“Took you long enough, Mrs Bajaj”
Unblinking, Prerna continued to stare at the man whose eyes had amusement and respite dancing a soft tango.
He maintained the contact, shoving his hands in his pockets and tilted his head slightly. Prerna missed her 70th heartbeat at that moment.
“What is all this, Rishabh?” Masi stepped in front of Rishabh, her voice shaky with a hint of panic.
But he continued to look past her as his daughter who had her cheeks in a pout until this point, left her seat and wrapped her little arms thoroughly around her mother’s salwar. Prerna looked down surprised to find kuki’s eyes glimmering with a happiness that had evaded Prerna since the past 4 days. Tucking her auburn strands behind her ear, she dropped down to her knees and took her daughter in a bear hug, the smile on her face as radiant as the sun.
“Mamma aa gayi hai na”, Prerna cooed brushing her nose in kuki’s neck, “Ab meri kuki ko koi pareshaan nhi karega!”. And with that, cupping her daughter’s face, she placed sloppy kisses all over.
Rishabh smiled softly at the scene, his eyes nearly misty.
“Rishabh!” Masi called out for the nth time as Rishabh snapped out of his reverie and blinked back the tears threatening to escape. This wasn’t the right time
Brushing masi’s hand nonchalantly off his arm, he turned to address his guests, the sardonic smile back on his lips.
“Apologies for the inconvenience people but the party is over!” He shouted as the hall burst into chatter and whispers.
“I am sure”, Rishabh spoke as the entire hall went quiet, “you all must be itching to gossip and you should…..in the comfort of your own living rooms though. This is my place”.
His words hung in the air like a katana slipping menacingly out of its scabbard. No more whispers followed but only the clicking of heels and boots as the crowd soon disappeared into the night.
“Rishabh ye sa—
“Off! Off with your hands”, Rishabh interrupted sharda unclenching her fingers off his arm. She looked at him flummoxed as he dusted his sleeve off and peaked a glance at her. “I won’t want the germs to spread. Deceit is rather infectious”.
“Par Risha—
“And! Don’t take my name” Rishabh held his hand upfront and then pulled his fingers into a tight fist, “My mother poured her love in this name.Don’t sully it”.
Prerna stood as a mute spectator,sense of the situation escaping her by a hair’s breadth.
“You underestimated me”, he started, turning his head to look at Prerna who was standing behind him with Kuki attached closely to her frame. “You thought that I won’t be able to see past the web of lies you have weaved…that I won’t know who the actual perpetrator is!”
“Mrs Bajaj bit back the truth in order to keep me alive, isn’t that right?” He asked, his back still facing her and yet she knew who he was expecting the answer from.
Prerna only nodded, confused about how he had come to know it all.
As if he had heard her unspoken query, he tilted back his head a little and took in a deep breath. “I underwent a blood test two days back and realized that anti Botulinum is present in it. Apparently I was fed botulinum in the form of my migraine medicine, but a lethal dose that was starting to constrict my lungs. And that cough medicine you gave me”, Rishabh looked at Tanvi with steely eyes, “must’ve been the antidote, I presume”.
YOU ARE READING
PreRish- OS/TS/ SS Compilations *COMPLETE*
Fanfiction"I called", she spoke up as he halted halfway on the stairs. "I was busy". "In what?" She asked back. "Meeting", he breathed out. "Must've been very important!" She spoke, her tone laced with ghost of sarcasm. "Tomorrow, Prerna. Please" ~*~*~*~ This...
