~Zehmat~
It was past one am and Prerna had just gotten off the phone with Anurag. He was rattling about finding the truth about her marriage again and she felt frustrated.
Why can't he just accept it and move on? Why was he torturing her like this? Didn't he know how much it hurt her to see him like-
"Love me like you do...mm...touch me like you do!" Mr Bajaj's sudden voice surprised her and she looked up to see him walk in the bedroom with a side smile. She frowned as she heard him croon the song from Fifty Shades of Grey as he unbuttoned his coat.
"Itni late." She said and he turned towards her, his smile intact.
"Yes, I had a... meeting." He said and she could swear she saw his eyes twinkle. She had never seen his eyes twinkle. Weird.
"What meeting?" She asked and got up but he just shrugged. "Important thi?"
"Very important." He said and opened his almirah to take out his bathrobe.
"You're going to shower at this time?" She shook her head and pointed at the clock which read 1:10 am.
"Yeah I'm very tired." He said or yet, mumbled. "I need a hot shower. My body feels...spent."
"Uh." Was the only word that slipped from her mouth as he walked into the bath.
Prerna gulped as an uneasy feeling made home in her stomach. He was never this late. He was always home on time for Kukki.
"But Kukki aaj ghar par nahi hai." She registered. "Wo toh school trip par...toh aaj itna late kyu. Gaana bhi gaa rahe hai, itna thake bhi hain."
She bit her lower lip and walked to the bathroom door to knock when she heard him again.
"You're the light, you're the night
You're the color of my blood
You're the cure, you're the pain
You're the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much!"
Why in the damn world was he singing this song? Was he, by the grace of God, happy? How?
"Mr Bajaj." She knocked and he hummed in response, making her feel agitated. "Dinner?"
"I've had my dinner, it was absolutely amazing. Thank you." He replied and Prerna, could not for anything, understand what was happening.
Shaking her head, she walked to the bed and settled in. It was late and she had to get up early to meet Maa.
Ten minutes later, the shower was still running and she could not sleep. His voice was still coming from the other side of the door, he was still singing and she felt a migraine creep inside her head.
"Can you stop singing." She mumbled to herself and got up when his phone rang on the coffee table. Sighing, she picked up his phone but her frustrated expression soon changed into surprise.
Queen
It read and before she could pick the call, it was cut. Prerna bit her lip again as she saw a few messages pop on the screen.
It was a good day today, I'm really glad we could catch up ;)
Btw, I'm still feeling so tired, I had no idea you had so much energy!
My body feels f*cking sore. You mister, are something else. This woman could not keep up!
Anyways, goodnight! Was only calling to tell you that tomorrow, same place, same time! Don't leave me hanging!
Prerna gulped as she read the words. Surely, whoever this woman was, didn't mean what she thought she meant?
Mr Bajaj would never...never what?
What did she know about her husband? One, he was a ruthless businessman and two, a good father. That's all she knew! She knew about his professional life, she knew about his personal life but she had no idea what went in his private life.
Oh God.
She couldn't believe it! He was...doing stuff...with another woman while his wife waited till 1 am for him to come home so he could have his damn dinner? And what does he do? He spends his precious time and freaking body on some stranger, who could be his girlfriend-
"Oh God, I feel sick." She whispered to herself and sat down, feeling squirmish. "What the hell Prerna, let him do whatever the hell he wants! He asked for your loyalty and it was not the other way around!"
The bathroom door clicked open and she quickly hid under the sheets as saw him saunter inside, wiping his hair. Water dripped from his leg and into the plush carpet underneath him as he looked towards her and she closed her eyes before he opened the almirah.
She opened her eyes again and gulped as she saw him dress himself. His broad shoulders, his muscled back, his long arms, those tattoos flexing and there was a long, red line on his back, like a...fingernail had moved along his skin and she shut her eyes again.
Wrong move.
Visions filled her eyes as she saw her shirtless husband with a faceless woman, smiling, kissing, sucking, fuc-
"Ugh!" She got up and removed the sheets as he looked back at her.
"Is everything okay Mrs Bajaj?" He frowned and quickly wore his t-shirt.
"Why were you so late tonight?" She asked and hated herself for asking this question.
"Why do you care?" He shrugged and moved to the dressing table.
"Because...I was waiting for you-
"Have I ever implied that I care whether you wait for me or not?" He said and put on some moisturizer on his arms. Prerna gulped. "And anyways, that was your decision."
"You could have told me you were going to be late-
"Right. Because you care so much about my late comings and goings." He smiled and she could smell the sarcasm.
"I do...care about it-
"Why don't you go and lie to someone else?" He said and stared at his reflection. "Don't bother me tonight, I'm in a great mood."
"Of course you will be." She crossed her arms. "I know you were with someone tonight. A woman to be precise."
"Really?" He chuckled and looked at her, his gaze scrutinizing her. "And you are upset because...why? Because I was late or because I was with a lady?"
"Because you were late. I don't care if you are with a lady or not." She shrugged but it bothered her that he didn't deny the fact that he was indeed with someone. "I never asked for your loyalty."
"Good." He smiled before turning towards the door and she curled her toes in agitation.
Unbothered as*hole.
"But you should be." She said and he stopped. "Loyal. You are married."
"You know Prerna, advices don't sound good when they're coming from a thief." He said and she knew the atmosphere had turned serious.
"What...do you mean...by that?" She asked and he shook his head.
"Nothing. Just that... before asking me to be loyal, which was not in the deal, you should refrain from talking to your Mr Basu at one am." He said and all the colour drained from her face. "You are breaching our deal, not me."
"I don't...I wasn't-
"Please, as I said, go lie to someone else. You're an open book and I'm an avid reader." He said and turned. "Also, I'll be late every night until Kukki is back. Mera intezaar karne ki zehmat mat uthaiyega. I'm going to have the same meeting every night until then. Good night."
He left her seething and in confusion, not bothering to clear the fact that his meeting was in fact a strenuous tennis round with his old friend Rani Pratap, whom he affectionately called Queen.
She didn't need to know that.
End.
