Second Chance

Chapter 5 Her Past

'I was hungry. I still am,' says Mahi making an innocent face. 

'I can see that,' says Dev smiling and continues to ask,' I am curious whether this is a routine?'

'Only when I attend crowded parties,' says turning towards the omelette on the pan.

'You know how to cook?' asks Dev with curiosity. 

'You'll be surprised to know I am good at it,' says Mahi unapologetic at her skills. 

Dev chuckles softly at her confidence and asks,' And when will I be able to experience that?'

'Well, right now if you are hungry,' says as she tries to flip the omelette on the pan. She does the flipping but the hot butter splashes on her left hand burning it. Mahi winces at the pain. Dev quickly runs towards her. He turns off the stove and takes her hand to the sink. He opens the tap and puts her hand under the running water as she grimaces with pain.

'Just for few more seconds,' says Dev holding her hand underwater. 

He slightly moves her hand around so that water doesn't hit the burn directly. As he does that, he sees a scar on her wrist. He looks at it and catches Mahi looking at him noticing it. She quickly pulls her hand and walks to the refrigerator with her back to Dev.

'The wine bottle incident?' says Dev realising where that scar could be from. 

Mahi stops in her tracks for a second. Keeping it as casual as she could, she replies,' Hmm mm.'

'I have heard about it. If you don't mind can I ask you something?' says Dev, simply being curious. 

Mahi tries to keep her emotions intact. She guesses his question to be about the part of her life she doesn't like to talk about. It is that part that nobody could know how she feels about. So she wears her poker face and takes out the ice tray.  She turns around with a polite smile.

'Sure! You are not the first one to be curious about it,' says Mahi keeping the poker face as she takes an ice cube from the tray and puts it over her burn.

Dev smiles as he relaxes at her response. He asks,' I have been curious about how anyone couldn't have known that they are bleeding. Didn't you realise you were hurting?'

The past incident flashes in front of Mahi's eyes. She freezes where she was. She mentally jerks herself out of that day and continues keeping the smile on her face,' It's easy. I was just 17, a teenager high on hormones who dared to open her Dad's favourite wine bottle alone at home. While I was at it, I broke it and hurt myself. Clumsy of me. I was so scared to leave any evidence of my quest as I lost myself in cleaning up the place.' She pauses before she continues,' I didn't realise I was bleeding until I felt dizzy and fainted.'

'Next thing I remember, I opened my eyes in the hospital. Found Saavi Maa in front of me. Ready to scold me to hell,' says Mahi finishing up the story she has been telling to others since then. 

Dev notices something off in Mahi's expression as she narrates the incident keeping a straight face. But, he tells himself not to read too much into this. As Mahi mentions his mother, it brings him back to the present reality. 

'I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Saavi Maa,' says Mahi without faking the emotions she felt. 

'Yeah! Also, we wouldn't here if it wasn't for her,' says Dev keeping a serious face. He seemed to Mahi as if he was blaming his mother for their marriage. 

'I owe my life to her. If she didn't happen to come to the house that day I would have been dead,' says Mahi with little defence in her voice. 

'My mother has a talent of appearing at right places, at the right time,' replies Dev with a clear unpleasant expression. He continues,' like how she was there when Yashika left and how she got you involved.'