Published on 17th November 2021.

______________________________

I saw my result (it was my father who saw it first) and I came second in class. I'm saved!

Traveling Lucknow was fabulous, inspite the unexpected periods. Okay, shopping was the only thing I enjoyed. Anyone from Lucknow?

And, when I returned back I fainted in the class. (I can literally write a page about how it feels jab chakkar aate hain. I've experienced them a lot) Thank God my friends were there to hold me.

» You're gonna meet someone new in this chapter. Excited??

♡ Shaamein malang si

Raatein surang si

Baaghi udaan pe hi na jaane kyun

Ilahi mera jee aaye aaye ♡

- S H R U T I -

I quietly gulped the soup I had in my bowl and looked up, only to see Rishabh smirking at me for God knows what reason. "What's the matter?" My eyebrows raised and his smirk changed into a smile.

"Nothing."

"Rishabh..." I whined.

"Remember what I told you two days ago?" He asked and I shrugged. He told me many things, how could I name one? "My wife and I had a challenge to know if I'm the right man for her." I heard him say and smiled.

I placed my hand above his and gave it a gentle squeeze, "So, got your answer?"

"I think so. As per what she told me the last morning, I know she loves me. But never got a word-to-word official statement. You know how important it is." He mumbled and I nodded while blinking my eyes.

Once upon a time this man told me that he's not good in expressing things.

And now, he was openly flirting with me!

"Close your eyes." I said and he shook his head in disbelief before moving his eyelids down. With quiet movements I stood up and leaned on the table. Before he could open his eyes, I placed a quick kiss on his lips and sat back in my seat.

"Wait! Is that a yes?" I vigorously shook my head in yes and he smiled widely. He instantly picked his chair and walked around the table to sit beside me, earning a distasteful look from a staff who was passing by. Ofcourse, no-one would like their seats to be displaced.

"Wha... what are you doing Rishabh? We're in a restaurant."

"I know."

"You better be. Well, is there any other place left to go?" Honestly, I was tired from traveling underwater. We had done many trips into the ocean to watch sealife.

"Swimming?" He said and I narrowed my eyes, "Shopping?" I thought for a moment and nodded, "I knew it." He shook his head in disbelief and I chuckled. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute."

As he left to use the washroom, I sighed and looked around the restaurant. A man walked just by the side of our table and stopped in his steps. He turned around and looked towards me keenly. To be honest, he looked a bit familiar.

"Shruti? Shruti Goyal. Am I right?" He said and I stood up from my seat. I now remember where I saw him. He was one of my blind dates my parents set for finding a groom. "I see you're married now. To your boyfriend?"

He was the sixteenth man I met and I told him I had a boyfriend whom I loved dearly. There was no way left for him to say yes for the wedding and seperate two love birds; precisely me and my imaginary boyfriend.

"Hmm... My boyfriend." I lied and he nodded.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks." I smiled and picked my phone up from the table before excusing myself to the bathroom. I couldn't answer the man's unnecessary questions. I waited inside for a few seconds and sighed when I saw the way clear. Emptying my bladder out with relief, I walked out.

"Where were you Shruti?" Rishabh, who sat on our table asked as he saw me walk out.

"Bathroom."

"Oh! Shall we go for shopping?"

"Let's go."

✨

I picked the glass and slowly sipped the sweet low alcohol drink I had in my hand. It was only a second later I felt a hand crawling over my thighs. I turned my gaze around and caught his hand which was lingering over my leg.

"Rishabh!" I called his name out and he hummed, "Keep your hands away."

"Can we go back?"

"If you don't remember we came here just fifteen minutes ago. Let's stay for a few more minutes." I said and he nodded before sighing loudly. We were tired from shopping endless entities which costed our fortune. It was easily understood from the fact that we went hand-in-hand and came back with handful of bags.

"Ten more minutes. Nothing more, nothing less." He stood up when we heard his ringtone over the loud music going on in background, "There's a call. I'll be right back." He placed a soft kiss on my head before heading out to find a silent area to attend his call.

I took another sip of my drink and closed my eyes to feel it's taste. It was sweet but sour at the same time.

"Hey!" I heard a slurry voice near me and opened my eyes, only to see a man sitting on the seat Rishabh occupied earlier. Although I wanted to make him leave the chair which belonged to my husband, I couldn't think of a proper reason.

Another con of sitting in a public area!

"Hmm..." I gave him a fake tight-lipped smile and looked around the other side of room.

"Pretty lady, should I buy you a drink?"

"No, thanks."

"There's no need to hesitate. I see you're alone and-"

"I'm married."

"Did your husband leave you alone? I can't see him anywhere." The man opened his good for nothing mouth and I looked around. I found Rishabh talking over his phone and smiled over the loss of this man. "Listen, there's no need to worry for him. We can have a drink together and maybe spend some time too."

I wanted to punch the face of this shameless flirt!

"Are you a magnet?" He asked and I raised my eyebrows, "Because I feel attracted to you." I wanted laugh aloud at the cringey and poor joke this drunk man said but held back from showing any expression.

"I told you to shut up."

"Bab-"

"Excuse me!" I heard Rishabh's voice and sighed in relief. Turning my head toward him, I saw him pacing in my direction. His face hardened and jaw clenched as he glared at the man who sat beside me, "Leave!"

"Wait, did I hear it right? Who the hell are you to order me?"

"I told you to leave."

"I am the owner."

"Shut up you loser! Just leave." Rishabh shouted and the next thing I knew was the good-for-nothing man holding my husband's collar. Rishabh punched his face and entire population in the hall gasped as DJ switched the music off.

This was not where it was supposed to go!

We were out for a date not a fight.

Before he could place a punch on Rishabh's face, I closed my eyes. I was too scared to see something bad happening to him. After sensing the silence in air, I slowly opened my eyes and found Rishabh's hand blocking his fist.

Thank God!

It was just a matter of few seconds that the bouncers came and freed them apart. The man, who turned out to be one of the owners of club gave us a warning to never wander around the place or else get ready to face the consequences. Rishabh threw at him several cursing words and held my hands before pacing out.

"Rishabh?"

"Hmm."

"There was no need to fight." I spoke as we walked inside our room.

"Are you in your senses? How do you expect me to stay quiet when he was hitting on you?!"

"It's not that I was going to say yes to him. There are many other ways to handle people like him. Violence is not the only solution."

"Say yes to him? Where does that thing even comes from?!" He shouted and I closed my eyes to hold my patience.

"Stop yelling Rishabh."

Sometimes, it's too hard to understand him.

"Wait! What was the need to talk to him! Couldn't you see he was not in his proper senses?!"

"I was not talking to him. It was him who walked up to me. All the time I was ignoring him." I said and he sighed while sitting on the bed. "Moreover, I can talk to anyone I want to. You're no-one to decide what I do."

Talking is not a crime.

He can't control me from interacting with others.

Plus, I wasn't even talking to that drunk man!

His eyes filled with anger met mine as he stood up, "You still don't understand what I mean to say. That man was drunk and high on drugs! Can you think how dangerous it is? I want you to be safe! I want the best for you!" He yelled and unfastened his watch before throwing it on the floor, making me flinch, "Yet you fail to understand me."

It was the last thing I heard from him before he walked out, leaving me alone in the room. I closed my eyes to hold the tears which were about to fall off my eyes and sniffed when I felt my nose running.

I ran to the balcony attached to bedroom and saw him pacing back and forth the open ground.

Shit!

I messed up big this time!

Twenty minutes passed by and I stood there in the balcony, watching him. I wanted to call him back but couldn't let my voice out. When his gaze met mine, I lowered my eyes and saw him leaving my sight.

He returned back a minute later and walked to the bathroom, ignoring me mercilessly. I tried to call him but he slammed the door on my face. Hearing the water running, I sighed and sat on the couch to wait for him.

Rishabh was right.

He just wanted the best for me.

I shouldn't have taken it in a wrong way.

As the door of bathroom opened, I stood up and saw him walk out in a towel.

He looked mouth-watering.

It's not the time for this!

Wearing his clothes, he lied on the bed and pulled the blanket over him. Using the toilet, I too lied on the bed and moved close to him inside the blanket. I was about to hug him from back but he moved aside, going to the extreme end of bed.

"Rishabh..."

"Go to sleep, Shruti." He said and I sighed before closing my eyes.

It's gonna be too hard to win his apology.

ow was the chapter?

Met him??