Kalaba Kadhala | Part 1

Chapter 12

Italics- translation

Anushka was chanting something with her eyes closed when she heard knock on the window, startling her. But her senses came back seeing Prabhas outside. She took a look at his reflection and thanked the stars that he's safe and sound. He pointed her to unlock the door and she did. He got inside hurriedly and drove off from there.

Soon, the sounds of gunfire slowly faded into the distance. He gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, his jaw clenched tight. Beside him, Anushka sat rigidly, her face pale and drawn, eyes wide with fear.
He snuck a glance at her, his heart clenching at the sight of her trembling hands. He had promised to protect her, to shield her from this life, yet here she was, caught in the crosshairs of his world.

The engine roared, a stark contrast to the silence suffocating the car's interior. Anushka clutched the door handle, her knuckles bone white, eyes fixed on the city lights blurring into streaks of color. Each bump in the road sent a jolt through her, mirroring the fear that clawed at her sanity. Prabhas, his face a mask of cold fury, navigated the late-night traffic with a terrifying precision.

The image of him, a whirlwind of fury, taking down three men at once, was seared into her mind. This terrifying dance of violence was his world, a world she wanted no part of.

Finally, he broke the silence, his voice rough, "You alright?"

Anushka swallowed, the taste of fear bitter on her tongue. "How can you ask me that? After... after all that?"

"It wasn't supposed to go down like that," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the road.

"That's your world, Prabhas! Guns and violence! Is this what you want to drag me into?"

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the car swerving slightly. "Don't you get it? I protect what's mine. That's what I was doing back there, protecting you!"

"By putting my life at risk?" she shot back, her voice shaking. "You want to protect me? Then walk away from this life. Leave it all behind."

He let out a humorless laugh. "And just like that, it all disappears? This life, it's not a jacket I can take off, Anushka."

"Then why?" she cried, her voice breaking. "Why bring me into it? Why put me through this?"

He stopped the car with a jerk, turning to face her, his eyes blazing. "Because I love you, dammit!" he roared, the words echoing in the confined space.

Anushka recoiled as if slapped. "Don't you dare," she whispered, tears welling up. "Don't you dare use love to justify this madness."

"It's not justification! It's the truth! I'd burn the world for you, Anushka. But I'd rather build you a palace with my bare hands than see you hurt because of me."

"Then let me go," she pleaded, her voice choked with emotion. "Let me walk away from this... this nightmare."

He stared at her, his anger seemingly draining away, leaving behind a raw vulnerability that was even more unnerving. "Is that what you really want?"

She couldn't speak, couldn't look at him. The truth was a knot of fear and longing in her chest. She cared for him, more than she dared to admit. But the fear, the fear of losing him to the very world he built, was a suffocating weight on her heart.

Seeing her silence as an answer, Prabhas restarted the car, a muscle ticking in his jaw. They drove in silence, the air thick with unspoken words and raw emotions. When he stopped in front of her hostel, Anushka didn't move.