Page 74 of Love after Marriage

As soon as they left, Deepak came closer to Roshni. “Roshni, we’ve had such a great time these past few days, and then today, the last day…we had to argue and fight.”

Roshni looked at him. He tried to talk to her, but she showed no interest. There were several people in the waiting area. He slowly moved closer to her and, putting his hand around her waist, pulled her closer to him. She bumped into his chest and was shaken. He watched her confused expression and bent closer to her.

“Thank you for spending time with me, Roshni. I really enjoyed the trip to Lonawala. I hope you enjoyed it too!”

She became sensitive to his touch. She felt his breath on her face and neck and shivered. Becoming nervous, she took deep breaths and looked around to see if people were watching them.

“Deepak, please let me go. Several people are here, and they’re probably watching us. This is not very civilized.”

Deepak nodded at her. “So what? Let them watch.” He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. She was totally embarrassed now and tried to move out of his embrace, but he would not let her go. He continued, “Roshni, it was so nice to see the changes at home. Sashank bhaiya is really very happy with bhabhi.”

He looked at her. “Let me know in advance for Akash bhaiya so I can attend his wedding.”

“No, you are not coming back until after December 14th. Remember our agreement.” She jerked away.

He smiled and thought to himself, How long will you try to escape, my sweetheart! A day will come soon when you, yourself, will… I will make that happen. Roshni, I promise I will bring you back. This is my challenge to you!

In the meantime, Kusum and Sashank came back with chai for everyone. As they talked, Roshni made every effort not to look at Deepak, and Deepak made every effort to look at her and admire her.

Hearing the announcement for the passengers of his flight to go through security, Deepak touched bhaiya’s and bhabhi’s feet. “Bhaiya, I know you – we all have been very upset with Satish bhaiya.” He paused. “But this is not the time to be angry with him. He wants to talk to you. Please give him a call.” He hugged Sashank.

He then turned to Kusum. “Bhabhi, I am happy for you and bhaiya.” He hugged her as well.

He came to Roshni and pulled her close and kissed her again on her forehead and bid her good-bye; then he left for security.

Roshni was completely taken aback and shocked by this behavior. Why is he behaving like this? What has come upon him!

Kusum bhabhi looked at Roshni. “You are very lucky, Roshni. He really loves you a lot.” She came forward and kissed Roshni on the forehead. “God bless you both; always be happy and cheerful like this.”

~ ~ ~

Sashank thought about Deepak’s comments on the drive home. He knew Satish was not well, and he wanted to talk to him, but what should he do? His conscience prompted him to talk to Satish, but his ego resisted forgiving Satish or his wife for all that they had done.

Roshni was completely lost. She was not able to make sense out of what Deepak had done a few minutes ago. Why was he toying with me? Was he telling the truth that he had no girlfriend or wife? Has he accepted me as his wife? But still…I cannot accept him! He has deceived me, and who knows what his intentions are at this time.

She was carried away by her thoughts, doubts and emotions. There were several instances during this trip that proved to her that he regretted what he had done and that he truly had fallen in love with her; however, somewhere in her heart, there was this fear, this doubt?

?what if he was deceiving her again? How could she find out?

She had to observe him more closely. She believed those few days she’d spent with Deepak were not sufficient for her to understand him better.

She concluded there was no possibility of them spending more time together before December 14th, and it was not easy for her to forgive him. Under the circumstances, would she ever forgive him?

As Roshni commented to herself – ‘only time will tell’.

Chapter 20

Deepak Confesses his Feelings for Roshni

Deepak was restless in the plane; he recalled his recent trip. He thought of Roshni: her birthday party, him going to Bangalore, spending time with Roshni at Mumbai and in Lonawala. He missed her, her innocence, maturity, her beauty and her arguments too. Everything about her attracted him to her. He struggle mentally. Why am I so lonely without her? It feels like I have left a part of me in India? What has happened to me?

He questioned himself… A time for introspection began. What Deepak had said to Roshni on the wedding night was wrong; however, he’d seen glimpses of her personality….she felt demeaned and was wounded. He respected her as a person, and for her education and her values. Then the conversations between him and Roshni in Jammu elevated his reactions to the next level – he not only respected her for who she was, but he saw her composure, her determination to fulfill her promise to her babuji, and he realized she was a woman of principles, honesty and sincerity. He admired her.

With Sashank’s wedding, his feelings for her reached the next step in the ladder. Deepak saw her perseverance, determination and dedication. Of course, his business trip to India was a beautiful experience altogether. He came to explore her, he came with an open mind to experience her, and he did.

He saw she was respectful, very balanced, mature and committed, in addition to being very loving and caring. Her very presence made the whole house very lively and fully vibrant. His brothers, Kusum bhabhi and Kaki seemed to be so happy to have her around them. He himself felt very peaceful and elated around her. Her beauty, her composure, her attitude, her mannerisms, and her speech; everything about her was special. He longed to be with her and enjoyed every moment with her.

Observing her closely also made him realize the pain she had hidden within, the suffering she was going through after the traumatic experience with her babuji’s death, and her loneliness. He began to comprehend her and his feelings towards her.

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