Meenakshi

C15: Lovers

Aditya was aware that being a king was a full time responsibility, but he never knew that the weight of the kingdom would be so heavy on his shoulders. He would hardly get a few hours of sleep before he had to wake up and get ready for the new challenges of the next day. Nevertheless, Aditya would never trade this for anything. It was one such evening that Aditya retired to his chambers feeling overwhelmed. He was aware of the love and respect his people had on him, but he also felt quite restless. Deciding to give himself a sense of relief and a momentary break, Aditya walked to the stables and mounted his horse Badal, and rode off to the forests of Sindhi in search of peace and tranquility and maybe a certain someone. After all it had been a very long time since he saw her.

It was almost dusk as Aditya reached the forests, he dismounted his horse and tied him to a tree allowing him enough access to the grass and wild berries around. He walked towards the river as the water had turned a shade of red mirroring the emotions of the setting sun. Aditya's eyes wandered as if they had a mind of their own, searching for a certain long haired beauty who had always ruled his mind and heart. Aditya crossed the river and walked towards the forest on the other side where he caught a whiff of the faint rose and sandalwood fragrance, one that reminded him of her. He walked in the direction of the scent enchanted by the memories it reminded him of. As he took large steps to cover the small distance, he caught a glimpse of her running away. Aditya quickly sprang into action and ran behind her, trying to catch her. He was quite fast compared to her but as she sensed Aditya's presence near her, she began picking up speed. Aditya matched his intensity and called out to her to stop. But the woman paid no heed to him.

Meenakshi was feeling quite restless in her own palace and had decided to come here to calm herself. But she did not expect Aditya to come here and find her. She mused if Aditya had unraveled her mystery or if he was here just by a coincidence. She quickly hid herself as soon as she heard the sound of the horse but she was taken off guard when Aditya had slithered into the forests. She was familiar with the forests after all this was her home but all of this was new to him. She ran, slithering through the trees and ducking under the branches to escape him. She didn't want to be seen by Aditya and tried her best to avoid his pleas to stop. But that was until she heard his loud scream that was followed by a groan. Meenakshi stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly only to find Aditya crouched low on the ground with his face contorted into pain. Meenakshi's heart pained to see him in agony and she quickly ran to Aditya and crouched beside him checking his injuries. She held his leg as she saw Aditya trying to massage his feet. It looked like Aditya had twisted his feet and sprained his ankle. Before she could help him, she was softly pushed into a tree by his large body. "Caught you." Aditya whispered, his eyes gleaming in mischief as Meenakshi tried to recover from the shock. Aditya had his hand behind her head to avoid a harsh impact with the tree. Meenakshi tried to escape his hold as she felt embarrassed to fall into his cheap tricks. Before she could get away she was pushed back to her initial position by Aditya who had trapped her between him and the tree by placing his rough palm on her waist. A deep red began coating her cheeks as she tried her best to avoid his intense stare. "Do you not like me?" He asked, his voice merely a whisper but it sent tingles down her body. Meenakshi shut her eyes closed and shook her head in a no. Aditya nodded and spoke again. "Do you regret the kiss?" He asked, his heart beating loud and hard, waiting for her reply. Shying away, she shook her head in a no. "Then why did you run away from me?" He asked, his voice pained. Meenakshi looked at him and found herself feeling bad for putting him in a miserable situation.

Swallowing hard, she spoke. "It is not right of you to come here nor is it right to pursue me. I have told you this, but you don't listen. You are a king now and you must not indulge in something you might regret later." She said, her words expressing her sorrow.

"What would I regret?" He asked, his fingers stroking her soft waist absent mindedly.

"Pursuing me. You would soon be married to a princess and coming here woul–" She was abruptly cut off by Aditya.

"I want to marry you and make you my queen." His words took her off guard and she rapidly shook her head making tears fall onto her cheeks.

"No." Her voice was a faint murmur. Gathering herself she spoke again, "No. Aditya, you cannot marry me, you should not. You would hate me if you knew my truth." She expressed.

"I don't care who you are and what you are. I don't care where you are born or what your name is. All I know is that I am in love with you and I can't imagine having another woman as my wife." Meenakshi shook her head rapidly at his words. "Okay, let's not talk about this at all. Please." Aditya requested and placed his finger on her lips, shushing her. Meenakshi nodded, her heart skipping a beat at the close proximity. "By the way, you never told me your name. What do I call you?" Aditya asked, changing the mood and distracting her thoughts.

"You can call me Meena." She spoke in a timid voice, feeling extremely shy under his gaze.

"Meena. Meri Meena."

(My Meena)

Her name sounded so familiar yet foreign to her ears as he spelt her name. She parted her lips as her name rolled on his tongue and Aditya's gaze fell on her lips touching his finger. He replaced his finger with his thumb caressing her soft pink lips, wanting to remember how she would feel against his own again. Meenakshi's heart had finally decided to stop beating and stay frozen as her senses went numb with his touch. Aditya met her eyes asking for her permission. She shyly looked down, unable to give him a proper reply. She knew this was wrong but she couldn't help but be greedy just this once. One last time. She thought. Her mind and heart were at a conflict not knowing what to conclude. Taking her silence as a yes, Aditya placed his lips on hers caging hers in his. The kiss was slow and firm, as the world around them came to a standstill. The sun had set, hiding his face into the night sky, darkening the world to let these lovers continue their sweet romance without an interruption, just like their first time.

Aditya softly caressed her lips with his own, giving her enough time in the world to push him away if she didn't want him. She gave into his sweet assault as her heart overpowered her rational mind. Meenakshi reciprocated the kiss as she swallowed every caress with a caress of her own. He was a good kisser, she had to admit and had to stop herself from moaning out his name aloud. She wondered how many women he had been with before her. Meenakshi raised her left hand and wrapped it around his neck while her right palm was on his chest, above his heart, listening to its rapid beating. Aditya's right palm was under her neck holding her close while his left hand was on her waist gripping her tightly. Meenakshi fisted her palm on his chest feeling euphoric with just a kiss. Aditya slowly pulled away, feeling breathless. Aditya connected their foreheads together as their chests rose and fell in sync trying to grasp for the much needed air. Aditya placed a long kiss on her forehead and Anjali pushed her face into his chest, tightening her arms around him. Aditya chuckled softly as he crushed his Meena in his arms savoring the moment. Meenakshi felt safe and protected in his embrace just as she envisioned. His bulky arms around her lean frame provided her the love and assurance she craved her entire life. She knew she was hiding the truth from him and was worried that he would hate her, but she did not let those thoughts cloud her mind as she snuggled into his embrace. 

*********

Oh. My. God. They kissed. Again. How's the story so far? Should I put the book as 'Mature'? 

By the way, their romance can also be seen on my Instagram page, wormed_into_books. Do check it out.

Love you all for the support.