Hidden Hues Of Henna

Sambhal Zara

"It could only be you!Nobody else is this insensitive!"

"A person who didn't think twice before burning someone's means of livelihood would surely have not an issue with beating up an elder publically."

"You don't deserve to be called a man!"

"I was right the other night. You must be a shame to your family!"

The words,the voice,those blazing pools of hazel,that determined mouth and the sting of her slap. It was all he could hear,think or feel still.

Raghav inhaled deeply as the memory of the eventful morning again hit his senses for what felt like the hundredth time. Shock and anger still thrummed in his veins in equal measures.

The door on the left side of his cabin burst open and Farhaad practically fell into the room.

"Anna!" He panted out.

Raghav lifted his eyes to him,an eyebrow popped up in question. His face was hard as a rock and seeing his secretary gulp in terror he knew his eyes must be screaming murder.

"Anna this why I was saying don't get involved with-"

"Who is she?"

Farhaad stood a little straighter at his boss's chilly tone.

"Anna-"

"Naam bol uska!"

"P-pallavi, Anna. Pallavi Deshmukh."

"Pallavi Deshmukh.." He repeated in a whisper testing the name on his tongue, letting his menace and disdain finally have a name to target. Turning to his secretary he confirmed," Saree shop?"

"Yes Anna."

Raghva slowly bobbed his head up and down letting all pieces of the puzzle fix together in his brain.

The woman he met in the dark of the night on an empty road was no different from the one he got slapped by in broad daylight in the middle of a crowd. The only difference which stood was that whilst the first encounter had seen a drunk Raghav be a complete jerk to her,this morning was different. This morning he was only punishing an old pervert for eyeing his sister. This morning Raghav was just being an older brother.

But that loudmouth and nosey saree lady just had to be there!

In Raghav's mind,she was at fault both the times. Being nosey and misinformed seemed to be the two characterstics of Pallavi Deshmukh. He could have let her go for last night afterall he had retaliated harshly. But this morning? Not a chance.

He was still stunned more than he was enraged at her audacity to slap him and call him out publically. Not that he cared about people or gossips. But he knew for a fact that nobody in their right minds would choose to clash with him in this city,in Hyderabad.Nobody messed with Raghav Rao.It was an unwritten law. So this godforsaken annoying woman made a mistake in trying to do any different.

Slowly rising from his seat he turned the other way looking down through the glass wall of the chamber at the large expanse of his jewellery workshop below.People were rushing around or labouring hard for his approval, for his business and their livelihood which was controlled by him. How could he,who was an employer to thousands, be insensitive and selfish? He so was not. And she took it upon herself to decide that he did not deserve to be called a man just because he hit another?That woman was positively deluded and had no clue of what she spoke.

But then people have only ever judged him incorrectly. Why did he expect her to be any different? The only thing different was how her words affected him in a way he had refused to let anything or anyone else affect him in a long time.