Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2020 (Judge's Choice) in the New Adult category.
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"The lights are cheeky, you can't live without them, and yet if you get too close, they'll blind you. Darkness? Well it doesn't cheat. It's cool and soothing. It's r...
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If either of them felt odd about throwing their packed duffle bags into her car's trunk and reversing to drive out of Bhabra the very next day, they didn't acknowledge it. Leaving Chikki and the cows in the care of Suman and Champa hadn't done wonders for Madhu's anxiety, even when Nakul reminded her that both their tormentors were gone for good. Only after Satish had assured her he would check up on them regularly did she finally agree to leave them alone.
"I feel bad for dragging you all the way here," Nakul spoke up. He had been alternating between fidgeting with his files and tapping on the dashboard ever since they had left Bhabra.
"You didn't drag me, I told you I wanted to come." The narrow roads of the forested parts of Sakshinagar widened as she got on the highways of Shravasti, an equally green district but with better roads, giving her space to breathe. A green sign listed the distance between that point and Lucknow, Kanpur and Meerut. "Besides, I need to buy a new phone, catch up on work and stuff."
"When are you going back?"
Madhu wasn't ready for that question, nor what all it implied coming from him. "Next week."
She looked at him, just for a second before she had to snap her eyes back at the road again. Heat expanded in the pit of her stomach, like it always did when she anticipated a confrontation. He didn't press on it. Somehow that felt worse.
The next hour was passed in painful silence as Nakul pretended to peruse the loan agreement. Madhu focused on driving as if she was nineteen again. A large green sign welcomed them to Lucknow in three different languages—Hindi, Urdu and English, prompting her to exit the highway and enter the lively traffic of the UP capital, which seemed much more louder than usual thanks to the festive season.
"Umm...your place is in Gomti Nagar right?"
"Yeah." He told her the directions, repeating them when she slowed down at every other turn. It was noon by the time she pulled over outside his low-rising apartment building that faced a park. Kids of the colony were making the most out their Dusshera break, with the park clearly divided into young cricketers and toddlers on rusted swings. The only adults present were probably their grandparents, lounging on the green-painted benches.
"This is pretty domestic."
Shutting the trunk, Nakul came around to her side with both their bags. "I don't know about that, but it's the safest place I could afford. Come on." He led her inside the gated complex that secured a single five-storied building. It didn't have a lift, so they had to climb the narrow, stone stairs up to the second floor. There was only one other flat apart from his own.
Swirls of dust greeted them when he unlocked the door. Madhu closed it behind her as he hurried inside with the luggage.
His drawing room wasn't big but looked spacious, owing to the minimal furniture. A dull brown sofa set was placed around a glass-topped coffee table. An extra chair, probably a recliner, faced the TV. Nothing except books decorated the shelfs fixed on the off-white walls.
