Page 102 of That Same Old Love

“What are you doing? Don’t you dare! Are you crazy? Stop!” she said as she realized he was trying to toss her bag out of the window.

He ripped the mesh layer out of the window and threw her bag out. The rain had stopped and there were a few workersstanding near the courtyard. They looked stunned when they saw Mahi’s bag flying down towards the ground. They were also shocked seeing that their normally aloof employer had done that.

She had a pleading expression on her face. “Please listen. I love you and I want to be with you,” she said imploringly.

He had an icy but agonized expression. “I don’t give a damn. Leave,” he said.

Mahi’s heart clenched seeing the proud and controlled man reduced to behaving that way because of her. In fact both of them were behaving like two overgrown toddlers throwing a huge tantrum. Except for their broken hearts that desperately needed a resolution soon.

Not wanting to argue with him or reason with him when he wasn’t in a mood to talk, she walked out of the room and went downstairs dejectedly.

Samrat’s mother looked amused. “Was my son being stubborn and not talking to you in his sulk?”

“He wants me to get out from the house and even threw my bag out. I just wanted to explain to him about my painful phase when I lost my son and that I was scared of losing another child again. And that’s why I broke up with him. I’m willing to try now for his sake and also for my sake,” said Mahi.

Samrat’s mother looked sympathetic. “Samrat has been in a bad mood lately. But that is no excuse to behave rudely or inhospitably. I think you both need time to sort this by yourselves in some privacy.”

Mahi nodded. “I think so too. But short of giving him a tranquilizer and tying him up, there is no way I can get him to listen to me with his current stubborn mood,” she said frustrated.

Samrat’s mother looked thoughtful. “We do have tranquillizers that we use for our cattle, but I doubt my son willappreciate it. I have another idea. Hopefully it works. It did for me around forty years ago… ”

* * *

“Wake up, Samrat. I’m getting bored,” a sultry voice murmured.

Samrat slowly opened his eyes with great difficulty. He was irritated by whoever was disturbing his sleep. For once he was able to sleep deeply, without any painful memories keeping him awake.

“Ah… finally. I was wondering if I should simply crawl in next to you, and wait until the morning to speak with you,” a sultry voice whispered.

“What?” he asked in a daze.

“I didn’t know how many sleeping pills your mom gave you or how long the effect would last,” the sultry voice said.

Then he remembered.

Mahi coming to the village, trying to apologize to him and to get back with him. Him asking her to leave, then his mother sending up some fresh ‘juice’. And after drinking it, he felt slightly drowsy and went to sleep.

He ground his teeth in anger.

“Ah, your analytical brain works overtime even if you are drugged slightly,” said Mahi in an affectionate tone.

He looked towards her angrily. She was sitting next to him on the bed in the dim light with a content smile.

He tried to sit up abruptly and his hands jerked him back. His head snapped to both sides when he realized that he was tied and held up to the bed posts. Again.

He struggled furiously, shaking the bed violently and almost throwing Mahi off it.

“Calm down Samrat. I just want to talk. So please listen—”

“Untie me!” he roared.

“God, you are the most stubborn person in the world. But then, so am I. And we both lash out at people we love wheneverwe get scared of being hurt again. God save our kids who will inherit both our qualities.”

He tried to take some deep calming breaths. “Let me ask you something before I kill you,” he growled. “Are you certifiably crazy? Were you in a mental hospital sometime during your lifetime? Because if you were, then maybe I will feel a little guilty of killing a crazy person who was born that way.”

Mahi laughed and leaned towards him to cup his face. “Will you really kill me when I untie your hands? Or will you kiss me like you do, and then love me like you do… desperately and passionately,” she whispered in his ear.

He shuddered, “Consider the past year as a mistake. I was a fool then, loving someone who didn’t care an ounce for me,” he grated out.

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