Page 75 of Mrs. Pandey
"It wasn't a pain. Or blood. Or noise," he said, his voice low and hollow. "It was the silence after that. When I came back. When everyone looked at me like I was a hero, not a ghost."
I reached out and took his hand and placed it on my chest, over my heart.
"Do you feel that?" I asked, holding his eyes. He nodded, his eyes gazing into mine. "That's the sound of someone waiting for you." His eyes shone in the moonlight, a fragile hope seemingly alive.
"Even if I forget to come back?" he whispered.
"Then I'll come get you."
Silence. Just then, a firefly flickered above us. Then another. And another. Soon, the trees surrounding the house lit up with soft, flickering lights. It was as if the universe itself was responding to our shared moment, a silent, beautiful affirmation.
He looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise, a boy again. "Ira..."
"Yes?"
"You're not real, are you?"
I smiled, a sad, knowing twist to my lips. "There aren't any stars either," I said. "But we still look for them every night, right?"
He didn't say anything again. He just pulled me close, not like someone seeking comfort, but like someone choosing a home. He put his lips on my temple, and I closed my eyes, remembering how his heartbeat fluttered, steadied, and finally met mine.
"I hurt you, didn't I?" I mumbled into his chest. He kept quiet, but I knew his answer would be yes.
"Let's not talk about it yet," he said after a few minutes and scooped me into his arms effortlessly.
"Prashant, stop it, what if your mother and sisters see us like that..." I punched his chest, but he just took me into our room and laid me on the bed before starting to rip my clothes one by one. In the next moment, he was buried deep inside me with somuch need. That night, we made love slowly, passionately, and lovingly.
God, I loved this man.
_______
Chapter 35
IRA
It had been one and a half months since I began living with Prashant and his family. Life was just complicated.
Prashant's mother and Priya remained cold and distant, their gazes sharp, their words clipped whenever they addressed me, or rather, whenever they addressed me at all. There was never any yelling, no direct confrontations, but their silence spoke louder than any scream. Their disapproval hung in the air like smoke.
But Prashant and Pari, they made it bearable. Pari, with her innocent heart and soft voice, always tried to include me, to ease the tension even when it made her uncomfortable. And Prashant, he was my anchor. My husband.
Even though the shadows of his past still clung to him, even though the nights were restless and his haunted memories woke him up gasping for air, he was stronger and braver. He was trying and I was right there beside him, holding him close, rubbing his back, whispering through the nightmares that he wasn't alone, not anymore.
I had promised myself I wouldn't let him go again.
We had only two weeks left before we'd return to duty again. The thought sent flutters through my stomach. I was finally going to live with my husband, not just under the roof of his family home, but in our own space, our own quarters. It was the dream I hadwaited for so long. I'd get to see his face every morning and every night. No more stolen moments and no more pretending.
For the first time in a while, I felt like things were finally falling into place.
Even my relationship with my family was shifting slowly. I had started talking to my mom and my brother again. It wasn't the same, but it was a start. My father, though, still hadn't forgiven me. And maybe he never would. But I had learned to live with that pain.
Oh, and Kabir. Yes, he had resurfaced like all cowards do, from the shadows. A couple of threatening messages came in, full of hollow warnings and desperate anger. I wasn't afraid of him. He was nothing but a predator who preyed on the vulnerable. But I wasn't that girl anymore. I'd teach him that women were not weak, not toys and not stepping stones. He crossed the wrong path, and one day, he would beg to turn back time and never have met me.
But that evening, as I stood in the kitchen preparing dinner, I had no idea that my world was about to turn upside down once again.
"Ira!"
The sharp shout cut through the quiet house. My heart jumped into my throat as I turned off the stove and rushed out of the kitchen. My feet froze when I saw Prashant standing in the living room. His entire body was tense, his eyes blazing with something I couldn't place-hurt, or betrayal?
