Locked down in lockdown

11-The feeling

"So why did you leave work and come back home? " She asked him starting a conversation.

"Dad asked me too," He says without further explanation.

"You could have still continued working. Did he threaten you that he would disown you and will not give you his property? " Vaani asked jokingly and he chuckled asking her how she knew.

" Seriously? " She asked him surprised and amused.

"Yes," He said chuckling. " And why did you say yes to me? " He asked her.

"Truth be told I didn't agree at first and then everyone told me to look at the brighter side of things. If I had to leave work, at least I should know that I would be living comfortably. Right? " She confessed honestly.

"Is it wrong for me to think practically like that? I can't compromise on everything" She continued not waiting for his reply.

"Hmmm, you are right." He agreed, nodding along.

They continued talking like that, and she finally asked him about his brother's wife, who was said to be a loner in their house.

" She doesn't talk to anyone in the house except for her husband. She and I haven't talked for a long time, ever since my engagement got canceled. She has an attitude and is very disrespectful," He informs her of her sister-in-law, Ashwini.

"why? how?" Vaani asked curiously.

"My engagement was just after their marriage, so on their reception day when she saw the girl I was supposed to get engaged to, she made a comment." he continues.

"What kind of comment?" Vaani askes highly intrigued by the story.

"She said that the girl is very smart and would leave me empty-handed,"

"Wow," so intuitive Vaani thought impressed.

"yeah right," he scoffs. "I did not like her comment but she was right about the girl" he admits.

"hmm, about the girl. Why did you break the engagement?" Vaani asks hesitating a little.

"The girl's parent had lied to her about my age and she was very young then and also she had a boyfriend" He informs her with a sad tinge in his voice.

"How did you know?"

"I had gifted her a phone after our engagement and when we started talking she blamed me for lying to her about my age. It wasn't even my fault."

"hmmm"

"and then I got to know about her boyfriend and he was a photographer. I even went and met that guy in a railway station. He was going somewhere. He was just doing time pass with her not serious at all. So, when I asked her to admit the truth in front of her parents she denied it and said she would commit suicide and all. Then my best friend Nithin got her call logs from his friend who works in that field. I showed it to her parents and then we broke the engagement." He recalls telling the whole story.

That was the reason her uncle had told her not to accept the phone from him. Everyone knew that it was after he gave the girl a new phone, he had found about her affair.  Everyone was doubtful whether he had bugged her phone.

"Hmmm" Vaani hums quietly recalling her mother informing her about that. Even Syed had warned her jokingly to be careful.

"If you don't believe me I still have the proof" he takes out his phone in a hurry without wasting time trying to prove himself. She did not want that, as she didn't care about his past. If had cared even the slightest then she wouldn't have been in this situation.

To Vaani, she could tell that this incident had impacted him in some way that's why he was so cautious about her, asking if she had something with Syed.

"You are still affected by that thing I can tell? But don't think that just because she did that I would do the same. Not everyone is waiting to cheat you"

"Yeah, you are right. It took me a year to finally come out of it and agree to get married again. It had been 3 years since then. But I am with you now," He sighs happily.

"Hmmm, I have to pee," Vaani comments taking him by surprise, not being able to hold in now. Though she was a little embarrassed to say this out loud to him, she didn't have a choice.

She could not hold in any longer sitting in the same place for an hour or so."Me too," he admits shyly, showing his teeth.

"Ok, I'll just go look for a place and you go somewhere else," She said, leaving the car in a hurry.

On her right side, there was a corn farm, with trees surrounding it. Finding a good spot, she went and relieved herself happily sighing in content. Nothing in the world gives you more relief and happiness than relieving oneself after a long time.

Walking back, she knew that he was looking at her through the window making her conscious of herself. She knew he would be checking her out as he had told her that she looked in jeans.

"By the way, what are you going to wear at home after marriage?" he asked when she sat inside. They had started to drive now, as they saw someone coming in a cycle from the opposite direction.

"umm, clothes. why?" She answered sarcastically waiting for his reaction.

"ha. ha. funny. I was asking if you would wear a saree or something?"

"Woah, can't wear a saree daily. It's too much hassle." She commented

"Yeah, but you can't wear pants and a shirt in front of my parents" he comments worried as if really imagining her in those.

"I know that. I will wear suits" she said, as a matter of fact, she was not that stupid.

"hmm, ok good." He agrees and stops the car, just near the turning to return to the civilization. Though there were some vehicles here and there, she still didn't like him stopping the car like that.

"Why are we stopping here now?" She asked, feeling the unease in her stomach.

"I want to have a drink, here take one" he offers, taking the cover he had bought from the back seat.

They drink silently for a while, talking here and there in between but it was already 3 in the afternoon, Vaani had to go back soon. She even had to pick up her sister at 4.

"Hmm, so, Even though I didn't get a hug, we will not leave unless you give me a kiss," Vikrant smirked mischievously.

Vaani sighed unhappily because he was still not ready to leave the topic. It made her highly anxious.

"Not this again. I told you I don't like it" she groans in frustration shaking her head avoiding his gaze. He was looking for an opportunity to jump on her like a rabid animal. He checked in his rearview mirror for any oncoming vehicles and then in the front.

Finding the place a bit empty, he learned quickly, but Vaani was attentive and swifter in her actions, turning away her face in time and holding his face in her palms.

She wanted to beat him, as he was literally forcing himself on her. If this would have been just a relationship she would have kicked his ass just then and there and left but this was not the case. Having gone through many incidents in her childhood, the traumatic past was hard to forget and move on, but now this guy was trying to bring all that back and all at once.

"What, just let me kiss you at least once" He requested, with a creepy smile on his face., not even slightly embarrassed.

She was not able to understand his behavior. Acting like a kid who just couldn't keep his hands to himself even when told several times. It was getting on her nerves.

This time he did manage to kiss her on her right cheek when she was far deep in her thoughts taking her by surprise. She gasped out loud, cupping her face. She did not know whether to laugh or cry in this situation.

"Please start driving or I will climb down" She warned him, unable to take it anymore. Maybe he was finding this all romantic like in those old movies where the hero chases after a girl even though she doesn't like it.

"Why?" he asked confused not even bothering to look at her, he was still looking at the clear road to kiss her one more time.

This time when he tried that, Vaani shielded her head, protecting her face with her hands and keeping her head on her lap. She was not going to show him her face.

"Vaani, what are you doing?" Vikrant asked trying to drag her in a sitting position, but she was not willing to cooperate now.

"Start driving. I won't say it again" Vaani commented her heart thudding in her chest.

"Ok, I am driving." He agreed and started driving. All this while Vaani was very tempted to scream at him or maybe hit him in the head.

"Why don't you want to hug me or kiss me, yet?" He asked her, " You don't like me?"

"It is not about being liked or not. I told you, I am not going to do any such thing before marriage, I just don't want to." She tells him again, wanting to drill it through his thick stupid brain.

Though she did not say it out loud, she had a small inkling as to what he must be really thinking. He like any other guy was thinking that she did not like him as much as compared to Syed. That was exactly what was going on in his mind. 

The actual truth was, Vaani was scared about these things. Many relations break before marriage due to some reasons and they were not even engaged yet, She felt wrong doing anything. 

It was not very difficult for him to break off his marriage as he had done the last time without any remorse. In case something went wrong between them, then she did not want to live with the burden of such memories and moments for the rest of her life.

She did not believe him that much to follow and do whatever he says. She was not going to give herself, not until their marriage to him willingly.