especially because she belongs to me!"

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"What?" Shouted Ambika. She was standing in front of her father. "You do not need to react, we still obey Boro Saheb's orders only. Officially Pratap might have become powerful but that doesn't change our tradition. My daughter's actions should be controlled by me and that he should know." Said Purohit ji. "But baba.." Ambika tried to say something but she was not allowed as her father raised his hand in front of her face and said, "there is no 'but' Ambika, you will do whatever I'll ask you to do. He wants your words? You go to him right now and tell him that you don't want to be a part of this Puja." He said again. "But I don't even know him baba" said she. "And you don't need to. You are going for a cause. The cause ends, the matter ends." Purohit ji turned his head towards the door and indicated her to do as he had commanded.

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The whole room was dark. The curtains left no place for even a small ray of light. Pratap was lying on his bed with his left hand crossed over his forehead. Suddenly someone knocked on his door. He knew his father will never come to his door. It was either Savitri aunty or any of the servants. He didn't feel like talking to any of them right now.
"I don't feel good right now, come back later." He shouted and then he heard the sound of the nupur, the tiny steps getting away from his door. He sat up within a millisecond and jumped out of the bed. He picked up his black kurta,ran towards the door and opened it as fast as possible. He could see the perfectly sculpted figure nearing the staircase.

"Wait!" He shouted and the figure paused there. She turned around to face the replica of the person she had grown up with, only with a single difference; the light gray eyes.
She immediately folded her hands in a namaste and said, "I am really sorry to disturb you Chhoto (small) Saheb. I am Ambika, my father is the Purohit of the Shiv temple." He was standing at the door. His eyes were stuck to her lips which were moving in an attractive manner. He finally looked at her eyes; the eyes which took away his sanity. Deep down he knew if he was given the opportunity he would have made this bundle of curls, these thin lips, these husky doe eyes his forever.
"Come inside." He managed to say. She bit her lips to this and he understood her discomfort, "only if you feel comfortable" he added. His heavy voice, his commanding attitude was not something one could ignore. She came close to the door and noticed that he was blocking the door with his hand. He put his hand down so she could enter.
"Can you please turn on the lights. I am sorry but I can't really see anything." She said. "The switches are on the wall beside you. Turn it on if you don't mind." Pratap said and stood there at the door looking at her. She was turning the lights on and he was fighting with an unknown sensation that took over his body. Her smell made him numb to the core. He kept himself stuck to the door as if moving any closer to her might cause something dangerous.
She turned around and looked at him confidently. "I have come here to inform you about few things Chhoto Saheb." Her words brought him back to the earth again. He crossed his hands over his chest and said, "go ahead."
"First of all thank you for your concern. I will be always grateful. I might never have done something like that for an absolute stranger but you did. I can never thank you enough." Ambika continued saying and he continued devouring her beauty. " But.. umm.." she stuttered. "But what?" Pratap asked. " I don't want to be a part of that celebration. I have been inside there for ages. I don't expect anything else. I celebrate it on my own and I am used to it. So, thank you so much but I don't want to go to the temple while the celebration is going on. That's it." She finished saying, folded her hand and got ready to leave when the cold and heavy voice said , "if you don't want to join no one will force you but if I ever get to know you took this decision for someone else's sake I can't take guarantee about what might happen to them." She narrowed her eyes and said, "why would you do something to anyone at all? And why are you being so much concerned about my freedom? Trust me I am capable enough to do things for myself." She said looking straight in his eyes. He didn't say anything just kept on looking at her in awe. He can't remember a single soul apart from Aditya who had the guts to look at him straight in the eyes, and oppose him, not even his father. This was a first and his eyes said that he was liking it.
Ambika smiled gently and said, "however I respect your perspective. Thank you very much ." He hung down his head, then smirked and shook his head. "Do you even know who you are talking to with this audacity?" He started advancing towards her, with his hands inside his pockets. His arrogant voice holds up a stark contrast between both the brothers. The intensity of his words startled Ambika. She stood there without saying anything for a moment. He came even closer to her. She stood there like a wooden statue. He was too tall for her and she understood it better when he towered over her. "Nobody dares to talk to me like that. Especially because I don't allow them." He whispered.
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