Raman strained his eyes against the darkness. The snow was still falling steadily but the violent storm that had been raging appeared to have subsided. A strange sense of foreboding filled him with melancholy and THAT face came unbidden again to his minds eye.
"Damn it" he chided himself. "Why can't you stop thinking about her Raman. She's a righteous self satisfied sanctimonious prig who has your daughter wound around her little finger. She hates you, judges you, so why the hell does she occupy so much of your waking thoughts?"
It had been like this ever since he had met Dr Ishita Iyer three months ago.
Their mothers were engaged in a perpetual North South war and she had been stealing his daughters affections, while at the same time infuriating the bejesus out of him. She lectured him on everything - his drinking, his late nights, his relationship, or lack of it, with Ruhi, his treatment of Mihika, his relationship with Mihir - everything she knew nothing about.
"Damn it" he thought again, glancing at the GPS. "Just a few kilometres away from the chalet" he noted with satisfaction. "Damn that Mihir, I'll kill him when I see him. To be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, alone, in a blasted snowstorm. Is this really New Zealand or did we jump a continent and land in Antartica?"
His self mutterings were suddenly stilled as the headlights of his SUV highlighted a car skewed on the shoulder of the road. It's lights were still on, but the car itself was nestled against a large Pohutukawa tree, it's front bonnet crushed from the impact.
Raman stopped his SUV slowly, careful not to skid, and then jumped out. He ran to the drivers side of the car, and tried the door handle. Thankfully it was unlocked and he wrenched the door open.
There was only one occupant in the car. She lay on the drivers seat, a slim woman of average height, wearing a fleece parka, a woollen skivvy and wool pants. Her head was covered by a hoodie and long black hair was scattered across her face. The deflated airbag lay on top of her, further insulating her from the bitter cold.
Raman knelt and quickly checked her pulse. She was alive thank God. Her pulse was even and strong and he could hear her even breathing. She had obviously just been knocked out, but Raman knew that he needed to get her out of the cold quickly. He quickly unfastened the seatbelt still buckled in place and lifted her into his arms.
Teri Bahon mein
Joh sukoon tha mila
Mein ne chaha bahut...
She fit just perfectly in his arms and he felt a moment of intense deja vu, as if he had been doing this forever.
Giving himself a mental shake, he walked to his SUV and manoeuvred the passenger door open, placing her gently on the seat. Her face was still obscured by her hair and the hoodie, but he could not see any blood or obvious injuries. She had been lucky, and luckier still that he had arrived when he did. Closing the door gently, he walked back to the car to see if she had any luggage with her. There was nothing except her handbag and a shopping bag. He took both with him and got back into his own vehicle. She was still lying peacefully as he had left her.
"God" he muttered. " I'm just not used to silent females." And then he started the car and drove carefully through the snow to the Chalet.
********************************************************************************************************
Raman turned on the lights and then rushed back to the SUV to bring the still unconscious woman inside. The heating system had turned on automatically and the room was warm and inviting.
He wondered whether the telephones could still connect and whether the roads were still passable. If she needed an ambulance, what would he do?
He wrenched open the car door and to his utter relief saw that she was restlessly fidgeting and muttering.
"It's okay" he said reassuringly as he scooped her up quickly into his arms. Damn it, he thought, as he felt that frisson again. "We're almost there. You'll be allright"
Ishita felt as if something heavy was covering her eyes. She shook her head feebly as someone lifted her up and she was encased in a pair of strong arms. She could hear a voice coming to her, as if from a great distance. "It's okay" someone was saying. She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed. Of course it wasn't him, it wasn't the great Raman Bhalla, not here in the middle of Nowhere, New Zealand. Why was she hearing his voice here? "Pranth Ishita" she thought to herself. "You idiot"
She could feel the bitter cold wind on her face as the stranger carried her from the car. She opened her eyes but could not see his face in the dark.
"We're here" he stated the obvious as he carried her inside a brightly lit room. Ishita momentarily closed her eyes against the harsh light as the stranger placed her down gently on a divan.
"Allow me" he said as he pushed her hair aside from her face, and pushed back the hoodie.
The next moment his hands stilled as he sharply drew in his breath.
"Tum? ( You?) " He murmured, his voice dropping an octave in shock.
Ishita opened her eyes to look into the shocked face of Raman Bhalla.
"Tum? (You?) " She echoed.
YOU ARE READING
Desire ✔️
Fanfiction"Not fair" she whispered breathlessly. " You're only supposed to look" "Is that right? " his voice was teasing, but thick with passion. " Well, I don't play fair baby" After meeting unexpectedly and becoming marooned together during a blizzard in th...
