Wherever You Stray, I Follow (Kunwar Pratap/Ajabde [PrAja])

23//~broken promises~

edited.

it's terrifying to know that sometimes,

love breaks.

"Kunwar Pratap!" Kartikey bellowed at the top of his lungs looking furious. 

Ajabde was already exhausted from the events of that day but felt a panic rise within her as Kartikey advanced toward the pair. Where had he popped out of? Kartikey could not have come at a worse time even if he tried.

"Ka-kartike-" he didn't even let her finish her sentence as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the cover of her back porch to the front of the house, the center of the village. People began gathering instantly and Kunwar Pratap followed behind, having no sense to leave.

"Hum aapko sab samjha-ah!" Ajabde yelped as he twisted her wrist and tightened his grip.

"Usse dard ho raha hain murkh! Chhodo usse!" Kunwar Pratap yelled but as he stepped forward, Ajabde motioned for him to stop where he was.

She looked around, so many people had gathered at the commotion and they were already whispering amongst each other.

"Dekhiye, hume andaar chalke baat-ah, yaha tamasha ban raha hain," Ajabde tried telling Kartikey. 

"Tamasha to banega hi na ab! Ajabde tum samjhti kya ho apne aapko!?" he yelled. He let go of her wrist as she struggled to free herself.

"Aap jo samajh rahe hain aisa kuch nahi hain. Hum batate hain-"

All of her attempts to console him were futile. He simply did not want to listen to her (understandably) but he was creating a scene in front of the entire village and Ajabde had little to no energy left within her to continue fighting.

"Aur kya bataogi tum! Tumhare najane kitne nakhre jele ki vivaah ke liye eetna to kar hi sakta hoon par tumhari pagalta ki koi hud hi nahi hain!" he screamed in her face. She swallowed. That definitely hurt whether he said it in a fit of rage or not.

"Apne sapno se ghadit duniya mein jeeti ho, mera pati mera saath dega, mujhe yeh mujhe woh! Sab jhela maine." he mocked her dreams. All the things she had confided in him.

"Main tumhe saman sahit doli mein bitha ke apne apne ghar ki sobha banane wala tha aur tum yaha maze loot rahi ho iss Pratap se?" he yelled.

Ajabde had already a fresh flow of tears flowing down her cheeks with no possible way of containing them. She was completely drained. Her vision was blurry and her ears were filled with the sound of constant roaring.

"Yadhi aap humare baare mein aisa sochte hain to humse vivah kyun karna ch ahte hain?" Ajabde asked weakly.

"Are bhul ho gayi meri maa! Tujh jaisi lalchi ladki ka moh rakha. Mere pass kya kuch nahi par rajkumar to nahi hoon. Jo tofe woh deta hoga woh to mein kabhi nahi de pata," he told her.

"Kartikey, aapto aisa mutt kahiye. Aap jaante hain, bohoth pehle se ki veh humare mitra hain. Aapke kehne par humne ek kshan mein naukri chhoddi. Mahal chhod diya aur aap keh rahe hain ki aapse adhik mahatva diya humne Kunwar Pratap ko?" Ajabde asked in an attempt to defend herself but contrary to her, her words had little effect on him.

"Ajabde, yeh tumhare haath pe ghav kaisa. Kya mein vedji ko bula lao?" Charumati intervened, looking pointedly at her right arm. She looked down at her arm. The mark was completely exposed and visible to everyone.  

And upon Charumati's great intervention, the mark had everyone's attention as well.

Ajabde had very colorful words for Charu Chalu which she chose to keep to herself along with the thousand different ways she came up with to torture Charu Chalu