Bairi Sanam: The hate of a lover

Chapter XXVII: Ehsaas

Tejasvin

We went silent again for some time, but it was disrupted by the flapping of wings, and I saw Jabaaz flying towards us. I extended my arm folding it at the elbow and he settled himself on my forearm.

"Looks like someone else can't sleep either," I said, and he shrieked in response. I looked at Ketaki who was looking somewhat scared of him.

"Jabaaz, you need to apologize to Ketaki for scaring her the other day," I asserted, and he lowered his head and made a sound. She smiled weakly in return but still looked afraid.

"You ordered him to do that. So, it's you who should be apologizing," she said, and I turned my torso slightly to face her.

Lowering my head in front of her, I said, "I'm sorry Ketaki."

"Arey sahib I was just messing with you, please don't do that. You have taught me to keep my head high and now you can't just bow your head in front of anyone," she said immediately.

"Not anyone, just you. For how I treated you," I said looking at her and she smiled accepting my apology. "And he just looks scary," I said caressing Jabaaz and forwarded my arm in her direction on which he was sitting. 

"Bring your arm forward," I instructed her, and she brought her arm to the front hesitantly. Jabaaz went and sat on her shoulder instead of her arm and hid his head in the crook of her neck. He moved his head against her cheek showing his love and acceptance and she giggled feeling ticklish. I rolled my eyes at this sight.

"Seriously Jabaaz?" I said and she giggled more. She looked less fearful of him now and was slowly getting comfortable with him. She moved her forearm towards him, and he transferred himself on it. She began caressing his fur and pecked his head lightly, making him shriek in happiness.

"Dagabaaz nikle Jabaaz tum to," I said, and she laughed mockingly at me.

(You turned out to be a traitor Jabaaz.)

Ketaki

Jabaaz flew and sat on my shoulder showing love towards me in his own ways. I could sense his owner getting jealous seeing us get cozy and it made me giggle. I was fearful of him at first, but he turned out to be such a gentle being to say the least.

"Should we teach him a lesson Jabaaz?" I spoke caressing his feathers and remembered the time he said those words to me at this same place. I lifted my eyes to look at him and he raised his eyebrow at my newfound courage.

"Achha ji?" He said and getting up hurriedly, I ran away from there before he could catch and kill me for saying this. Jabaaz shifted to my shoulder from my arm as I kept running holding my skirt and when I turned my head back, I found him running after me.

"Ketaki stop," he yelled, and I laughed while continuing running. The cold wind was crashing on my face making me feel alive in the most beautiful ways. I felt free tonight. His shawl fell off my shoulders while I was running, and the cold breeze changed the temperature of my warm skin as soon as it hit it. The night was serene and the only thing that was audible at this time was our laughter.

"You can never catch me," I screamed increasing my speed. I kept running and finding a tree, I hid behind it. Jabaaz flew off my shoulder, leaving us two alone. I peeped from behind it and saw him standing on the other side of the tree trunk. Maintaining the eye contact, we rotated around it completing a full circle. His darkened gaze was warning me of the upcoming havoc of emotions, but I wasn't feeling scared.

I tried to run away from there again, but he held my wrist from behind, pulling me into him and my back crashed into his front. I was panting heavily as is from running and him being this close to me just escalated it further. He brought his face closer to the side of my neck and my eyes closed shut when I felt his warm breath against my skin.

His hands lowered to the side of my waist as his mouth moved closer to my ear. His breath was fanning over my ear, and he nudged his nose on my cheek lightly.

"What were you saying earlier, hmm?" He whispered in my ear, and I felt goosebumps on my skin listening to his lowered voice. He moved his knuckles over the skin of my waist delicately earning a sound from me that was even new to me.

"Mhhmm sahib," I said under my breath and fisted my skirt with both my hands at the front. My head fell backwards touching his shoulder as he continued with the movement of his knuckles making my stomach twist. He leaned into the crook of my neck further and brushed his lips over my bare skin and my toes curled on the grass.

He held my waist between his hands and glided them up slowly closer to the edge of my blouse. His touch was melting me with every passing moment, and I couldn't find the strength to push him away.

Tejasvin

"Ketaki," I said her name against the skin of her neck. She smelled of fresh air at this moment and I inhaled deeply capturing her aroma.

"Kahiye," she said in a low voice while breathing heavily. I abruptly turned her around to make her face me and pushed her back against the tree trunk. Her cheeks had turned red and even in the dim moonlight I could tell how flushed she looked.

"Aah," a sound escaped her lips as soon as her bare back touched the rough surface of the tree trunk. She turned her face to a side as I began nearing her slowly. Placing my index finger underneath her chin, I turned it towards me, and she slowly lifted her eyelashes up making me intoxicated with her mere gaze. Those brown orbs, as simple as it sounds had the strength to pull me towards her. She looked at me softly yet passionately, not understanding the power of her own gaze.

"Ketaki," her name rolled out of my mouth again and if I am being honest, I never get tired uttering her name over and over again. And when she replies with her 'kahiye' with such delicacy, it turns my heartbeats wild.

"Kahiye," she said as I expected, which wasn't working in my favour.

"Stop saying that," I said placing my one hand on the tree trunk near her head while circling my other hand around her waist.

"What?" She questioned. I pulled her towards me with a jerk using the hand that was on her waist and her hands landed on my shoulders. She gripped my shirt between her hands tightly when my eyes shifted from her eyes to her lips. I was fighting the urge to touch them with mine.

I closed my eyes to contain myself remembering that she is supposed to get married in a few days to someone else. I opened my eyes when I felt the heat of her palm against my cheek, making me astonished at her move.

"Don't Ketaki," I warned her looking gravely in her eyes. If she took any step further, I wouldn't be able to control myself anymore. Everything was quiet around us and the only thing I could hear right now were our breaths that had turned heavy due to our proximity.

These unsaid emotions between us led us in this situation and I don't think we both were able to understand any of it.

Removing my hands from her waist, I moved away from her. I turned around back facing her and painfully said, "I hope you have a beautiful marriage Ketaki."