Chess & Checkers

3. Smoke and Roses

The atmosphere became charged with tension as Murtasim forcefully closed the door to his office. Leaning against the door with one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip, he rubbed his temples and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. However, any progress he had made quickly unraveled when Meerab whispered his name, reigniting his anger.

Growling, he turned to face her, ""Mana kia tha na..." he growled, "Mana kia tha na wahan aane se? Tou phir kyun aayi?" he shouted, demanding to know why she had disregarded his instructions. His voice grew louder, each step bringing him closer to her, like a lion closing in on its prey. Meerab, though filled with rebellion and underlying anxiety, stood her ground, pushing back against his attempts to assert control.

"You forgot the papers, mai bas woh dene aayi thi" she explained her purpose for coming, but Murtasim's anger flared up,

"BHAR MEI GAYE PAPERS YAAR!" he screamed, dismissing the importance of the papers and shouting at her. He grabbed her arms, his tone low and threatening, creating an intense and uncomfortable atmosphere, "jab mai ne tumhe mana kia tha ke wahan mat aana, tou phir kyun aayi?" He asked. Meerab, however, refused to yield, pushing him away as she challenged his authority.

"So what if I went there? Why is it such a big deal?" She retorted, using a bit of force to push him back, prompting him to take a surprised step backward. His brows furrowed as she continued, "It was a meeting, and I had intended to attend even before. I agreed when you told me not to, but that doesn't mean you have the right to boss me around like this."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Murtasim asked, bewildered by her words.

"I hear myself perfectly! It's you who needs to listen, Murtasim," Meerab snapped, pointing a finger at his chest. His eyes shifted from her face to her finger and back. "I went in there for a reason. My presence there wasn't wrong. What you did was wrong, Murtasim," she stated, jabbing her finger at his chest again.

"If the papers were so important, you could have just given them to Audrey! Why did you come yourself? Despite my refusal. Doesn't my opinion matter?" He argued, trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths, but Meerab's persistent challenges seemed to thwart his efforts. "I tried, but she wasn't there. That's why I went myself," she countered, refusing to yield.

"Do you even realize how that despicable man was looking at you? My heart wanted to bury him alive right there," Murtasim growled. In that moment, his tone and body language evoked the image of a dangerous animal for Meerab, yet she couldn't back down from the confrontation, continuing to tread on perilous ground.

"Roz hazaron mard aisi nazron se hazaron auraton ko dekhte hain. Sab ki jaan lou ge?" she retorted.

His patience hung by a dangerously thin thread, and each of Meerab's questions fueled the raging fire within him.

"Mujhe sab se farq nahi parta!" Murtasim snapped, taking a step closer to her, lowering his head slightly so they were face to face, "mujhe sirf apni biwi se farq parta hai," he growled lowly marking his territory with a tone that made it clear he would not tolerate any trespassing.

Murtasim's words intensified the fire within Meerab, her eyes widening in anger. She gritted her teeth, holding back indecent words poised on the tip of her tongue. Then suddenly, instead of giving into the urge to curse, she chose words designed to sting Murtasim, "Nahi houn mai tumhari biwi!" she spat venomously, preventing a smirk from forming on her lips as she mentally applauded her defiance when Murtasim seemed momentarily taken aback.

However, the respite was brief, as the fire quickly returned to his eyes, and he grabbed her arms again.

"Tum hou!" he growled again, his voice low as he brought his face dangerously close to hers. "Tum chahe ya baat manou ya na manou. Lekin tum meri biwi hou. Aur jis din tumhe iss baat ka ehsaas hoga, uss din tum boht rou gi Meerab, yaad rakhna meri baat" he spat back, reminding her of a harsh reality she was reluctant to accept. He let go of her roughly, turned around, and ran a hand through his gelled hair, seething with frustration.