His Arranged Wife

Her Story

I leaned against the balustrade of the terrace as the cold breeze of winter hit my skin making me shiver when I felt a shawl draping over my shoulders. I looked back to find Rudra beaming a smile at me.  The smart watch in his hand lit up displaying the time as it reads 4 in the morning.

He said when he came back an hour ago, he found me unconsciously lying near the couches and that almost terrified him as he tried to wake me up but I was not giving him any response. He laid me on the bed, cursed the people for not fixing the electricity problem.

When I woke up after his breakless efforts, I was crying and he let me cry until I was out of breath and also in tears. He brought me to the terrace to get some fresh air and although it's chilly here, it feels relaxing. 

" Here you go." He said while handling me a cup and I brought it to my nose and sniffed as a pleasant, calming aroma hot my nostrils.

" I thought you brought coffee for me. What is this? " I smiled at him as he stood beside me with his own cup, keeping the tray a little far away from us.

" It is my favorite drink. Chamomile tea. Have a taste." He said while inhaling the aroma and I smiled at him while taking a sip. It tasted sweet like honey and also had a flavor of apple. 

" So refreshing!" I exclaimed and he chuckled. Nobody said anything after that as we took a sip from our respective cups while looking at the garden then up at the sky which was dark yet beautiful.

" Will you mind sharing it?" He spoke while keeping his cup down and my grip around the cup tightened. It is not easy for me to unveil my scars but it won't be fair if I hide it from him. I would be lying if I said that I don't care about his reaction. 

" I have heard that you are a.... Perfectionist." I said and he looked at me, amazed.

" Who told you that?"

" At first it was my sister and then the people who know you. Even the cab driver told me so." I said and he smiled at me.

" That's just a tag given by the magazines. It's a quality of leadership nothing serious. I am not perfect in several ways, so how do I expect people to be perfect? It is just that I like the people who do their work perfectly or learn from their mistakes and improve." The way he explained, it was clearly evident that he knew what was processing in my mind.

" If that word makes you worried then let me clarify it for you. Shridha, one day we are going to get married, how will we trust each other if we are not ready to accept each other's scars? Attraction is a good feeling but what about after that. How are we going to spend the whole life together without knowing each other? " His words gave me a little confidence as I kept my cup down and looked up at him.

" I am scared. I am scared that I have so many flaws and once they are naked to your eyes, you will run away." My eyes deceived me from looking away as it was locked with his. He stared deep into my soul as the silence engulfed us. I shivered as the passing wind hit the back of my neck. Rudra came to closure as he cupped my cheeks without averting his gaze.

" I promise, I won't run away. When I said that I like you , I meant every being of you. All of you." His tone was soothing and the words were promising. 

Yes, I am a person who believes in action more than words but when I am with him, I never think of actions as his words always melt me. 

He leaned and touched my forehead with his lips and I closed my eyes. This was the first time I was being kissed for being imperfect. I was being adorned for my flaws. My heart ached as eyes watered and a lone escaped from the brim of my eye. He kissed my tears and then hair.