Unwanted

Chapter 12

Archit

But then again she's cute when she is angry.

I made my way downstairs while yawning. I entered the dinning room and sat down to have my breakfast. Priyodorshini, Priyangshu and Baba were already there. Baba was having his breakfast while Priyodorshini was feeding Priyangshu.
"Look who woke up from hibernation just now." Said Baba.
"Is it a time to wake up?" Baba asked me in an irritated tone.
"Baba. I am married now. Don't scold me infront of them." I whispered to him, earning an eye roll from him.
I served myself some paratha and potato curry. Looks delicious.

"Last bite." Priyodorshini said while trying to feed Priyangshu some paratha.
"No." Priyangshu said earning a glare from Priyodorshini.
"You should listen to your Ma sweetheart." I said.
"Stop lecturing him when you, yourself don't listen to anything I say." Baba said making me blush due to embarrassment while Priyodorshini and Priyangshu giggled. I tore the paratha and put it in my mouth.

"Accha Ma."
"Yes?" Priyodorshini replied to Priyangshu while feeding him.
"What should I call him?" Priyangshu asked innocently while pointing towards me.
Priyodorshini looked at me while I looked at her. Baba was busy eating.
"What should I call him?" Priyangshu asked again while chewing his food. Priyodorshini stayed silent. I immediately understood that she didn't want to talk about this right now.
"You shouldnot talk while eating." I said to Priyangshu, trying very hard to change the topic. Priyodorshini must be uncomfortable disscusing it here.
"Ok." Priyangshu nooded his head in agreement.
"Good boy." I said to Priyangshu.

●●●●●●●●

I sat up and looked at Priyodorshini who was lying beside me, patting Priyangshu's back while singing him a lullaby. It was already night time, It felt like the day had gone by in a blink. I was feeling sleepy.
"Has he fallen asleep?" I asked Priyodorshini.
"Hmm." She replied back sounding tired.
"How was your day?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"It was alright." She answered back.
"What do you like to eat?"
That was probably the most random question of the world.

"Anything. I am not a picky eater." Priyodorshini said with a smile.
"No, I mean what do you like the most?"
"Fish curry." She said after thinking for some time.
After that I stayed silent for awhile as I didn't know what to ask about. Should I ask her about what Priyangshu said at the dinning table? I probably should. I thought to myself.

"Priyodorshini." I said.
"Umm. Priyodorshini, umm, I think, we should talk about, what Priyangshu asked during breakfast." I said with hesitation. For some reason I was feeling very nervous.
Priyodorshini stopped patting Priyangshu's back and looked at me.
"Oh, so that was why you were suddenly talking to me." She said with a sigh.
"N-no. Not at all. I act-"
"You don't need to be concerned about it." Said Priyodorshini.
"But, Priyodorshini I think we should talk abou-"
"No need."
"But-
"Archit." She said while sitting up.
"Neither do I think of you as my husband nor does Priyangshu consider you his father." She said in a serious but sad tone.
"He probably sees you as his friend." She said making me feel a little insecure.
"Priyodorshini, I just want to-"
"Don't meddle in our lives. " Saying this she lied down. She turned to the other side.

I stayed silent.

I took my pillow and got down on the floor.
"Good night." I said to Priyodorshini while lying down on the floor.
I got no answer.
"Good night." I don't know why but I repeated myself. Maybe she'll talk to me this time.
Priyodorshini stayed silent.
"Good night." This time I repeated my words a little louder, hoping to get an answer. But, the only thing I recieved was silence.

Feeling a little sad I closed my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.
The floor felt cold but not as cold as Priyodorshini's behaviour. My bedroom was dark, it was devoid of any kind of sound. Silence prevailed in the room. The floor felt uncomfortable, my back was hurting. I tunred around in an attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep in but, it was of no use. I kept on tossing and turning. I looked at Priyodorshini, she was lying on the bed beside Priyangshu. I wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep or not as the room was dark.

I was having a hard time falling asleep, I kept on thinking about earlier, about our situation. Eventhough we are married, I still feel like we are strangers. I turned around again, it seems like Priyodorshini has no intention of getting along with me. Why does she hate me so much? Am I so undiserving of love? I thought to myself. I turned around.
There was an unknown melancholic feeling lingering on my mind. I felt restless. I felt a lump in my throat. A tear slipped down my eye. Don't cry right now. I tried to calm myself down but failed to do so. Why do I have to suffer just because my father wanted a heir for his company? Another tear slipped and soon I become a crying mess. Why do I have to endure this? I tried my best not to make a sound as I didn't want to wake Priyodorshini and Priyangshu up. God, why is my life like this? I never asked for this. I didn't want this. I hate this. I hate it here. Baba dislikes me, Priyodorshini dislikes me. Everyone in this house hates me. I wish I could just disappear and never come back. I just want to vanish. I just want to stop exsisting.

A few hours had passed since then. I was still awake. Suddenly I heard a noise. I turned around and saw that Priyodorshini was getting down from the bed with a blanket. I closed my eyes again. I could feel her coming towards me. She came close to me and stood beside me for a few minutes before covering me with the blanket. She crouched down and adjusted the blanket properly. After finishing her work she got up, walked to the bed and lied back down.

I smiled due to her actions.
Dube dube jol khawa.
[Note: it is an idom which means 'to act surreptitiously.' ]