Natasha
It's hard to contain the excitement as I watch the view in front of me. We are surrounded by green, foggy mountains, enveloped in cool air. The rumble of the flowing water echoes in our background.
It's divine.
"Isn't it beautiful, sister-in-law?" Rudra says, popping into my side like the monkey he is.
However, since I am feeling happy right now, I decide to pardon him and answer him like a soft-spoken sister-in-law, "Yes. This place is amazing"
Immediately, he smiles at me smugly. "I knew you would love it."
Yeah, yeah, whatever.
I don't entertain his crap anymore and quickly join the Deshpande couple and Pooja for a refreshing dip and a giggly water fight. I also have an important duty to remind everyone to take awesome pics of me today, and also theirs in the process.
I am about to link my arm with Pooja when someone else reserves my arm instead.
I turn to my side when Dhruv grabs my hand out of the blue.
"Natasha, I need to talk to you." He says, his voice deep and mellow, unlike the anxiousness swirling in his eyes.
I quickly drop my gaze, not willing to get trapped in my dream reflecting in his eyes, and the spell in his voice, "But, I don't want to." I say, twisting my hand and pulling it out of his hold.
However, his hold tightens when I try to free myself, "I didn't ask. I informed. So, I will inform you again, I want to talk right now." He says with an edge to his voice, which doesn't fail to make me angry.
"Similarly, your business is done after you informed me, and now my answer is, I don't want to talk to you right now. I am here to enjoy, not hold conversational meetings." I say with a finality in my tone before I pull my hand out of his grip for good.
He is about to say something, but Uncle and Aunt call us at the right time. I quickly smile and walk towards them, leaving him behind.
"What happened? You did as I told you, right?" Pooja pulls me to a side and asks after we have climbed the broad steps at the foot of the falls.
"Yes. I will do as you said. I will follow our 'Ignore Dhruv, and give him a stink eye until he bends' plan", I whisper, and we both giggle.
Apparently, Pooja finally used both Dhruv and me as part of her studies, running her experiments on us for these few days we have been together, which brought her to this conclusion.
According to her, I have given enough push and pull, and now need to relax and reap the benefits...which I will say has been beginning to show, because the Dhruv I know would never stop me for a conversation first.
It means he is finally working in the direction of improving our marriage!
"Pooja, you are great." I side-hug her as we share a thumka before playing with the water like little girls.
Soon, all four of us make teams, me and Uncle Nakul versus Aunt Kavita and Pooja in a game of splashing water after we climb all the steps and find ourselves standing on top of a little stream, pooling because of the flowing waterfall, falling from the higher place.
We laugh and scream as we splash each other until Rudra makes a dramatic entry and stands in between.
"A game. A competition. A battle, and all of them, without me? The kings of kin---
We never let him complete his cringey, second-hand, and cheap copy of Bollywood-inspired dialogue, as all four of us splash him real hard.
"Keugh! keugh! What are you guys doing? So mean! How can all four of you bully me, an individual?" He whines, but doesn't step away, subtly showing off his masculinity.
Boys. Boys.
I roll my eyes until my eyes fall on him, brooding beside Aunt Kavita, already staring at me.
My heart skips a bit, and I quickly look away.
The plan. The plan.
I remind myself constantly before joining in on the other fun. We climb a little higher and enjoy the water gushing between the stones. Eventually, the phones start coming out of everyone's plastic safes, and photos begin to click.
I snap quite a few selfies with Pooja, among which at least five get trespassed by Rudra before we decide to climb higher to the waterfall itself—the final point.
We help each other across the stone before we finally reach the main wide stream of water gushing from between the mountains. The natural stones make such a good background for photos.
"Pooja, do something other than the peace sign. Pose against those rocks." I tell our pretty psychologist, and she blushes.
"Like this?" She asks, and I shake my head before walking to her.
I imitate the pose I had in my mind, lifting both arms upward in a dreamy, pretty pose, and hear a snap.
My arms fall back when I notice Rudra with his phone.
"That was a good pose, sister-in-law. The picture came out perfect, see." Rudra says, and I smile, walking to him. Pooja also joins us.
The picture really came out perfect, and as we are talking about the other random snaps he took of all of us during the whole waterfall fun, my eyes fall on him again, who is standing a little far away from us, but not too far, close to the Deshpande couple, with his phone in his hand.
Was he attending a call? I wonder because he is not the one to click pictures or enjoy nature photography instead.
I am busy with my thoughts before I suddenly shriek when I feel a sudden splash of water.
I glare at both Rudra and Pooja as they laugh.
"It's not me. It's him!" Pooja surrenders, and I collect my divided fury, transforming it into undivided and unleashing it fully at one and only Rudra Deshpande.
"Rudra Bhaiya, ab aapko kon bachayega? (Now, who will save you, Rudra, my brother?)" I say, taking vengeful steps forward like a scary spirit.
YOU ARE READING
Unwanted Addiction
Romansa"What were you doing in the room alone with him?" He asked pinning her with his cold, hard gaze holding her wrist and trying his best not to drown in this little beauty standing in front of him who was looking bewitching today in the lehenga he hims...
