A Promise Togetherness Forever

by Reshma Ranjan

  Once the dinner was over, Mia came to them and said, “I will take Sunaina upstairs and help her change. You can join her in a few minutes.”

  “Mom, I can take her.”

  Mia’s face changed into alarm. “I- I don’t want you to scare her. She is still recuperating, son. So, I don’t want you…”

  Piyush looked at his mom. “Mom, I took care of her too, so I know. She is safe with me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her or scare her. Ok?”

  “I think he is right.” Dia told Mia. They had not seen Dia joining them. “He has been with her, helping her, nursing her. He will take care of her.” Mia still had a frown on her face. “Give him credit for his sensitivity, sis!” Dia said. Mia finally nodded reluctantly.

  Piyush turned to see Sunaina trying hard to keep her eyes open. She needed to rest.

  “Sunaina.” Piyush called her name.

  “Hmm…” She slightly opened her eyes and smiled sleepily. “Sorry! I can’t keep my eyes open.”

  He smiled and let his one arm slide down the back of her knees while his other hand supported her back. She didn’t resist. He lifted her up in his arms and held her close. He could see the relief on Mia’s face. He smiled and bid everyone a good night and Sunaina too said good night in her tired voice.

  Watching the newly married couple go to their room, Suhaan came to his eldest sister.

  “You have brought him up well.” Mia smiled, with a slight doubt still lingering on her face. “I hope she won’t feel intimidated.”

  Suhaan looked confused. “Why do you think she will be intimidated?”

  “She is entitled to fear men after what happened to her.”

  Then as realisation dawned, Suhaan was shocked. “It’s her?”

  Mia nodded.

  “God! Did you tell Piyush to be cautious with her? It’s only been a few days. Sis, do you want me to go and talk with him?”

  Mia smiled and patted her brothers strong arm. “No. He would be fine. I trust him. He will be cautious. It’s just that I don’t want Sunaina to be on edge; she is still recovering. Thank God, her doctor ruled out the need of an operation. We were getting worried of her health.”

  “We do have a great family.”, Suhaan said. His pride in his family, and especially his nephew, was evident on his face.

  *******

  Piyush placed Sunaina softly on his own bed. “Welcome to your room, wife!”

  She smiled. She wanted to say something, talk to him, but her eyes were drifting shut.

  Piyush watched his wife. She was almost out. The medicines were doing their job. Amidst the chaos, Mia had made sure she took her medicine on time. He smiled. She was his wife now. He somehow felt an odd lightness. He had his other half with him. It was not based on passionate love but he respected her strength, her talent, and her clarity of thoughts. She was an asset for him as well as for his firm. But after having known her for the past few days, even though they were a low phase in her life, he had seen her strength and resilience. She was not only perfect for him but for the family as well. It had not taken long for him to decide how to end her conflict of leaving for some rape crisis centre.

  *******

  Piyush had shifted her belongings to his room earlier. He wanted to make her feel so secure and comfortable with him that maybe, one day, they would start to love each other as well.

  Piyush was sitting next to Sunaina, working on his laptop. He wore a black t-shirt coupled with grey and black checked Pyjamas. She looked at him. He was so big and handsome. Long chiselled face, square jaws, thick brows, a thin upper lip, a prominent lower lip, an arrogant tilt to his head as he was deep in thought made him very attractive. She wished she was not damaged as she was, physically and mentally.

  As if sensing her eyes on him he turned, tilting his head a little more. His lips curved into a smile.

  “Hey, sleepy-head.” His hands tousled her hair which was spread on the pillow. He had always wanted to see her hair spread on his pillow for him to play with. He chuckled. Now he had a lifetime to do just that.

  Sunaina realised that she was wearing a loose t-shirt that was not her own. It was big as well as loose and to her mortification, she was wearing only the t-shirt and her panties. She curled up a little under her blanket. She was conscious of her state of undress

  Piyush saw her blushing and leaned towards her very slowly. She held her breath. He kissed her forehead slightly and she could feel his heat coming closer and closer. His lips slowly slid to the side of her forehead placing a kiss there, then it moved to her ear lobes placing a kiss there, and then it moved to kiss her just under her ear.

  “The blushing bride!” He said with a smile when she took an audible breath. “Do you know how beautiful you looked today in that saree? Why are you so surprised?” he asked.

  Sunaina swallowed hard. “No one has ever said such things to me before. Is this flirting?” Her eyes were wide as she looked at him with wonder.

  It was his turn to frown. He raised his brows and said, “Honey! That was just sweet talk.”

  He looked at her—the confident and extremely efficient fresher with a face plastered with paint is now more than just that to him. She was his wife now. He had seen her in lots of situations and moods. When she was scared, worried, hurt, in pain and even when she was smiling and happy or dazzled and confused like she was now. He wanted to see her in throes of passion. But that can wait. He had all the time in the world, he thought. But he can give her a big dose of sweet talk and dollops of flirting in the meanwhile. He smiled wickedly as he felt so good. She acted so mature in office. Now he was seeing the naïve side of her that he loved teasing.

  She was engulfed in his arms. His elbows were on her sides and his face was only inches away from hers, but he made sure that his weight didn’t press against her. She could still feel his warmth yet their bodies were not in contact. He inhaled her scent, his face almost nestled in the nook of her neck. Her hands clutched the pillow tightly, holding her breath.

  “Breathe!” He nuzzled her. She took an audible breath. Then she flinched as her lower abdomen tightened. He felt her flinch. “Sorry!” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Your body is still regaining its strength. I forgot in my playful mood.”

  She looked at him oddly. That was just his playful mood?

  “Why?”

  He frowned at her repeating the question, but her voice had gone softer.

  “Why what?” he asked.

  “Why did you marry me?”

  He smiled at her precise question. “Because I want to be the one to bring a smile on your lips. I want to be the one to touch you and your soul. I want to be the one to flirt with you and teach you all about making love.” He continued as her eyes became as wide as saucers. “I want to be the one, only one.”

  She gasped. She didn’t want to believe a single word but his face was serious. She couldn’t let herself believe all what he was saying. “You don’t love me.” It was more of a statement.

  “No, maybe not yet. But I care for you. I feel protective about you. I want to be all the things I said earlier and yes, I am attracted to you. You are a beautiful and an intelligent woman. I want you. I can give you the proof but I don’t want to scare you. And trust me we have all the time in the world to reach that stage of our life. And trust me, I’m in no hurry.” He smiled wickedly.

  Chapter 9

  Sunaina had had enough. She couldn’t let this continue. If he had someone in his life she wanted it cleared now. She already had her burden to bear. Piyush had asked her to file a complaint against her stepfather. She had pushed away the subject for some other day. It has been three months since their marriage and Piyush has avoided her for the last two months. He took all the official trips outside Bangalore and at times even outside India. When home, he made sure he came so late so that she had slept and even then, mostly she found him sleeping on the couch in the study. Nobody mentioned a word, but everyone had noticed.

 
; She was going regularly for her counselling. For the first few appointments Piyush had accompanied her. But slowly he had stopped coming and now made sure to keep his distance. She was sorry for that day when everything had come crashing down.

  *******

  She was leaving from the office a few weeks after their marriage, and Piyush had gone for a meeting with a client to another location. Since Sujal had gone to the office that day she had left the office early, saying that she would wait by the car. As she reached the car, she noticed her father and four of his friends standing there. She felt the hair on the nape of her neck stand up. Were these the people who had hurt her? She was drugged that night and didn’t remember their faces, though the pain was still vivid.

  “Where are you staying?” her father asked.

  She couldn’t believe he would still have the courage to even talk with her.

  “None of your business.” she retorted.

  He came towards her, his manner menacing. “You are my daughter. I have every right to know. Just because you are an adult legally, you cannot decide about your life.”

  “I already have. And it’s none of your business.” She said firmly, though she could feel the fear grip her heart.

  One of the guys had an odd glint in his eyes as he started moving towards her. She cringed and moved back and felt the cold metal of the car press against her back.

  Suddenly they heard voices coming closer.

  “Next time I will make sure that we are not interrupted.” her step-father threatened.

  And before she knew they left. When Sujal came, she was still plastered to the side of the car, her face was pale and her body was shaking like a leaf.

  Sujal knew something has spooked her. Then he noticed the men walking away in a hurry. He quickly helped Sunaina into the car. Following the men would have been futile. He made a note to check with the security how these men could enter the car park of the tower.

  That night Sunaina did not eat her dinner properly. Dia and Mia looked worried but they didn’t ask anything. After tossing and turning a lot, she took the tablet her doctor had given her to help her sleep. She finally slipped into a disturbed sleep.

  She saw them burst into the room. She couldn’t move. She was sure her father had drugged her. Was it through food or water? Groggily, she looked up and found some stranger, “No!” she screamed.

  She tried to close everything out but then she felt an arm around her. Trying to make herself invisible, she balled up in the foetal position. Then she felt hands graze her breast. She pushed with all her might and jumped from the bed.

  Feeling disoriented, she tried to find her way to the door. She was scared; she didn’t want that kind of pain again. She wanted to have a normal life with Piyush. Where was he? Why was he not here? Then she heard him calling her name. Turning slowly, she saw him dishevelled, wearing a t-shirt and pyjama.

  She heaved a sigh of relief and comfort as soon as she saw him. But she witnessed pain in his eyes.

  They heard a knock and Piyush got up to open the door. Mia, Dia and Sujal stood there.

  “We heard a scream and came running.” Sujal said, worried.

  The reality came crashing down on her, along with heartache. What had she done? She had just pushed away her support her comfort system. She had started to have feelings for Piyush and she didn’t want to hurt him. She looked at him, pleading forgiveness. He looked almost sad.

  “She would prefer your company than mine, mom.” Without looking back, Piyush left the room.

  Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. She looked broken and exhausted. “I pushed him…” She started sobbing. “I…I was having a nightmare.”

  Sujal came in. He patted her head then placed his hand on her shoulder. “Did the guys in the parking lot trigger it?”

  Her eyes grew wide with fear. He didn’t ask more because he already got his answer. He helped her to her bed. Mia said she would sleep with Sunaina in the room.

  After that night, Sunaina had tried many times to explain but Piyush always excused himself before she could. The distance between them grew bigger and bigger.

  Today she was at her limit. If he didn’t want her in his life she would leave. But she couldn’t live like strangers under the same roof.

  He came by 11:30 pm. She heard him but she wanted to give him time to freshen up. She lay still, knowing well that if he noticed that she is awake, he will find an excuse to leave the room. He came out from the shower in his fresh pyjamas and t-shirt.

  She was sitting on the couch, waiting for him. Determination was written clearly on her face.

  He didn’t say a word and was about to leave, when she said, “I want an advocate.”

  He stopped. He hadn’t expected that.

  “Advocate? For what?” Piyush asked.

  She did not elaborate.

  He thought that she wanted to leave behind her past and was seeking justice for the crimes against her.

  “I am glad that you have planned to move on. You are a strong woman, Sunaina. You will finally have closure. I will inform my advocate to contact you tomorrow.”

  She stood up with a start. She had just thrown something to stir him up. But he wanted divorce! She felt pain seize her heart. A sob escaped her lips.

  He looked at her surprised. Her tears were unshed, her pain so tangible. She was still in pain from all that had happened, he thought. He didn’t want her to push him away again in fear like that night. It’s better he left and sent his mom or aunt to check on her. He started to leave the room when in one quick movement she came in front of him and blocked the way.

  “Is there someone else?”

  “Someone else?” he asked, confused.

  “Yes. Is that why you are so eager to get divorce from me?”

  He took a step back as if she had slapped him.

  “Or- or why would you agree to send the advocate?” she concluded.

  Everything started falling into place. She wanted divorce that’s why she asked for an advocate and to make it worse she doubted he was having an affair.

  ‘Damn!’ He had thought he was giving her some space. Then a scary thought came into his mind. Did she move on? Has she met someone? With one quick move, his hands held her arms in steel-like grip,

  “Have you?” If there was someone else in picture, Sujal would have noticed it and informed him. That night he had promised himself that he wouldn’t touch her until she took the initiative. He frowned as he remembered how Sujal had supported her. He actually had left Sujal to be there with her. “Sujal?” He didn’t realise he had spoken it out aloud.

  Her face held the pain his fingers were giving her and she frowned as she heard him.

  “What do you mean? And what with Sujal?”

  “Is it Sujal?” he asked again.

  She looked confused at first and then understood what he meant. She tried to free herself from his strong grip.

  “How dare you?” She finally managed to released her hand and hit him on his shoulder. The first two times he took the hit but the third time she tried to hit him, he clutched her wrists.

  “How dare ‘I’?” His voice shook with fury. She could feel the anger pulsing through his body. “You ask for an advocate so that you can divorce me and lead a life with my cousin?” She tried to escape, her tears already flowing without any barricade.

  Chapter 10

  “You…you really think that?” her voice broke but he held her tight. She tried to leave. That was the final blow for her. She couldn’t stay with him if he had such a bad opinion about her. “Let me go, Piyush.”

  He pulled her closer and plastered her to him but she still struggled. He realised that her struggle was unlike the few times he had seen her scared and surrendered to the violence she thought was coming. She was not scared of him. She trusted him enough to know that he would not harm her. An odd peace came over him but immediately he remembered.

  “Then why do you want divorce from me?”

 
; Her eyes were too full of tears to see his face clearly. “Don’t humiliate me more.” She tried to free herself. “Let me go Piyush.” She was sobbing.

  “I humiliated you? You are planning to leave me and you say I humiliate you.”

  She was losing her energy. He could feel her struggle becoming weak.

  “Please!” Her voice was barely a whisper. She finally let her head rest on his shoulder. “Don’t do this. Just say the words and I will leave you in peace,” she said.

  “What words?”

  “That you have someone in your life and I am no longer welcome.” She struggled with her sobs. “I am sorry I put you in such a position – a complete meaningless marriage.”

  His hands tightened around her. The whole conversation was going over his head.

  “Why do you think ours is a meaningless marriage? And why do you think there is someone else in my life?”

  Her hands clutched his t-shirt tightly. It was difficult for her to even think of him with another woman. She lifted her head and looked at him.

  “Am I so disgusting that you couldn’t be anywhere near me?”

  He felt the pain emanating from her ram into his chest. ‘Was that what she had thought when he kept his distance? How could he have not seen that? He couldn’t allow her to have such a wrong notion. If there was a way to salvage their marriage he was up for it. He wouldn’t surrender without a fight. He had to try one last time.

  “I gave you space to adjust to my presence around you.”

  “Space?” She almost spat the words. “By moving away from me? I tried to explain why I got scared. You never allowed me. I am married to you. I wanted your presence, the security ‘YOU’ provide me, not Sujal’s. He was trying to make sure I was fine because he knows something scared me that day. And even more because he was worried I might lapse back into severe depression.”