Man of Her Match

by Sakshama Puri Dhariwal

‘That was the last ball,’ he assured her. ‘Will you please tell me what’s bothering you? Why aren’t you talking to me?’

  ‘I’ve been busy,’ she evaded.

  ‘Really? Because I can see twenty dresses sprawled on your bed. Another date tonight?’ he joked.

  ‘Actually, yes,’ she said quietly.

  He dropped the bat. ‘What?’

  ‘Kuku is coming over for dinner,’ she said, trying not to sound guilty.

  ‘You’re not seriously going through with this?’ Vikram snapped. Then he lowered his voice an octave. ‘Not after what happened between us.’

  Nidhi swallowed, pushing her back against the wall next to the window, out of his view.

  ‘Nidhi?’ he said, his voice pained. ‘Look at me.’

  She took a deep breath and turned around to face him, fighting to keep her expression composed. ‘We were both emotional that day. It didn’t mean anything.’

  ‘Bullshit!’ he bit out. ‘You know it did.’

  ‘No, it didn’t,’ she said, her voice breaking.

  ‘Don’t do this to us, Nidhi. The first time was bad enough, I won’t be able to take it again,’ he said softly.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, hanging up the phone. She half expected another tennis ball to fly in through the window, but it didn’t.

  Instead she received a text from him:

  Enjoy your dinner. But after that, we need to talk.

  She replied:

  There’s nothing to talk about.

  He ignored that and wrote back:

  I’ll be waiting, Nidhi. You know I will.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want another drink?’ Nidhi asked Kuku sceptically, even as her father shot her a sharp look.

  ‘Yes, I’m certain, Niddy,’ Kuku responded with an amiable smile. ‘I’m driving.’

  Nidhi’s eyebrows shot up. Really? That didn’t stop you last time.

  Kuku was a completely different person in front of Balraj. He was polite, restrained and not once did Nidhi catch him gawking at her breasts. He nodded along obsequiously to almost everything her father said, and Nidhi was beginning to realize why Balraj was so keen on Kuku. Because he would be a puppet in her father’s hands.

  Balraj threw back his head and laughed at something Kuku said, slapping him on the back affably.

  Nidhi felt the proverbial noose tighten around her neck.

  ‘Niddy?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Are you okay? You look kind of pale,’ Kuku observed.

  ‘Just a little tired,’ she yawned, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  ‘Would you like to go for a drive?’ Kuku asked. ‘Some fresh air will do you good.’

  What fresh air? We live in the most polluted city in the world.

  When she didn’t immediately respond, Kuku turned to Balraj and added, ‘With your permission, of course, sir.’

  ‘Sure,’ Balraj said with a friendly smile. ‘You’re practically family.’

  ‘No!’ she burst out and her father narrowed his eyes at her. ‘I mean, maybe we can go for a walk instead,’ she amended helplessly.

  ‘Sounds good,’ Kuku said with a suggestive smile.

  Nidhi noticed his leer and re-evaluated the wisdom of going for a walk with him alone. The street was fairly well lit and she knew most of the neighbours. So at least it would be safer than jumping out of a moving car, if it came to that.

  How was she considering marrying a man she was afraid of? Nidhi wondered in disgust. Was she so spineless? Was she so scared of disappointing her father that she was willing to sacrifice her happiness, maybe even her safety?

  Her feelings for Vikram aside, she did not want to marry Kuku. And she intended to tell her father that immediately. Or at least as soon as this ridiculous moonlit stroll was over.

  Nidhi followed Kuku out of the house wordlessly, keeping a careful distance between them.

  But Kuku’s intention, as it turned out, was not to walk.

  He grabbed Nidhi by the shoulders and pinned her against his car, parked a few feet from the Marwahs’ gate.

  Panic clawed at Nidhi and she swallowed back her gasp of shock. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  ‘Oh, come on, Niddy,’ Kuku chortled, a greedy glint in his eyes. ‘There’s no use acting coy now. You want this as much as I do. You’ve been trying to get me drunk all night.’ Nidhi swallowed guiltily and he added, ‘Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’

  ‘It’s not like that, Kuku,’ she said, trying to keep her tone composed and casual even as she internally shuddered at the thought of getting physical with him.

  ‘We’re practically engaged,’ Kuku said, leering at her breasts.

  ‘No, we’re not. And we never will be,’ Nidhi snorted, shoving hard at his chest.

  Kuku stumbled back in shock and his face flashed with anger at her rejection. He clasped her wrists in a death grip and gave her a menacing smile, ‘Not only will we get engaged, we’ll get married. And then there will be no room for shyness or resistance in our relationship.’

  Nidhi broke into a cold sweat, recognizing the clear intention in his tone. ‘No,’ she choked as he pulled her head back roughly with one hand, using his other hand to trap her against the car, making her skin crawl. ‘Stop!’ Nidhi rasped, as his fingers bit punishingly into her flesh. She looked around frantically, for Bhimsen or a neighbour or even a stray passer-by. Ignoring her plea, Kuku slid his hand down her neck, over her collarbone, until it came to rest on her breast.

  ‘Get off me, you asshole!’ she snapped and was furious with herself when her warning came out as a terrified squeak instead of an ominous command. Terror rose in her throat as his sweaty palm covered her breast through the fabric of her wrap dress. ‘Stop or I’ll—’ Kuku’s mouth came smashing down on hers, drowning her threat as his hard body pressed tightly against hers. Tears of pain and humiliation sprang to Nidhi’s eyes and she struggled to break away from the vicious assault of Kuku’s fleshy mouth. She fought to draw some oxygen into her lungs, to find her voice, to scream for help, but she was no match for his brute strength.

  ‘You fucking piece of shit!’ Vikram’s voice boomed a split second before he grabbed Kuku by the neck and slammed him against the bonnet of the car. Cold, raw fury flashed in Vikram’s eyes as he thrust his arm against Kuku’s throat, pinning him down and cutting off his oxygen supply.

  Kuku’s eyes widened with fear. ‘No,’ he croaked, shaking his head.

  Vikram lowered his face to Kuku’s, his eyes blazing with violence. ‘Do you even know the meaning of that word, you son of a bitch?’ he spat out savagely right before his fist came crashing down on Kuku’s jaw with a loud crack. ‘If you ever touch her again,’ he warned in a dangerous voice, ‘I will rip you apart limb by limb!’

  Kuku sputtered, trying to choke out a response.

  ‘Do you understand?’ Vikram bit out, raising his fist again.

  Kuku nodded emphatically.

  ‘Let him go,’ Nidhi whispered, still gasping from Kuku’s onslaught.

  Vikram was so consumed by his rage that it took him a moment to register Nidhi’s presence. The colour had drained from her cheeks and she stood with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering. She looked so damn fragile that another bout of anger swept over Vikram.

  He lifted Kuku by the collar and thrust him aside, causing him to stumble on to the road. ‘Get the fuck out of here!’ Vikram roared and Kuku leapt into his car, hurriedly starting the ignition.

  The car sped away and Vikram reached for Nidhi, but she shook her head. He nodded and stood next to her, waiting for her hands to stop shaking and her breathing to stabilize.

  ‘I heard tyres screech. What happened?’ Balraj asked, striding out of the house. ‘What did you do to her?’ he demanded of Vikram, noticing Nidhi’s petrified expression.

  ‘What did I do to her?’ Vikram snarled. ‘What did you do to her? You’ve taken her strength and spirit and crushed it! What kind of father are you
?’

  ‘How dare you!’ Balraj thundered.

  ‘You did it twelve years ago and you’ve done it again!’ Vikram scathed.

  Balraj turned to his daughter. ‘What is he talking about, Nidhi?’

  Nidhi stared at the ground, unable to find her voice.

  Vikram glared at Balraj. ‘That fucking son of a bitch . . .’

  ‘Stop!’ Nidhi warned. ‘Please, Viks. I don’t want to stress Papa out.’

  ‘And even after all this she’s still thinking about you!’ Vikram snapped in disgust.

  ‘What happened?’ Balraj demanded, panic creeping into his eyes. ‘Did Kuku do something to you?’

  Nidhi nodded and Vikram’s heart broke at the cold, lost expression in her eyes. Balraj caught Vikram flexing and unflexing his right hand and saw the redness around his knuckles. ‘Did you hit him?’

  ‘Not as hard as I wanted to,’ Vikram said bitterly.

  Balraj held his hand out to Nidhi. ‘Let’s go home.’

  Nidhi ignored his hand, but walked into the house. Balraj gave Vikram a curt nod and followed Nidhi inside.

  Balraj Marwah sat on the couch next to his daughter and handed her a glass of whisky.

  ‘Drink this,’ he said quietly.

  Surprise flickered in Nidhi’s eyes. ‘But I don’t . . .’ Her voice trailed off.

  ‘I know you drink alcohol, Nidhi,’ Balraj said dryly.

  Nidhi took a large swig from the glass and turned to face him. ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘Just because your loyal Trio is sworn to secrecy doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes,’ he said blandly.

  She gave him a puzzled look.

  ‘Until a few years ago, I used to pay your credit card bill,’ he reminded her with a wry smile. ‘And since then, I’ve seen you jump over the gate several times.’

  Nidhi flushed. ‘Why didn’t you ever say anything before?’

  ‘Why didn’t you?’ he countered.

  ‘I didn’t want to upset you. You always say drinking—’

  ‘Not that!’ he said bitterly. ‘Why didn’t you say anything about Kuku?’

  She stared into her glass. ‘I tried.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Balraj whispered, his face a ravaged mask of regret. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Tears welled up in Nidhi’s eyes and she tried to blink them back with a final swallow of her drink.

  ‘What did Walia mean that even after all this you’re still thinking about me?’ Balraj asked. When Nidhi remained silent, he continued, ‘Is it because of my health? Did you agree to marry Kuku because you thought I’d have another heart attack if you refused?’ Balraj pressed, his voice a pained mix of shock and self-contempt.

  Nidhi ignored his question and said, instead, ‘I don’t want to marry him.’

  Balraj gave her a hurt look. ‘You think I would let you marry him after this?’

  Tanvi’s words came back to Nidhi. ‘You have to learn to say no to your father.’

  And then there was the harsh truth Vikram had thrown in her face two nights ago. ‘For once in your life, stop thinking about what your father wants and focus on what you want!’

  ‘That’s the point,’ Nidhi responded. ‘It’s not your decision to make. It’s mine.’

  Balraj sank back into the sofa. ‘I see.’

  ‘I’ve spent my entire life trying to make you happy, doing things you would approve of. I’ve spent every moment trying not to upset you, disappoint you or let you down. I’m tired, Papa. Tired of always second-guessing myself, tip-toeing around you, feeling guilty even when I haven’t done anything wrong, trying to make you proud—’

  ‘I am proud!’ Balraj said, and the ferocity in his voice took Nidhi by surprise. ‘But I’m also constantly scared. I just want to . . . protect you.’

  ‘Is that what you were doing twelve years ago?’ Nidhi shot back. ‘Protecting me from Vikram?’

  Balraj’s jaw clenched and he looked away.

  ‘Instead of protecting me, you hurt me in the most unimaginable way possible. He was my best friend, Papa. My only friend. Not only did you take him away from me, you left me alone to pick up the pieces of my broken heart.’

  Balraj heard the quiver in her voice and spoke in a flat tone. ‘You’re still in love with him.’

  Nidhi nodded. ‘I never stopped loving him. And I think I never will.’

  ‘He’s a spoilt rich playboy and his interest in you is nothing but a passing fancy!’ Balraj snapped, his face turning red with anger.

  ‘Calm down,’ Nidhi warned and was oddly touched when Balraj took a deep breath before continuing in a more reasonable tone. ‘He’ll use you like a plaything, toss you aside when he’s bored, and move on to the next girl.’

  His words slashed through her heart, but not because Nidhi thought they were true. She had worked for a newspaper long enough to know that stories of Vikram’s numerous flings and sexual encounters were mostly embellished. But it wasn’t just the rational part of her brain that rose to his defence. It was also her heart. It was the years of knowing him that assured her that Vikram wasn’t the use-them-and-lose-them type. So it wasn’t his string of past relationships that bothered Nidhi. What bothered her was the look on Vikram’s face in that photograph with Natasha.

  ‘This is simply a photograph of a man in love.’

  ‘That’s more emotion on his face than when India won the World Cup.’

  ‘Clearly, the only thing on his mind is the woman he loves.’

  Those words had haunted Nidhi for days, and she could not discount them. Because Vikram could deny that relationship all he wanted, but Nidhi knew him well enough to recognize his expression in that photograph.

  Vikram loved Natasha.

  ‘Nidhi,’ Balraj began urgently. ‘He had a bad temper as a kid, but his rage has only gotten worse as an adult. He’s a bully!’

  Nidhi bit back a smile. ‘He’s not a bully.’ And neither are you.

  ‘You’re a sweet, sensible girl who needs to be with someone who will care for you.’

  ‘He does care for me, Papa. And,’ she added calmly, ‘he doesn’t lose his temper without reason.’

  ‘He’s not right for you, Nidhi,’ Balraj persisted.

  Because he doesn’t love me. ‘I know,’ she responded.

  His eyebrows shot up. ‘You know?’

  She gave a little laugh. ‘Yes, I know.’

  Her father nodded, evidently relieved.

  ‘But that still doesn’t give you the right to interfere,’ she warned lightly.

  Balraj pulled her in for a brief hug. ‘Okay.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Nidhi said.

  ‘Thank you,’ he replied.

  ‘Come in!’ Nidhi said in response to the soft knock on her door the following morning.

  Vikram nudged the door open with his shoulder, walking into the room with two cups of Starbucks coffee in his hands. Or, if Nidhi had to guess, one cup of coffee and one cup of hot chocolate.

  ‘Hey,’ he said softly, glancing at the empty spot next to her on the bed.

  Nidhi nodded, giving him tacit permission to sit. He kicked off his sporty flip-flops and settled in beside her, folding his knees up to his chest before handing her a cup.

  Nidhi took a long sip of the warm coffee and sighed contentedly. ‘How did you know what kind of coffee I like?’

  Vikram gave her an embarrassed smile. ‘Your friend Risha talks quite a bit.’

  ‘And did Risha also tell you what time I woke up this morning?’ Nidhi asked, tipping her head towards her open window.

  He threw her a guilty look and sipped his hot chocolate. ‘Did you sleep well?’

  Nidhi heard the slight catch in his voice and responded to his unasked question. ‘I’m doing okay, Viks. I was a little shaken up last night, but I had a long talk with Papa and I felt much better.’

  The tension left his body and he gave her a relieved smile. ‘I’m glad.’

  ‘How’s your hand?’ she asked, taking another gulp
of her latte.

  He glanced down at his swollen knuckles and shrugged. ‘I’ve seen worse.’

  ‘Thanks for yesterday, Viks. If you hadn’t—’

  ‘If I hadn’t punched him, you would have. And that would’ve hurt much worse,’ he said with an exaggerated shudder.

  Nidhi smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, drinking her coffee in silence, inhaling the familiar scent of him. The scent that would drift out of her life as abruptly as it had wafted in, she realized with a flash of pain.

  Vikram felt her stiffen against him. ‘What are you thinking about?’

  ‘When are you going back to Mumbai?’ Nidhi asked.

  ‘I have to attend the disciplinary hearing next week, but I can fly back to Delhi immediately after.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Firstly, if all goes well, I’ll be playing the South Africa series, and the first match is at Feroz Shah Kotla.’

  ‘And secondly?’ she probed.

  Secondly, I’m insanely in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.

  He grinned to himself, imagining her shocked reaction if he voiced that sudden, ardent proclamation. ‘You know secondly.’

  She knew. And as much as it pained her to steer the conversation in that direction, she also knew it had to be done. ‘Tell me.’

  ‘Because I want to spend time with you,’ Vikram said softly, rubbing his jaw against her temple.

  Nidhi jerked her head away from his shoulder. ‘No.’

  He narrowed his eyes, somewhat confused. ‘No?’

  ‘Whatever this is,’ she gestured between them, ‘it’s not real.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked, looking genuinely baffled.

  ‘I mean, it needs to stop. The flirting, the peeping through my window, the bringing me coffee . . .’ she explained.

  He rolled his eyes. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’

  She held up a palm. ‘No, you’re being ridiculous. We’re friends, but what do you think is going to happen between us?’

  ‘Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,’ Vikram teased, yanking on a strand of her hair.

  ‘I’m serious,’ she bit out and it was the determined glint in her eyes that made Vikram sit up and pay attention to her words. ‘I’ve had enough of this.’