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This is a my first attempt at a long fic. Hope you guys like it! Part 1 and 2 have already been posted on the romantic scene thread so some of you may recognise it. New update is in the next post.
Index
Page 1 - Part 1, 2 and 3
Page 5 - Part 4
Page 9 - part 5
Page 14 - part 6
Page 16 - part 7
Part 1
'What can be the matter with Prithvi?' Damini thought, as she sat in her office. They had been married for almost a month now and she was sure he was avoiding her. Initially, she thought it was because of the mishap on their wedding day, but now that Avni was safe and well and back at home, she just didn't understand why he was being so difficult. Something definitely was up. Sighing, she returned to the work at hand, but not before resolving to get to the bottom of the issue...
It was quite late at night before Damini got back to Gujral Mansion. They'd decided that it would be best for them to stay on in her house till some semblance of normalcy was restored. Now that things were slowly limping back to routine, she supposed she'd have to talk to Prithvi about moving to his house... But for that, her darling husband would first have to grace her with his presence. It was so late and he still hadn't come back home, and this was how things had been for the past couple of weeks. He'd leave the room before she woke up and would return long after she was asleep. She'd see him at breakfast and at the stables, but they were always surrounded by people. Even when she called him up from work, he seemed distant and unwilling to talk. Flinging her files onto the bed frustratedly, Damini walked into the bathroom, hoping a long hot shower would clear her head...
When she came out half an hour later, Prithvi was finally home. He was at the window, staring at something outside, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice her. Damini stood there for a minute, admiring her handsome husband, forgetting her anger at him. Slowly, she walked to him and wrapped her hands around him, whispering "Hi". He half- turned to look at her and smiled. Smiling in return, Damini faced him. "How was your day, Prithvi?" she asked him. He shrugged, and she continued "Did you go to the hospital today? How is maa?" - "She is much better; the doctors say there has been a lot of improvement and she should be better in a month or so..." he said, looking at her intently, in a way that never failed to make her blush. Feeling oddly shy, Damini tried to look away, but he gently lifted her chin up and forced her to meet his gaze. Lost in his eyes, she was frozen for a couple of minutes, forgetting everything but him and the way she felt about him. His chuckle brought her back to the world; he was smirking at her and she felt a smile tug on her lips as well.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Yes?" she enquired of the servant who came in. "Dinner is served, ma'am", he announced and left. Damini smiled at Prithvi again, and turned to leave, but he wouldn't let her go. "Stay with me", he said, before pulling her into a hug. "With pleasure", she replied, snuggling into him. She had no idea how long they stayed like that, standing by the window in each others' arms. Holding him closer, she whispered, "I missed you, Prithvi", and slowly brushed her lips against his collar bone. His grip on her tightened for an instant but then he stiffened suddenly and he let go of her as if burnt. "What..." Damini started to say, bewildered by the sudden change in his demeanour. "I have to look at the horses", he said, taking a couple of steps away. "Now?" she asked him in surprise. "I have to go, Damini", he said again and moved away from her. "Prithvi..." she started to say, grabbing his hand in an attempt to stop him, but he shook her hand off and gave her an inscrutable look before walking off in a hurry...
Damini stared at him, tears blurring her vision, as he rushed out of the room. What had happened to him? Had she done something wrong? Why did he have to leave? She was getting the distinct feeling that he was hiding something from her and it hurt. It hurt that he had secrets from her, it hurt that he would rather be with the horses than her, it hurt that he didn't talk to her anymore, it hurt that he couldn't bear to be touched by her... Damini angrily wiped her tears and went to bed, wondering why the room suddenly felt so large and cold and empty...
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Part 2
'How could I have let things get so out of hand?' Prithvi asked himself as he walked out of the room. 'I can't afford to lose control like this; WHAT WAS I THINKING?' he continued cursing himself. Before he knew it, he was at the stables. 'Maybe a ride will clear my head', he thought and saddled Toofan. As he climbed onto the horse, he remembered the time when he and Damini had ridden together, how she had looked at him during the ride, how her hair had brushed against his face.. 'Stop it, Prithvi, focus' he scolded himself as he set off on a tearing gallop across the ground.
A couple of rounds later, he slowed down and his mind turned to Damini again. What had happened today was totally, utterly wrong... He'd taken a decision to stay away from her, especially after what Sameer had done to Avni. He didn't want Damini to become a pawn in the game he'd started, but when she'd put her arms around him, he'd forgotten everything except his love for her. Then she'd smiled at him, looking so beautiful with her wet hair, that reason had taken a backseat. He'd gone and acted on his need to keep her close, hugging her tight, never wanting to let her go... But he'd come crashing down to reality when she'd kissed him. That minute he knew if he didn't get out of there as fast as possible, he'd do something that he would regret for the rest of his life... So he'd run, blurting the first explanation that came to his mind. Her hurt face had weakened his resolve for a minute, but then he'd steeled himself and left...
"Why is everything so messed up?" he sighed, as he dismounted and slowly went upstairs, hoping Damini wasn't awake, cos he wasn't sure he could face her... He entered the bedroom with trepidation only to find he'd gotten his wish - Damini was fast asleep, curled up in a corner of the bed. He made his way to the bed and stared down at her for a minute, taking in her wet cheeks and sad expression. It looked like she'd cried herself to sleep. Guilt piercing his heart at the thought, he leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. Immediately, her expression cleared and she half-smiled, murmuring "Prithvi" as she turned in her sleep. Throwing all caution to the winds, he slid into bed next to her, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair. "Heaven knows how much longer I have with her" was the only thought echoing through his mind as he slowly slipped into sleep...
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