Hidden Hues Of Henna

Poora tara

Raghav watched the woman who was bandaging his hand. Her dainty hands were moving around his injured one carefully as she covered the wounded palm with the white wrap over the layer of cotton she placed to cushion it.

He did not know why she was doing this nor did he understand the concern shining in her eyes and causing a frown on her forehead but the larger shock was that he was letting her do it.But then Raghav Rao had long shed the dillusion that he would understand anything he does around and about Pallavi Deshmukh aka saree ka dukaan.

She was totally focused on the task,her large eyes narrowed in concentration but he could hear her mumbling something under her breath and ever so often she would look up and glare at him as if he had kicked her puppy.

What amazed him that she was not even a little scared or perturbed by his action.He could bet half his money that if anyone else who knew him as little as the woman before,saw him churn a glass decanter with a single hand,they would run for their lives. But the woman before him was surprisingly composed. Worried but composed.

She had dragged him to the nearest sofa and urgently asked his househelp to get a her a first aid box and rushed Farhaad to call a doctor.When he had tried to pry his hand away she had glared murder at him making him gulp down his own agitations and hold onto his seat tightly as she picked out the glass pieces and wiped away at the various cuts with the burning antiseptic fluid. For a minute he had thought she was seeking revenge from seeing him hiss and flinch at the cuts being wiped clean.But then he had noted she appeared more worried than he had seen anyone be about him.

Even now her glaring and mumbling and continuous nursing was making him uncomfortable. Unsettling him. Raghav Rao wasn't used to all this......care. If that's what this was.

"Tum kya bak-bak kar raha hai saree ka dukaan? I am not able to make out even a single word."Raghav asked finally as she left his hand to use the first-aid box.

Instead of replying to him she glared harder,the golden in her eyes coming to life jolting him a little more into soberness. Not that he was very drunk anyway. But those eyes—

A loud bang from Pallavi shutting the first aid box with full force caused him to break out of his trance and focus on her furious stance rather than the gold of her eyes.

"Gaali de rahi hoon tumhe! What the hell do you think of yourself? Are you a film hero? What was that,huh? A stunt to prove how much of a macho man you are?!" She roared startling him out of the sofa he was sat on.

"Arey,saree ka dukaan suno-" Raghav began only to be cut off rather rudely by the crazy saree lady.

"Tum suno! If at all the glass had struck a nerve or something,you'd have to spend your whole life with one hand. But Raghav Rao cares? No,no,no.Raghav Rao only cares about proving his point even if he has to jump down a well.Good then.I also dont care. I did nothing wrong! I was only here to talk-"

"Fight."Raghav interjected with a straight face."You were here to fight saree ka dukaan."

Glaring at him she pointed to his hand asking sarcastically,"Karli na fight?"She shook her head,a disappointed expression taking over her angry features,"How does one fight you when you are too busy fighting your own self?How do I prove you wrong or right when you don't even have an understanding of right from wrong?"

"And what?" Raghav scoffed flexing his injured hand, suppressing a hiss."You do? You know right from wrong?"

"That was not the point." She was quick to reply.

"Then what is your point saree ka dukaan? What is it? Do you have some sudden care for Raghav Rao who is making your life hell? Or is it some twisted form of sympathy for me,your enemy."Raghav did not hold back on the urge to sarcastic nor did he miss out on mentioning the voice in his head which pointed out her care.