Page 38 of Twisted Deceit
Her heart thudded as she took in the feel of his body against hers. It didn’t take her long to realize he was bare-chested. She felt the hard muscles on his back against her arm, and new thrills took root within her. The natural thing to do was to get away from her fake husband, but she could not move a finger, and as if her body had a mind of its own, it slowly curved up against him.
What are you doing? Get up and go!
No number of warnings that fired off in her mind stopped her from going to her side to plaster her chest to his back as her cheek pressed against the warm skin on his back. Her chest heaved, and she was breathing through her mouth, processing everything she was feeling when she felt a sudden movement.
A gasp escaped her and before she realized it, he had turned to face her and his arm held her to him in a vice-like grip. His breath was warm in her skin, and his words cut through the drumming in her ear. “Are you suggesting that we consummate our marriage or is this a play to get out of contract?”
“No.” She started to push him away from her, but she had no power left. Her body was under his spell as it became aware of the dips and peaks of his chiseled body, and the steely hardness she felt against her soft belly made a shudder pass through her.
“And, consider this the last warning for such antics. One more time you come close, I will take it as a sign that you wish to be my Singoor bride forever.”
His words made her shake in fear. Was he planning to be in Singoor forever?
“Also, I have told you once that I do not like it when you touch my feet, and despite that, I find you bending in front of me as if on purpose.” His grip on her hair tightened. “I’m used to women pleasuring me when they go down on their knees. Unless you intend to do that, you better watch it.”
Shocked and confused in response to his words, she wiggled in his arms. “Let—me go,” it was barely a whisper as she tried to push away from him. She was finding it hard to talk as her body tremored in his hold.
He let her go as if in response to her words and she bolted from there not wanting to look in his eyes. Embarrassed and feeling defeated, she ran to the bathroom's safety and stood with her back to the door. What shocked her most was how much he held her body under his command. Her mind told her to kick away from him, but she had no control over her actions. And what she chastised herself about was why she felt the need to snuggle up against him.
Why Aadhya?
Later that day, she was in the studio where she had learned to sing. Her father was a classical music enthusiast and had started her early on with the training. Her father would join her for almost every one of her music sessions, and it was one of the sweetest memories she had of her and her father. After her parents passed away in the horrific fire accident, she refused to sing as it reminded her of the void in her life.
She would have abandoned the art if it weren’t for her aunt. Her aunt sat with her during the music sessions like her dad did until she left Singoor to go to boarding school months after her parents passed away. She kept up with the performing art as a remembrance of her parents but only kept it to herself. Never once did she sing in public. And that evening, she was prepared to sing her aunt’s favorites. She could not contain her excitement when one of the staff nodded at her from the studio entrance, indicating that her aunt was approaching.
Aadhya cleared her throat and extended her spine as she sat with her legs folded on the wooden platform. She wanted her aunt to be welcomed back from her day in the temple with her voice, and just as she saw the reflection of her aunt in one of the open glass doors of the studio, she started singing. She taped the background music instead of inviting musicians so it could be time she and her aunt spent together.
After spending the morning practicing Yoga with her aunt and sharing a cup of tea, her aunt left home to spend her day at the Singoor temple. A tradition her aunt followed every one of her birthdays. She spent the day meditating and working at the temple before returning home for dinner.
Aadhya smiled at the surprise in her aunt’s face as she continued to sing. She could see her aunt’s step falter as she made it to the seating in the large studio. Aadhya fought back tears of joy and sadness as she watched her aunt blink away moisture in her eyes. She could not remember the last time she saw her aunt’s eyes light up the way they did, and that only encouraged her to keep singing.
She had chosen to wear traditional clothes and jewelry that evening, and although she never found them to be too comfortable, she wanted to wear them that day because she knew her aunt liked it when she wore local clothes. She would do anything for the woman who took the place of her mother and father and did her best to fill the void.
She sang four songs, paused before singing the last one, and smiled at her aunt. “Rajji, happy birthday. I hope you enjoy the next song.” The composition she chose as her last song was from a movie, and the song was about a young woman who was discovering love and expressing what it felt like falling in love.
Aadhya’s voice trembled slightly when her aunt cried even as she smiled at her. She stood up from the platform and walked over to where her aunt sat as she kept the song going. Towards the end, her aunt joined voices with Aadhya and they both finished the song and ended up laughing, wiping away happy tears.
“God bless you, sweetheart.” Her aunt kissed Aadhya on her forehead and added, “You made me so happy today. This is my best birthday ever.”
“Rajji, I love you so much.” She hugged her aunt, batting away happy tears. While rejoicing the moment, she was also stung by guilt at the thought that she had missed so much time with her aunt. She was thankful for how things turned out with the fake marriage with the Thakvar. She would have missed such moments if Nakul were an international businessman.
Stop, giving that deceitful bastard credit for all this.An angry voice fired away in her mind but she shoved it away.
When the two women settled down from their emotional high, her aunt took Aadhya’s hand in hers and said, “Today you made me so happy and I was reminded of the first time I fell in love.”
Aadhya let out a laugh. “That’s sweet, Rajji. You never told me how you fell in love with my awesome uncle.”
Her aunt smirked and said, “Your uncle was not my first love.” She paused momentarily, “I don’t know if I even fell in love with your uncle after what I felt for the man of my dreams.”
“Rajji…I had no idea. I’m sorry.” Aadhya did not miss the joy in her aunt’s eyes despite her opening up about her relationship with her husband.
Her aunt shook her head. “Don’t be. Your uncle is a good man and took excellent care of me. My only guilt is I couldn’t reciprocate as much as I would have if I were married to the man who was my first love.”
“Where—where is this man now?”
Her aunt shook her head. “I don’t know. He left Singoor a long time back, and I was sad for many years because I had not heard from him in decades.” Her smile broadened, and she looked at Aadhya. “And it was only recently that I was informed that he was alive and well.”
“Oh good,” Aadhya felt conflicted. “Are you still in love with this man?”
