Rudra was thrown out from his house but not for the reasons he deserves. Cast away from his royal family and stripped of his title for a crime he didn't commit, Rudra is forced to live a life far removed from the riches and power he once knew. Hidin...
Yamini's driver arrived and she left without another word. Rudransh was stunned for a brief while . His mind was still spinning as he pulled into the quiet street and his motorcycle's engine winding down. He hadn't expected the night to take such a turn.
As he walked into his apartment, the familiar emptiness hit him like it always did. The dim glow of the city's lights filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the walls. His apartment was sparsely furnished, just the essentials, no personal touches, no sign of life beyond his own. The only thing that truly marked the place as his was the single photo on the wall above the couch, a family portrait, the only piece of sentimentality he allowed himself.
His eyes drifted to it as he closed the door behind him, a tired, empty smile tugging at his lips. His family. His mother. His father. His grandmother . His Aunt . The faces of the people he once loved and will always love , now only ghosts in his memories.
His heart tightened as he stared at the photo, but he quickly forced himself to look away. It had been a month since they'd all been taken from him, and yet, the ache was still there, just beneath the surface, ready to resurface whenever he let his guard down. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake off the weight of his thoughts, and locked the door behind him with an audible click.
The apartment was silent now, just the hum of the city outside and the low murmur of his own thoughts filling the void. He needed a distraction. He needed to wash off the night.
After a quick shower, the warm water streaming down his back, he wrapped a towel around his waist and and entered his bedroom. The bed was neatly made, the same way it had been when he left that morning, but it felt colder tonight.
He lay down on his back, staring at the ceiling, his mind is racing. He couldn't stop thinking about her. The woman from the pub. The one who had kissed him, no, 'pulled' him toward her, without any warning, without any explanation.
Her eyes. The way she'd looked at him, both challenging and daring, before she pressed her lips to his. He hadn't expected it. Hell, he hadn't even understood it at the time. But there had been something about her, something bold and raw in the way she had acted. And the whole time, as she pulled him into her world, he felt like a stranger in his own body.
But it wasn't just the kiss. It was everything leading up to it, the way she had seemed so... out of place, so angry, almost fragile underneath the boldness. She wasn't just some random girl at a bar. There was more to her than that. He didn't know what it was, but it nagged at him, something about her that didn't sit right with him.
Her eyes... there had been a glimpse of sadness there, of something deeper. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a story behind her smile. Something she wasn't telling anyone.
He turned onto his side, closing his eyes, but sleep didn't come easily. His thoughts drifted back to the night again, the way she'd commanded him to dance, the look on her face when she'd kissed him. He could still taste the sharpness of the tequila on her lips, feel the press of her body against his.
Rudransh to himself : What was that ?
Rudransh had always been a man who guarded his emotions, who kept his distance from people. Relationships, friendships, love, or otherwise, hadn't been something he'd ever made a priority. He'd built walls around himself over the years, ever since that night. But now, something about this woman... about 'her'... had cracked through.
Rudransh : Is this just my mind playing tricks on me ?
He wondered.
Rudransh : Was it just the alcohol, the rush of the night ?
But even as he asked himself these questions, he knew deep down that it wasn't. He couldn't explain it, but it wasn't just a random encounter. There was something there. Something he needed to understand.
The sadness crept in again, and with it came a wave of memories. His mother's laughter, his father's stern yet loving gaze, the way they used to sit together at the dinner table, talking about the future.
That was before everything fell apart. Before the unfaithful events , Before the worst revealtions. Before the inheritance and the responsibilities that had been thrust upon him. Before he had learned how to live with a permanent void in his heart.
He could feel the weight of his past like a heavy stone on his chest, but tonight, for some reason, it didn't seem as suffocating. It was as if the kiss had somehow loosened something inside of him, something he hadn't even realised was still locked up.
With a deep sigh, Rudransh turned his face toward his pillow and closed his eyes, his thoughts quieting, slipping into the darkness of sleep.
And in that fleeting moment before he fully drifted off, the image of the girl in the pub flashed through his mind once again.
Rudransh : Who are you ?
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He didn't have the answer. But he knew, without a doubt, that their paths had crossed for a reason. And somewhere, deep inside him, a small spark of curiosity ignited.
