Tales of SaiRat (Completed)

Beneath The Stars_A SaiRat TS_Part 2

Sneaking out of Chavan Niwas so late at night was no easy task, but Virat was a Police Officer for a reason.

Sai had not spoken a word since she climbed into the passenger's seat beside him in the car. He glanced at her, only to find her looking at the path beyond the window, worried.

"Kya hua, Sai?" he asked, breaking the ice.

She shivered at the sudden question, and stared at him.

His eyes on the road ahead, he asked again, on receiving no answer, "Kya hua, Sai?"

"Virat sir, humne jo abhi kiya hai na... mujhe bahut dar lag raha hai. Galti se bhi kisiko pata chal gaya ki hum itni der raat bahar gaye the... humari toh khair nahi."

Chuckling, he said, "Aisa kuchh nahi hoga, main hu na tumhare saath."

Passing another glance at her, he saw her relax a little at that statement, as if she just realised Virat was accompanying her.

"Par aap yeh toh bataiye hum abhi kahan jaa rahe hai?" Sai hopefully asked.

"Sai... maine kaha na, woh sab tum mujhpe chhod do," he replied, turning right.

When he next saw her, she was frowning.

"Sai... abhi bas kuchh der ki hi toh baat hai. Jab pahuchenge toh khud dekh lena-
Lo, aa gaye!"

They stopped before an entirely empty and quiet place. As they stepped down, the long, green grass tickling their feet and ankles, he saw Sai staring at where the green sheet of grass and the dark veil of the sky met.

"Sai, upar dekho," he whispered into her ear, sliding his right arm past her waist.

She obeyed and looked up, and resultantly, her face was shining with the same glow as the hundreds and thousands of stars above her.

After a moment of pause, as she took in her serene surrounding, she said, "Yeh kitna khubsurat hai na?"

"Tumse zyaada nahi, par han, khubsurat hai," he said, not realising what he said, and smiled at her.

"Ky-
Kya?" a flustered Sai asked.

"Kya 'kya'?" he asked.

"Kuchh nahi..."

"Tum woh sab chhodo, aur yahan baitho," he said, pointing at the ground.

"Yahan?!" she gasped.

"Han, Sai, yahan. Ab baitho," he said, making her sit down, and sitting beside her.

"Kaisa laga yeh tumhe?" he asked.

"Bahut bahut bahut achchha! Thank you so much, Virat sir!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Taken by shock, he could not react for a moment, but as he realised his wife was in his arms, his left-over worries disappeared as he wrapped his own arms around her, smiling into her hair.

When they pulled away, he cupped her face as he kissed her nose, completing the task he had to abandon that evening, and then his lips met her forehead, and his hands met hers.

"Sai..." he called out softly.

"Hmm..."

"Lay down," he said, spreading his right arm as he lay onto the grass.

It seemed, after the day's constant skepticism, she had finally decided to listen to him without asking any questions because she just quietly obeyed and lied down, her head onto his chest, his arms around her, supporting her.

"Sai..."

"Hmm..."

"Tumhe kaisa lag raha hai?" he asked.

"Sach bolun, Virat sir, toh man kar raha hai ki samay ko yahi rok du. Mujhe nahin jaan na aage kya hoga, mujhe bas... bas aise hi humesha rehna hai."

He smiled, as the crickets chirped in the distance, abandoning every last ounce of worry as he wrapped his arms tightly around Sai and kissed her hair.

Perhaps the evening had begun not so nicely - that is, when to be said in a polite way - but he could not think of a better way to end it.

Thus, he forgot about all that happened this evening. After all, all's well that ends well.