Author's POV

क्षुभित:

The whisper of wind grazed the metal as the bell of the dreamcatcher jingled. The peaceful sound vibrated through the walls of the bungalow named as —

Col. Akshay Shinde

Lt. Samyak Shinde

Vardan’s giggles filled the garden as he ran behind his maternal grandpa while Ashwini sat on the swing admiring them both.

Vardan grinned while splashing the water on Akshay & Akshay ran — playing with his younger grandson.

The sharp ring of the telephone took Ashwini out of her trance as she gestured to her father while standing up from the swing.

Ashwini's payal didn't jingle — they didn't make the sound. They were silent — free of those bells which made that beautifully aching sound.

Ashwini placed the telephone on her ear and uttered without even waiting for the other person to speak —

“Baba is not at home — I am waiting at the entrance. Come fast.” Before she could even complete her sentence, the firm voice which was edged with the gentle ache reached her ears and Ashwini's eyes widened a little, her lips parted ever so slightly, and her hold loosened while her bangles jingled near the telephone’s speaker.

“Hello — are you there?” Ashwini’s breath hitched when she realised he was still there — on the call.

She nodded — then slapped her forehead hard — then rubbed the area twice — then finally, with a shaky breath, she uttered —

“Ji-ji. We’ll be there.” Ashwini kept the phone down on its stand and ran to the couch taking her dupatta. She stepped out of the hall.

“Baba, we both are going to the garden. We'll be here in a few minutes.” Ashwini said while taking Vardan in her arms.

Akshay nodded while sitting on the swing and waving at little Vardan.

Ashwini didn't want to tell him that Amit is here because of course he won't like it that he didn't even come in the house, but she knew Amit won't come. Not when he and her brother are not on talking terms.

She knew that Amit knows she is here to spend some time with her brother — Samyak, who will soon go to his post.

She crossed the long heavy iron door engraved with her initials.

The sky was painted in orange while strokes of blue were visible somewhere. The shades of orange were scattered beautifully. It was a mess but still managed to gain everyone's attention.

Inside the car — Amit sat while the soft hum of the evening buzzed in the background. His one hand rested on his thigh while the other placed on his chin — his elbow on the window base.

But as he looked at his side — towards the area from where his wife and son would be coming — his breath caught in his throat when he saw Ashwini — her kurti embroidered with the delicate work on her sleeves and collar. She looked delicate, the loose kurta hugged her body loosely and her hair, they were braided, securely tied but some of the stubborn strand Managed to get free.

She tried to gather the fabric of her dupatta while her hair flew lightly when the evening’s cold breeze hit her. Those untied strands of her black hair irritated her while she carried herself with soft feminine grace.

Ashwini’s eyes fell on Amit's car and Amit bent towards the passenger door, opening it.

Amit shifted in his seat, his hands moved in his ironed suit as Ashwini entered.

Ashwini’s head bent a little while entering the car — her hair falling on her face while her bangles whispered through each other.

“Daddy!” Vardan grinned widely while jumping into Amit’s arms quickly.

“Yes, baby.” Vardan kissed his cheek while Amit's fingers ran through his hair — untying the knots in his curly hair — Vardan's hair were long — a bit. They coiled at the end. Amit looked at Ashwini from the corner of his eyes — his eyes caught the red vermilion filled in the partition while the mangalsutra rested on her neck, grazing the embroidered collar of her kurti and dupatta.

“I didn't miss you.” Vardan giggled while keeping his small hand on his mouth.

Ashwini sat there looking at the duo adoringly. Her hands intertwined with each other on her lap nervously.

The entire car was filled with the smell of leather, sandalwood, and something woody yet spicy.

“Oh! So you didn't miss me, huh!?” Amit bent forward, tickling Vardan with his hair as Vardan laughed while moving away from Amit.

“Daddy, lying is a bad habit, na?” Vardan asked while breathing a little heavily because of the constant laugh.

“Yes, baby.” Amit said while he fixed Vardan's t-shirt.

“Maa lied to Nanu. She said w-we are going to the garden & took me here to meet you.” It took Vardan minutes to complete the whole sentence as he said it while playing with the button of Amit's shirt.

Ashwini's lips parted in disbelief and the rosy hue bloomed on her cheeks while her eyes widened. She looked out of the window — her eyes shut a bit as she scolded herself.

Amit's lips curved up — in a smirk, but he concealed it as soon as his eyes fell on his wife.

And her eyes dropped on her son.

“What did you do today?” Amit chose to ignore it as he asked Vardan. His eyes lingered on Ashwini as she tried hard to ignore his entire existence.

“I played with Nanu & Sam.” Vardan murmured while yawning out loudly.

The shrill, metallic sound of an engine echoed on the street as a guy in his late twenties was passing by their car.

The man’s hair was neatly trimmed, his broad shoulders, and his eyes — they gleamed as sunlight kissed those orbs. His posture was straight while his eyes were hard.

“SAM!” The loud buzz of the engine stopped as Vardan yelled from the car the second his eyes caught Samyak.

[Samyak: Ashwini's brother.]

Samyak turned around — his piercing gaze moved from Vardan to Ashwini and stopped on Amit.

Ashwini’s trembling hands went to the door’s lock, but Amit was quick enough to lock it from his side.

“Sit here. I will talk to him.” Ashwini flinched at the sudden hardness in his voice. Amit gave Vardan to Ashwini as Vardan kept staring at his parents.

Outside the car, Samyak kept his bike on the stand while coming towards the car.

The car’s door got locked with a firm thud as Amit also stepped out of the car.

Ashwini's arms tightened around Vardan as she saw her brother and husband standing in front of each other. Both of them equally threw daggers at each other.

The look in Samyak’s eyes was clear — his eyes hard, distant, yet cold, were ready to kill Amit.

Amit’s eyes were filled with the haunting emptiness — the guilt which he never showed. His eyes were filled with hurt somewhere — hurt? Because his own best friend refused to understand him.

“Tu yaha kya kar raha hai? Ghar ja.” Samyak leaned down on the car, opening its door but as soon as his hand went on the door's handle Amit's hand curled around his hand firmly, stopping him there.

His eyes hard focused on samyak.

"Tu apne kaam se kaam rakh!" Samyak didn't bulge he pulled the door harder and then —

Amit's hand curled around samyak's forearm pulling him backward with a jerk.

Ashwini shivered as she saw them already on the verge of fighting. She stepped out with Vardan in her arms.

She swallowed hard when Samyak closed the door with a loud thud.

“Da-Dada,” the words barely made it out of her mouth as her eyes moved from her brother to her husband in a second.

“Tu ghar ja.” Samyak’s voice raised as his hard eyes focused on Ashwini. Ashwini hesitated — horror filled her eyes when she looked at the anger in her brother’s eyes.

“Watch your tone, Samyak.” Amit’s hard voice interjected when Samyak's voice raised. Ashwini's eyes gazed up and stopped on Amit — Amit looked at her — his eyes softened a bit as he looked at his son.

“आप घर जाइए।” Ashwini swallowed hard — her bangles jingled as she clutched Vardan tightly to herself — the worry on her serene face was visible as she tried to deny.

Amit’s voice was calm — firm, edged with an unspoken softness.

“Dada, ghar chalo. I will tell you everything, please.” Ashwini's hand curled around her brother's arm as she whispered lightly.

Her voice trembled as her brother looked at her — anger, the only thing which was evident in those jet-brown eyes.

“Go.” Samyak's hand curled around her wrist as he turned her around.

“Bye, V — I am coming in some minutes, okay?” Samyak leaned down & kissed Vardan's cheek while murmuring softly.

“Come soon. Bye, Daddy.” Vardan's voice no longer held that excitement or mischief. He replied with no emotions, just a fear — the feeling he couldn't even describe.

“Why the hell did you call her here?” Amit’s eyes were still stuck on his wife and son who had just disappeared from his sight.

“Biwi hai woh meri.” Amit whispered while his hands were stuffed in his pockets and his eyes were not ready to move a bit.

“Listen to me, Amit Kulkarni — if anything happens to her — it will not take me a second to kill you.” Samyak’s voice dropped lower — his eyes were dangerously cold, calm, firm, and held only one thing — anger. He stepped in front of Amit blocking his view.

“And make sure to not come to meet her like this again.” Samyak spat.

Amit turned around while whistling — ignoring him.

“I will kill you, Kulkarni.” Samyak yelled as Amit started the car.

“Your sister is already doing that.”

The thought which he never wanted to have. The one from wich he ran away every time till now.

Amit shook his head as if it would erase the already passed flicker of her thought.

•°. 🪷*࿐

उत्कण्ठितः

And what about Mumma? Did she have her dinner?” Vardan lay on Amit's stomach as Amit rubbed his back. His eyes focused on the ceiling while his ears paid their whole attention to the door.

The warm golden lights were scattered all over the room — falling on the bed, floor, and the moving shadows of the sprinting trees imprinted on the ceiling.

“Yesh, Mumma ate hel dinnel wid me,” Vardan murmured while rubbing his face on Amit's kurta.

Vardan and Ashwini had returned today only, but Amit was not at home — he had gone to the office early.

And when he came back, he only met Vardan in his room. Ashwini was so busy with the house chores that she didn't even know he was here.

The Kulkarni Bhawan felt utterly serene as the sound of payal grazed its walls. Ashwini's bangles jingled when she wiped her hands with the pallu of her saree. Her long hair fell open, but she didn't tie them because her hair tie was missing. She tucked the hair strand behind her ear while her eyes roamed the corridors, searching for her son.

“Vardan,” her honeyed, delicate voice echoed in the corridor, rushing through the slightly open door of Vardan's room.

Ashwini opened the door and stopped in her tracks — the melody of her anklets ceased as she saw the tall figure standing in front of her.

Her fingers fisted the pleats of her saree when Amit’s gaze dropped to hers.

Amit stepped aside, giving her the way. Ashwini stepped forward cautiously — the anklets didn’t jingle this time, only a faint sound reverberating in the quiet room, filled with the tension between them.

Ashwini exhaled deeply as she bent forward, kissing Vardan’s forehead.

But her brows furrowed when she didn’t find what she was looking for on his hand — her hair tie.

It was there on his wrist.

He had opened her hair when she was working.

Ashwini’s hand moved across the mattress, searching for it.

She straightened, fixing her pallu, her hair, and the mattress. She hadn’t even looked at him — Amit — properly in these seven days.

He had come to meet them, but she never had the courage to look up — into those dark, black eyes.

She turned around, clutching the pleats of her saree. Her eyes still wandered around the room, trying to find her hair tie.

Meanwhile, Amit’s eyes were focused on her — on how she tried to find something. Her long, black hair fell to her hips. They were open today, not tied.

That’s when his hand went to his pocket. Something black. There it was — her hair tie.

He fisted it tightly in his hand, not saying a word. He stood there, silently watching her.

And as she turned towards him — his hand moved behind his back.

He stood there with his hands folded at his back, deliberately avoiding her eyes.

“Did you see my hair tie on Vardan’s hand?” Ashwini asked, her voice edged with confidence and hesitation.

“Hair tie?” Amit tilted his head. His eyes squinted a little as if trying to remember what a hair tie was.

Ashwini's eyes swept from one of his eyes to the other, and then she looked away.

“N-nothing,” she shook her head, walking out of the room without looking back.

Amit looked at her — her hair flowing as the wind played with them — and then she disappeared.

He took a deep breath, the hair tie pressed in his palm, his fist clenched tightly around it as he exhaled sharply.

He kept the hair tie back in his pocket, then went toward the bed. Sitting beside Vardan, his fingers brushed through the boy’s hair, which had fallen on his forehead.

His brows furrowed, and his forehead creased as he looked at the hair tie intently. Even he didn’t know why he lied. He just did.

Vardan stirred. His body jerked slightly, and then a soft, painful hiss escaped his mouth.

Amit turned toward him completely, hastily removing the quilt from Vardan. His hands moved over the boy’s head, checking for any sign of injury.

But he found none.

“Mumma,” Vardan cried, but he was still in a deep sleep. His tiny hand reached out, searching for his mother.

Amit quickly arranged pillows at the corner of the bed.

He straightened his kurta as he strode toward Ashwini’s room — where she would be. Only her.

Ashwini unpinned her pallu, her hands moving to the marks that had been scratched again by Vardan in his sleep. She hissed in pain as she applied ointment, her skin burning as a soft, pained sound escaped her lips.

Amit’s hand reached out for the doorknob but stopped midair — he pulled it back, remembering the last time he had done it.

He gulped before finally knocking on the door. His knuckles brushed against the cold wood twice.

And before he could even take his hand back, the door opened, and his scent — sandalwood, spice, and wood — was overtaken by hers — rose, peach, and something fruity, something sweet that lingered in the air.

Amit’s eyes fell on her unpinned pallu as she adjusted it with her wrist adorned with glass bangles that clinked softly with her every movement. His gaze moved past her to the table where the cream was placed — she had been treating her marks.

Vardan was getting those nightmares again, and he would need her, but in his sleep, he might hurt her.

Amit took a deep breath, his hands folding behind him. Her eyes focused on him while he tried his hardest not to look at her.

“K-kuch kaam tha?” Ashwini asked hesitantly.

Amit shook his head in denial, not wanting to disturb her because he knew Vardan could hurt her in his sleep.

“Is he getting those nightmares again?” Ashwini guessed immediately when she heard the knock.

Amit never did it. He never came to her at this time. This was only the second time he had ever come to her room while she was inside.

Ashwini didn’t wait for his answer. She ran toward Vardan’s room, adjusting her saree as her sheer dark red pallu trailed behind her with every hurried step. Her fragile feet thumped against the floor while her anklets barely jingled.

Entering the room, she went straight to Vardan. One hand gently went to his hair while the other pulled him closer to her.

Her hold tightened when his tiny palms clutched her stomach desperately.

He shook, a shiver jolting through his spine as he snuggled into her neck.

“Mumma,” he said urgently, almost shouting, his voice needy and scared.

“Shh… I am here, V,” Ashwini whispered, gently rubbing his back while kissing his hair.

The fear — the horror deeply rooted in Amit's heart — was still there, haunting him every night when he saw his son crying, shaking, shouting.

His heart dropped to his stomach as he looked at the woman sleeping beside his son. Caring. Fragile. Young. A woman who had given her everything to him, to his son. And that too at such a young age.

Amit stepped into the room silently, making no sound. His eyes fell on both of them, sleeping without a quilt. Ashwini shivered from the cold, scooting closer to Vardan.

Amit took the quilt, his hands tightening on its edge, and gently covered them both.

One hand rested on the mattress beside Vardan, while the other hovered near Ashwini’s waist, as there was no space between them.

He leaned toward Vardan, whose face was buried in Ashwini's neck. Amit’s lips brushed the side of his son’s head.

He so badly wanted to hug someone — to cry, to let it all out.

He just wanted to apologize to the woman who had entered his life, his son's life.

He wanted to explain himself to his best friend, to clear everything.

But would Samyak understand him?

No.

When everything had happened, the only person Amit had thought of to confide in was his best friend — Samyak, Ashwini’s brother.

Amit stepped away silently, his eyes lingering on Ashwini’s figure. She shivered because of his closeness.

He knew she wasn’t asleep.

•°. 🪷*࿐