Bairi Sanam: The hate of a lover

Chapter XIV: Maafi

Tejasvin

"Sahib," I heard her shaky voice that made me turn around. I looked at her who was holding a piece of cloth against her body with both her hands in front of her chest. I lowered my gaze realising that her blouse is till untied, but she called me again.

"Sahib, I need your help," she said making me look up at her. "Can you please come out of the water?" She asked politely and I nodded.

Nearing the edge, I came out and stood in front of her. She turned her back towards me and I frowned at her action. She pulled her wavy hair to the front, revealing her bare back to me. Few water droplets were still present on her skin and some glided down on her smooth skin. I followed the path of the droplets with my eyes that slowly merged into the hem of her skirt which was tightly tied around her sleek waist. I noticed a mole on her lower back right in the middle that was hiding behind the hem of her skirt but became visible to me when she moved slightly. My eyes were busy scanning her back when she called me out again and I looked away.

"Sahib, I don't know how to tie this. Can you tie it for me?" She said holding the cloth in place at the front.

Taking the ends of it that were hanging on her either side, I brought it together at the back. Tying it into a knot, I pulled the ends to tighten it but realised that I used too much of my force when she let out a whimper.

"Ah," she said in her low voice. "Sahib a bit loose please."

I inserted my two fingers behind the knot and the back of my hand touched her warm skin. Her body stiffened with the touch, and I tugged against the knot to loosen it. I further made a bow out of it and left the ends hanging on her back. She quickly turned around to face me, and her cheeks had a tint of red.

"Thank you sahib," she said lowering her gaze.

I neared her, erasing the remaining distance between us and she looked up to meet my gaze. She began taking steps back not understanding any of it. Her back finally hit the tree trunk and she shuddered, but her eyes didn't leave mine for a moment. I placed my hands on either side of her head, encaging her between me and the tree.

"Ss— sahib," she stammered closing her eyes shut.

"Will you argue with me again?" I asked and she opened her intoxicating eyes to look at me.
She shook her head being unable to say anything as I neared her face.

"Will you yell at me again?" I asked leaning towards her face more and she shook her head again.

"Will you stop calling me sahib?" I asked and my hand moved to her back. As I rubbed my knuckles against her delicate skin her eyelids closed impromptu. I could feel her warm breath over my naked chest. 

"But I don't know your name sahib," she almost whispered with her eyes still closed shut because of the effect of my touch.

My hands advanced towards the knot of her blouse and holding one end of the cloth, I pulled on it. It undid the knot, and she immediately opened her eyes wide and placed her hands over her chest to prevent it from falling.

"Then figure it out," I smirked and moved towards another tree where I had hung my shirt. Removing it from the branch, I threw it over my shoulder and began walking towards the village. It took her some time to register what happened.

"SAHIB," I heard her shout, and a smile came across my face. "I will not leave you," anger was evident in her voice, and I kept walking without looking back. 

Ketaki

My back touched the rough surface of the tree as he kept nearing me. His sharp gaze was enough to scare anyone but somehow it wasn't fear that I was feeling in that moment. The tree bark was rubbing against my skin, making me uncomfortable but my entire focus got diverted to him when he began talking. He kept asking me questions and I kept agreeing feeling spellbound by his deep voice.

When his hand touched my back, I felt goosebumps on my skin, and I closed my eyes to control the turmoil of sensations erupting inside me. I was so lost in controlling my breathing that I didn't realise when he opened the knot of my blouse.

"Then figure it out," he said with an evil smirk and left me with an open blouse again. When I came back to my senses, I realised what he did and feeling helpless, I began shouting at him as he walked away.

"SAHIB, I will not leave you," I said gritting my teeth. I looked here and there to find some help but saw no one around.

"Ugh, what do I do now?" I said holding the cloth in place. Suddenly, my eyes moved to the dupatta hanging from the tree and I pulled it off. Removing the blouse, I wrapped the dupatta around my chest and tucked the end of it at the front. I was praying that it doesn't unwraps before I reach home. Picking up the matka and my wet clothes from the ground, I quickly ran home to change into a different blouse with hooks on it. Thankfully I have few pairs that have buttons or hooks to help me in the time of crisis like this one.

I wanted to apologize to Subhadra and Reva, and I knew where to find them at this time of the day. Taking two buckets, I filled up one with water from the well and went towards the tabela of our village where all the cows are kept. It was an open area with just a roof supported by wooden pillars where several cows were tied.

(Stable/ shed)

As I thought, they were both busy milking their cows with their backs facing me and hearing my footsteps they turned their necks around. Spotting me there, they instantly turned their heads back again without saying anything, showing their displeasure. They were sitting on a wooden stool with a bucket underneath the cows in which they were taking the milk out. My cow Chanchala was tied in the middle of theirs and I settled myself between them. They turned their heads more away from me, making me sigh.

Cupping my hand, I took some water in it from the bucket and splashed it onto the udders of the cow to wash off any dirt. Pressing the back of my thumbs against them, I curled my fingers around them, gripping them snugly. I began pulling on the udders using both my hands that caused them to stretch and release milk into the empty bucket that I had placed underneath it. The sound of the milk hitting the empty metal bucket was not helping the silence. I cleared my throat to get their attention, but it did nothing. I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking what to do when I thought of something. Turning one of the udders in the direction of Subhadra, I pulled on it, letting the milk come out and spray her.

"Ahh," she screamed turning around when the warm milk hit her back. She threw angry glares at me while I tried my best not to burst into laughter. I repeated the same thing with Reva, and she got up from her place angrily.

"I won't spare you now Ketaki," Subhadra said trying to spray me with milk too and it landed on my neck.

A laughter escaped her lips and seeing her, I broke into laughter too. Reva attacked me from behind and the milk drenched my nape. The drops of milk slid down and merged into the cloth of my blouse. I turned around to find Reva holding a bucket full of water, ready to throw it on me. I quickly stood up and holding my bucket of water, I ran away. She kept running behind me and I kept hiding behind the wooden pillars while Subhadra laughed watching us. She threw the water in my direction, but I saved myself from getting wet by running away from there. I gave her a mocking smile since her bucket was empty now but mine still had water in it. 

"Stop right there Reva," I shouted running behind her as she ran in front of me. Holding the bucket from the brim with one hand and the bottom with the other, I swung it backwards in the air and brought it forward to let the water fall on her with a force. However, she was fast enough to dunk before the water could touch her and it landed on someone else standing behind her.