“ALL DONE, THERE’S no one else left,” Vikram said softly.

Gaurav and Vikram watched as the body of the man Gaurav had just killed burned in the incinerator.

Gaurav stared at the flames. For some reason, he had thought it would bring him some amount of peace after killing all the people who had murdered his sister.

But his mind still felt restless. And it wasn’t just because Suraj Bhupati was still scot-free.

It was also because of his enemy’s wife.

Each time Gaurav thought of Nina Bhupati, he felt an ache in his heart. And it kept growing each minute. And it wasn’t just because he wanted her and craved her touch once again. It was something else. Something he had no intention of acknowledging.

 

BY THE TIME Vikram drove them to the forest cabin, it was already dark and Khan was waiting near the door step with his luggage.

“Keep a low profile for the next couple of months until we gather rest of the proofs, Gaurav.”

Gaurav nodded at Vikram. He knew that by killing the last of the goons who had murdered Shruti, he risked discovery. All someone had to do was dig up which contract jobs the goons had done together.

“I’ll stay in the cabin,” Gaurav answered.

“Are you sure?” Vikram asked. “We can secure the captive in some other location.”

“No. This cabin is fine. It would be hard for them to trace.”

Vikram nodded. “Okay. If anything changes, call me. I’ll keep in touch with you as well.”

“I will,” said Gaurav.

He got out of the SUV and greeted Khan. He unloaded the supplies he had picked up for staying in the cabin for a long period of time. And then, he picked up Khans bags and loaded them into the vehicle. Then shutting the trunk, he turned to look at the man who had supported him unconditionally over the years.

 “Thank you for everything, Khan,” he said. “I hope you realized over the years of how much I valued your service.”

Khan smiled sadly. “Yes. You have always been kind and caring towards me.”

“I know I’ve told this to you before, but I’ve set up your retirement funds in your bank. You can draw them each month—”

“I remember,” Khan cut in gently.

“Then I guess, this is it.”

“I know, it won’t be, sir. I’m confident we’ll keep meeting until death finds me.”

Gaurav remained silent.

“I know nothing will happen to you, sir. Nina will protect you—”

“Khan.” This time it was Gaurav who interrupted him and smiled. “I know you and Vikram are confident I’ll be able to come out of this without any ramifications. Well, I’ll try not to get killed or arrested unnecessarily either, I promise.”

Khan smiled again, this time there was only a hint of sadness. “I’m quite confident, sir. I’m also confident even Nina will join us at that time.”

Gaurav shook his head at Khan’s fanciful thoughts. ‘Good bye, Khan. Take care of your health.”

“See you soon, sir,” said Khan, before opening the door and getting into the vehicle.

Gaurav  waved at Vikram and Khan and waited until the lights of the SUV faded away in the dark forest.

He then took the supplies inside and loaded them into the fridge and the cupboards. He was about to head downstairs, but he stopped. Instead, he stepped out of the cabin once again.

There was no moon that night, and Gaurav could barely see anything beyond a foot outside. But he still headed to the lake, using the light from his phone.

He could not bear to be anywhere around Nina with a dead man’s blood or ashes covering his body.

He shed his clothes and left them on a stone near the lake before wading into the water.

He didn’t take any laps. He just dipped in waist deep water and submerged his body under the water a few times until any lingering ash on his body was washed away.

There was no change of clothes. So, he simply got out of the water and walked naked to the cabin.

When he passed by Nina’s room, he couldn’t hear anything. But he knew she wasn’t asleep. He knew she usually slept much later.

He put clean clothes and slid into his bed.

He couldn’t sleep. His mind felt restless. He knew it was because he desperately wanted to listen to Nina. He wanted her to work her magic on him with her voice, alleviating the ache in his chest and bringing him some peace of mind.

“Nina, I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it.

All he could hear was silence.

“I know I behaved badly with you the last time. Please forgive me and talk to me. I really need to hear your voice,” he said softly.

There was silence.

“Nina?”

Silence again.

“I said talk.” His voice had risen slightly higher and it came out as an order.

He knew it was illogical to expect her to forgive him that easily and follow his demand. But in his twisted mind, she owed it to him.

When she still didn’t talk, irrational anger crept over him, and all the hopelessness and frustration he felt after the day’s events made him erupt. He banged on the wall, until it shook. “I said talk!” he roared.

It was again met with silence.

He got up from his bed and stormed out of his room and then went into hers.

The lights were turned off, including the night light. He turned them all on and glared towards her bed.

What he saw killed his anger immediately. His heart almost stopped for a moment.

The sight in front of him, reminded him of how he had found his mother the morning after Shruti had died. His mother was lying still on the bed after she died of a massive heart attack in her sleep.

“Nina!” he whispered in a panic-laden voice. He heard the faintest sound of her breath. And then, seeing her chest rise and fall softly, his panic subsided.

She was lying on the bed with her eyes open. And even though her gaze appeared to be in his direction, the utter deadness in them made it seem like she was looking through him.

Slowly, he went towards her and knelt on the floor next to the bed.

“Nina,” he softly said, touching her cheek gently.

She flinched at the touch, but continued watching blankly.

“I’m sorry, Nina. Please… talk to me.”

When she continued to stay silent, he pulled her up, until she sat up in the bed, staring blankly.

He shook her slightly. “I said talk. If you are angry with me, show it to me. Don’t just sulk.” The last part he deliberately said to goad her.

He saw her eyes changing. The dullness slowly disappeared, and it was replaced by a blazing anger. Anger directed at him.

He saw it coming, but he didn’t move or do anything to stop her. Her palm connected to his face with enough force to whip it to the side.

“If you can’t free me, at least leave me in peace within this prison!” she shouted, struggling to get out of his arms.

“I can’t,” he said in a quiet tone.

As expected, there was another slap. This one was with an equal amount of force.

She was breathing hard, and was watching him with a look that hit him even harder than any physical hurt could. “Do you feel better?” he asked softly. “Or do you want to hit me again? Hit me or hurt me however much you want, but please talk to me.”

She stared at him silently, and then slowly the anger in her eyes subsided and her shoulders slumped. “Why?” she asked.

“Because I had a horrible day. And I need to listen to your voice to make me feel sane.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “Not anymore. I can’t bare my past to a person who treated me like trash.”

His chest felt tight, listening to the betrayal in her voice. “I’m sorry,” he said before kissing her cheek softly.

She let him.

Encouraged, he sat next to her and hugged her close, until her head rested on top of his chest.

“You said I was nobody to you,” she whispered.

“I was lying,” he replied, picking up her hand and kissing her palm softly. “You do mean something to me.”

“How can I mean something when you won’t even let me know your name?” she asked.

Gaurav paused. Then taking a deep breath, he said, “Gaurav. My name is Gaurav.”

Slowly, she looked up at him, and a small radiant smile broke on her face. “Gaurav,” she repeated.

Hearing his name from her lips felt strange and invigorating at the same time. He knew there would be ramifications later on, but he completely blanked his mind, except for the woman in front of him.

He picked her up and carried her to his room to gently lay her on his bed. He lay next to her, facing her, and keeping a few inches between them.

“Talk,” he pleaded softly.

This time she did. Before that, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek where it still throbbed. She didn’t apologize using any words. But he knew her kiss was a way of apology. He felt touched that she felt bad for hitting him even though he more than deserved it.

“Devi was heartbreakingly beautiful,” she began. “And despite our disguises, there was no hiding that face, so she began to use her beauty to take care of me.” She inhaled a deep breath. “She took up jobs as a dancer in bars a first. People saw her and liked her, and soon she was hired in exclusive, high-end private events. I hated it, even though she said it was harmless. I wasn’t judging her. Hell, if given a chance, I would have done the same and maybe even more for my sister, but Devi didn’t allow me to. So, we compromised and I accompanied her whenever I could. Even though she was barely sixteen at that time, men of all ages leered at her and made indecent passes. Some of them were even bold enough to touch her. I hurt them all.”

“What did you do?” he asked.

She stopped speaking and had a stunned look on her face. Maybe because it was the first time he acknowledged or spoke while she narrated.

“I hurt them. Most of them were too drunk to react or hit back. I stabbed them with forks. Or kicked them in their balls. I even broke some of their noses.”

“Of course.” A smile covered his face, recalling how she had done the same thing to him when she had a chance to escape.

He felt the need to protect her even though she was more than capable of doing it herself since she was a child. He felt the need to wipe away her bad memories of her past and replace them with nothing but happiness and laughter.

And more than anything, he felt the need to protect her from him.

He watched her as she continued to speak. There was a faraway look on her face, as though she was reliving her past.

“Whenever Devi took up a new job, I went along, and told the potential employers that we came as a package, and that I should be allowed into those events too. So I…” She continued to talk for the rest of the night.

Much later that night, when he watched her sleeping next to him, only one thought dominated Gaurav’s mind.

He knew Nina Bhupati’s end game—she was aiming for his heart. By revealing a part of her life, she was capturing piece by piece of his heart. And sooner or later, she would have all of it.

And by giving her his real name, he had taken the biggest risk.

Somewhere inside, he knew Nina Bhupati was going to be the one to cause his downfall. And he also knew he wasn’t going to stop her.