Petrichor to his Heart

2.10

She saw his furious back and forth walk on the lawn and embraced herself to fight his anger. The men in her life didn't hear a word in the anger and always acted irrationally be it her baba or now her husband, not everyone was like Nikhil or Kaku or Farhad who were always so chilled and calm.

She looked here and there but there was no one, perhaps Farhad went somewhere or didn't come home and the driver was about to get a good dose of the medicine named RR.

She was thinking about how to broach this topic in a controlled manner so they don't end up fighting again just before his birthday.

"achha, aa gaya tum, aao aao... tumhara hi wait kar raha tha main." Raghav's voice boomed in the lawn and she shivered with the amount of fury in his voice directed towards the man making his way towards him.

She walked hurriedly towards him and just when he was about to grab the young man's collar she came between them and pushed the man aside.

"kya hai ye sab?" she eyed him after the question.

"maine tumhe puchha tum kahan gaya tha, kyu gaya tha?" he asked her eyeing the man behind her.

"But I asked him to take me despite his pleas to not go out." she challenged him but she was calm.

He thumped his feet in frustration and irritation but suddenly it jolted his whole back and he winced with the pain in his still-healing injury.

"ye akhiri galti hai tera." he gritted his teeth partially due to pain and partially to subside his anger.

She saw him going pale for a second and then trying to control himself but her conscience told him to keep quiet before the man who was trying to subdue his anger rather than venting out on someone so she waited for him.

He turned away and opened the buttons of his white shirt, he needed dressing and he was aware of the now wet patch under his jacket on his back.

"Pallavi, why don't you understand... my life is not easy and since you are also tied to me you are under threat every now and then, and to be honest..." he stopped for a moment and turned.

Closing the few meters between them he held her arms and looked into her eyes.

"you are the one who is under threat... they kidnapped you to make me restless and...

"and..." suddenly she was under some spell and the word fallen from her lips on its own.

"and they did make me restless... get this straight for once and for always you are as much precious as Amma and Keerti are." his grip weakened and slowly he stepped away.

"But you won't comply to me, now isn't it true Pallavi?" his words pricked her, he knew she didn't believe him, why could she not hear the one thing he told her to.

Perhaps it was not as simple as it sounded, she was kidnapped and she had to be grateful for her stars for she was safe.

It took her a moment to recollect her memory of the time in that scary place she was kept, she was afraid but the thought that she was not alone and Harish too was there kept her terrified soul at bay.

A person seeking vengeance would go to any limit he wanted and this time it was a father, She had to believe Raghav's words and not someone else's, no matter how painful it was at times to think about what that family went through, she could not make her husband suffer without anything solid.

She made her mind and ran to Raghav who has now entered the house and was stepping up the stairs.

She stopped at the threshold when she noticed a big dark patch on his back ruining the off-white shirt she had helped him into this very morning.