Prey of a Predator

Chapter 40

Admist the soulful reunion of the woman "I hate you" and the man "I love you more than anything", there was strong yet soft winds blowing and after the sounds of crackers and bells ringing were stopped, the only sound that remained were of the winds'. Where the woman had the look of 'I can't believe my eyes!', the man had the look of 'is this really you?' and they shared the expression of shock. It was like some kind of spell they were under, which prevented both of them to seal their voice and just allow the eyes to look. But suddenly the spell seemed to break for the girl and she turned back and tried to run but a hand which grabbed her wrist, prevented it to happen and she stopped in her tracks and without wasting any time, he pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly, as if his soul has returned his body. He, without saying anything just deepned his head in her neck and with his hands wrapped on her waist, he just stayed like that while the woman was unable to say anything and just stood there, without pushing him or removing his hands, probably because he was shaking as if he is scared or morelike, crying. After some minutes of staying like that, he decided to speak.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

"Inaaya."

"How many times do you want to leave me and see me suffer? Was once not enough?"

I widened my eyes again and tried to process things all over again. First, why is he here? How did he find me in this big world? Why again, he is in front of me? Why can't he just forget about me? And second, why does he look and sound like that? He never sounded desperate but he did, right now. He was always a man to stand in his pride and used to look down on people yet he is here, overmore, crying? What changed him so much? Me? Because I left him? No, that couldn't be it, right?

And the way he called my name? I only ever heard him saying my name when he was angry but to think he will say it like this? Never ever did I imagine Henry to be desperate like this? As if, the source of his life has been snatched away from him and he is all left alone by everyone he cares about. I let him hug me because I felt him shaking while his head was deep inside my neck and his hands were wrapped around my waist. This is the first time in my life that I was seeing a man who is rumoured to be a heartless monster and a ruthless predator was shaking and crying and that also in front of a weak woman like me and the woman who hated him and not his lover who was in love with him.

But I couldn't think about that now. He has found me. Before he does something else, I have to go back. I tried snatching myself away and god knows why, he let it happen but then he said,"Do you really hate me that much, when you can't even tolerate my presence near you?" which stopped me from moving any further and I got stuck in one spot. Forget about the journey and Puja, here my anger is rising and so are my tears.

I tearfully looked up at his face and without saying anything just glared at his grey teary eyes.

🔥 "My love, say something. Talk to me. Your silence is the last thing I can bear in this whole world."

🌸 (Still not saying anything)

🔥 "Please, Inaaya"

🌸 "Why? Why should I speak? Why should I always be the listen to you when you never listened to me? Why can't you speak this time? Why are you here? Why can't you just let me be? Why do you have to follow me everytime, everywhere?"

🔥 "Do you know how much my ears were paining to hear this?"

🌸 "Answer me!"

🔥 "Why did you leave me?"

🌸 "Again with questions. Instead of answering me, you are asking me? I have to follow your orders like a puppet, don't I?"

🔥 "I am here to find you, I didn't know that you were here but knowing how much you love festivals and pujas' I had a feeling you would be here. Because this is the only village in this area which celebrates this festival in a grand way. And I was just observing the people, searching for you, when I found someone going in the forest. My heart deep down, was telling me that it is you but to confirm I followed you and when you turned back and bumped into, I just knew it is you because you are the only woman in this entire world who can bump into me and I will happily let you, even hit me."

🌸 "So you came back to ruin my life again?"

🔥 "No, I came back to take you with me."

🌸 "Do you even know how much I suffered because you were there?"

🔥 "Do you even know how much I suffered because you were not there?"

🌸 (Too stunned to speak)

🔥 "Every second without your presence, was stabbing me in the heart which beated the first time itself when I saw you. Every minute felt like eternity without you. My eyes were yearning for your beautiful brown jewel like ones. My life felt souless because of your absence. Ever since the day you left, I searched for you like a madman hoping that I will find you but I failed everytime. Even now, I failed so many times that even now I cannot believe my eyes if it's really you. But my heart knows, it knows that it's you. You for whom, my soul yearns for. You, for whom I can die every life. You, for whom I will burn down the whole world. You, for whom I will lay on the burning coals so that your feet won't be in pain. You, who I love more than myself. You!!"

🌸 "If you think with all of your words, I will forgive you, then don't fool yourself."

🔥 "I am not. I am here to take you back with me. I can't tolerate your absence. I am perfectly fine with your hatred but your absence, never ever test me in that field again or you wouldn't like the consequences."

🌸 "Again with threatening?"

🔥 "Reality"

🌸 "Whatever. I am going."

🔥 "No you are not. (Wiping her tears) You are coming with me."

🌸 "What?"

🔥 "For now, you may go but tomorrow morning, I will be here and you will come with me for the marriage. It has waited a long, now not anymore. I will only let you be after you are my wife."

🌸 "And what made you think I will co-operate?"

🔥 "Wouldn't you like to see what happened to your village?"

🌸 "What did you do?"

🔥 "The pain I suffered, I made sure they will too, nothing else."

🌸 "You will never change, will you?"

🔥 "I changed, but you are not seeing it. Now will you come or I will come with my men and then I will take you with me and if anyone tried to stop me now, they will die a brutal death."

🌸 "No, please. I will, I will come."

And without my permission, he again grabbed my waist, pulled me close, leaned in and kissed my lips. It was at first a soft kiss but then he deepned it.  He licked my lips and asked for entrance but when he felt that I denied it, he simply just kissed me like that for a few minutes and left me when I was out of breath. He then pecked my forehead and after caressing my cheeks with his gloveless hands, he turned back and started walking further while I sat on the ground keeping a hand on my swollen lips and with a tomato like blush, wondering, what in the hell just happened? I never kissed anyone in my present time, but I did, now and that also with my enemy. What is wrong with me?

After I came back to my senses, I just rubbed my lips with my hands and left towards where the people were. After I reached, Aarti asked me about what took me so long, I just said a fake excuse and innerly saying sorry, I went further with her. And by then the fifth stoppage time period was also over so now we had to move again.

I walked while still being confused whether that was a dream or a reality. And if it was the reality, what will happen tomorrow?

______________________________________

"Do you know what might happen tomorrow?"