The Saxena Complexity

A Hell-a Gala

~|| CHAPTER 18 ||~

Adhir was stupefied. All his life he had seen his Rudra Bhai avoiding awkward situations. If someone ever asked him about his biological mother or his relationship about his father, he would always find a way to deflect the question. Adhir never noticed. But, his twin was a sharp observer. Abheer was a ball of sunshine with a pinch of darkness stocked away in the tiniest and minuscule corner of that ball.

With second, then minutes passing by, he felt his tequila leaving him. Leaving him all alone with a furious Rudra.

After such a grand and long speech, Rudra took a deep, relaxing breath. A breath that made him forget about his parents and people. A breath that took him away to his most relaxing memory. His secret. A secret he has held close to his heart for the past 5 years. A secret that no one can guess even in their wildest dreams.

Adhir, never one to shy away, saw this moment as an opportunity to push Rudra. He was tipsy and perhaps more blunt than usual, but he felt Rudra needed this.

"What about Aahana?" Adhir paused, looking at Rudra intently.

Rudra's expression flickered for a moment at the mention of Aahana. He could try to deny it, to brush it off, but Adhir's intense look made it clear he wasn't satisfied with some easy excuse.

"What about her?" Rudra mumbled, his voice slightly defensive.

"Do you not care about her either? Is she just your wife for name sake like I am for Raima?"

Rudra's jaw clenched at Adhir's question, his frustration building. He wanted to deny it, to dismiss it as a drunken comment, but there was a grain of truth in Adhir's words that hit him hard.

"It's different," he finally muttered, his tone resigned yet full of suppressed pain. "I don't care for her either. I mean it's clear that she hates me and it's not like I harbour special feelings for her. I dislike her too. I mean her activities, thoughts, words, everything is just distasteful. But..."

"But?" Adhir prodded, sensing there was more to what Rudra was saying.

Rudra's expression softened slightly, his tone growing more reflective. "She never hated me for the reasons everyone else does," he said slowly. "She doesn't care that I'm illegitimate. She doesn't hate me for who my parents are or the circumstances of my birth. She hates me for who I am, for my actions, for my behaviour."

"And what do you feel about that?" questions Adhir.

Rudra felt a sharp pang in his chest as Adhir questioned him, wanting an honest answer. For a moment, he was about to reply with the truth, with the complex mix of feelings that Aahana stirred in him.

But he caught himself, regaining his composure. "I feel nothing," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "I would feel something if she mattered to me, but she doesn't. So there's nothing to feel."

~_~

Abheer saw his wife standing alone at the bar with a man that he quickly recognised.

"Hey, man."

As Abheer walked up to them, Rahul and Rakshita looked up in surprise. A flicker of fear crossed their faces before they quickly plastered on forced smiles. It was clear that Abheer's unexpected appearance had startled them.

"Hey, Abheer. Long time no see."

"Yes, I mean if you choose to stay cooped up in your house for days and months, that's not my problem now is it?"

The forced smiles on Rahul's  face faltered momentarily as Abheer spoke. It was clear that Abheer's presence made him uncomfortable.

"Not all of us have the luxury of generational wealth to keep us comfortable, you know," Rahul retorted. "Some of us have to actually work hard for what we want. It's not all parties and drinks every night."