Seize Her And....

Chapter : 23

My Crazy Mrinal.

The atmosphere keeps getting gloomier. It's mostly cloudy the entire day, sun hardly gets any time to show its face. Rain starts pouring at every given opportunity, as if the sky has lost its control.

Aswini sits on his armchair looking outside the window, when he hears the known footsteps approaching the main door after a week or so. His heart beat increases. He still remembers that day when Aniruddha brought her to him because she fell from a tree and hurt herself. He remembers meeting the most innocent yet curious pair of obsidian eyes. He was reading a book when he looked at her from over it, slightly raising his head. His eyes fell on the bruise over her forehead.

"Come here, both of you." He saw Aniruddha coming towards him hanging his head out of nervousness but she never once looked down when she neared him.

"How did you get that?" He asked the kid. She had her head full of wild long hair, as a yellow saree was wrapped around her tiny self. Dust and dirt covered the left side of her body.

"I fell from a tree." She answered looking straight at him.

"Why did you have to climb a tree?" He asked sternly.

"Because I wanted to. That's my hideout." She answered with a tonality that screamed 'how could you ask such a question? it's natural'.

"Hmm. Ridhu, go bring me the first aid box and you.... sit here on the table." She looked at him skeptically but did take a seat. After a few seconds of looking at the book in his hand she asked,
"What is it in your hand?" Making Aswini look at her once again.

"This is a book." He answered.

"Umm.. will you mind if I touch it?" She asked. Too formal for a kid, Aswini thought, smiling internally.

"No." He answered handing her the book.

"Thank you." She said, giving him a smile that's certainly rare on her part. He watched her as she kept turning the pages. She understood nothing but she liked seeing it. Her doe eyes sparkled everytime she saw something new.

A few minutes later Aniruddha came back with the first aid box and Aswini cleaned her bruises before applying some ointments on them.

"Ridhu, walk her to her house." Aswini said.

"Yes baba." Ridhu answered. As he was about to turn around with her, Aswini's voice boomed again.

"You didn't tell me your name, pretty lady." He stated, making both of them turn around. She gave him that million dollar smile again.

"Mrinalini, but because you let me touch that.." She pointed her tiny finger towards the book and added,
"....you can call me Mrinal."

A genuine smile formed on his face as he began,
"Mrinal. Beautiful name. And you can call me...." he was interrupted by her giggling voice.

"'Baba', I know.... I heard Ridhu da." She said, making him freeze at his spot.
He could've stopped the innocent kid that day, but he couldn't. Because it felt weirdly good to see her smiling face, to hear her calling him 'Baba'.

And unknowingly he became one with time. Everywhere she caused trouble, everytime she did something that needed a scolding, people would come running to him. They believed she listened to him, they believed she respected him. Whenever the Maharaja left on his business trip, which is most of the time, she would spend the entire day in here, with them.