Page 89 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

Standing up, I went to the bathroom to freshen up. Once I was refreshed, I walked out before taking a bath. I stopped an attendee and asked,“Where is Ranaji?”

“He is in the practice room, doing his morning workout, Ranisa,” she said. I bit my lower lip to contain the wicked smile that was about to appear on my face.

Working out? Interesting!

Time to execute Agastya’s plan.

Turning on my heels, I paraded towards the practice room, and the moment I stepped in, I found him swinging a wooden club.

Taking a deep breath, I moved toward him. As I walked closer, his movements became awkward, and he paused his exercise, looking at me with his brows knitted together.

He scrutinised me for several moments before stepping back and continuing his exercise. I edged closer to him, and agitated, he set the wooden club down.

Sighing, he positioned himself prone on the floor and began doing push-ups. My treacherous eyes scanned his half-naked body, lathered in sweat.

I mindlessly stared at his veins bulging out as his arms bent, the muscles of his back flexing as he pushed his body up and down.

Looking at his finely built body, a perverted thought of scratching his back while making love to him flashed through my mind. I immediately shook my head, waving that thought away, and sat beside him on the floor.

Lying down, I slipped under him from the side, our gaze met, looking directly into each other’s eyes. His face kept grazing mine every time he lowered himself for another push-up.

“You know, you shouldn't strain yourself so much until you're completely healed,” I said, and he just kept doing what he was doing. Shamelessly coiling my arms around his neck, I mumbled,“You look so hot while working out, Rudra.”

Inhaling a deep breath, he got off me and shifted a little away, continuing his push-ups. I stood up and went near him.

“You know, Rudra. As a kid, I would sit on my father’s back every time he did push-ups. It used to be so much fun,” I said, but he ignored me again. Adjusting my dupatta and lehenga, I added,“Let's see if you can deal with this.” I mounted on his back, crossedmy legs, and sat comfortably.

When he began the exercise with me on his back, I burst into a fit of laughter.“Oh my god!” I laughed harder, recalling my childhood.

“I don't think you weigh more than a bird,” He remarked, and I roared with even more mirth.

“Really!?” He carried on doing it, and suddenly my laughter died.

I gulped, looking at his nape, which was turning sweaty. Leaning over, I lay on my stomach over his back and wound my arms around his shoulder. Closing my eyes, I kept my face at the back of his left shoulder and hugged him from behind.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, and I opened my eyes.“I’m just missing my family,” I replied. With every move, the front of my body could feel the contraction in the muscles of his bare back.

“Are you still angry with me?” I questioned in a low voice.

He was panting from the intense workout and replied,“Yes, I have every right to be angry and upset with my little liar.”

I sighed and said,“Of course you do. But you should, at least, listen to my explanation for once, Rudra,” He was still exerting himself, stretching his body up and down.

“What's wrong is wrong. There is no explanation,” He responded, and I lifted my face and pressed my chin against his shoulder.

“Exactly. What’s wrong will always be wrong. And you wronged me in front of everyone. The letter you left behind has tarnished my dignity in the eyes of others. But even after I brought disgrace to my family, my parents listened to me and prioritised my happiness. They chose to be by my side. I wanted to know if you truly cared about me, if your love for me was merely materialistic, or if you loved me unconditionally, like my parents. And it worked, it worked, Rudra. The moment you said that such things don’t matter to you, my esteem for you has grown.” I said. He did not say anything, going on with his exercise.

Suddenly, an authoritative voice caught my ear.“What are you doing?”

?? ? ? ?

? Rudra ?

Ilooked at Maasimaa standing at the doorways.

The sudden intrusion into our moment caught Nandani off guard, and startled, she lost her balance. In an instant, I turned to place my hand under her head to prevent her from falling and held her in my arms as she was about to fall to her side.

My heartbeats palpitated, not because Maasimaa was watching us in that state, but because Nandani could’ve gotten hurt. I scanned her frightened face and whole form, examining for any injury.

---