Love Happens With A Twist

22

Delhi

Cheap or not, it was the best wine she has taken in her life. The sweet savour when it touched her tongue made her travel over to the sky and clouds. It calmed her. It liberated all her troubles and made her just be Poonam. The poonam that got lost in the winds of time.

Smoke vapoured out from her nose, and she released a loud moan of delight. The night was perfect. She was being herself with the guard. She was able to tell him everything about how Abhimanyu managed to lure her to marry him even though he too was intoxicated to make sense of anything she was saying.

Abhimanyu heard giggles from her inside the guard's room. His family was waiting for them in the car, and he had been searching for her all over the house, knowing she was there since she didn't know his address to return there by herself.

He went in and was not surprised to see her with a burning cigarette between her fingers or that she was completely drunk.

"Come, let's go." He held her hand and started to walk, thinking she would too, but halted as she didn't move even an inch from the bed. His temper was already at the extreme end because she disobeyed him and still drank and smoked, so he turned to ask what the meaning of her behaviour was, but he saw her sleeping on the bed when, just a few seconds ago, she was awake. The guard was also lying beside her.

"Two irresponsible people," he murmured as he picked her up in bridal style and took her out while thinking of what explanation he would give to his parents if they asked why she was sleeping.

"What happened to her?"

"Is she okay?"

"Oh God! What is wrong with her?"

Their questions attacked him at once when he reached the car.

"Father, you should drive the car and take you home. I will call for a cab," he said, as he didn't find the explanation to give them. If they find out she drinks and smokes, they will never let him marry her.

"But what happened to her? Where did she go?" He inquired, wanting to know first so that he would be at ease knowing that everything was fine with her.

"She is sleeping. When she came out, it seemed she got tired of waiting for us, so she slept off. I didn't want to disturb her by waking her up; that's why I carried her," he explained, and all of them bought the story. His father drove the car while he also went out after calling for a cab from his mobile phone. The cab reached there quickly as it was nearby, and he got in, ensuring she slept comfortably in the back seat because he left all of it for her and he entered the front seat.

****

He put her in his bed and was about to leave when her peaceful sleeping face enthralled him. He described her soft snores like the cold breeze on a December evening.

Before him was his sister's murderer. How was he able to breathe the same air as her? How, despite having strong evidence against her, was he not getting her arrested? Why was he not following the procedures of his work? Why was he favouring her when she is a cold-blooded murderer, giving her a chance? If he wanted to, he could stop her bail, even though her family is powerful.

His mind appealed to his heart on why he was letting her still be freed when he could actually let her taste life in jail, where it linked all questions to one simple answer.