ch 57

Advay shut the tv off and looked down at chandhini who was sleeping in his lap. He picked her up and carried her to the bed and put her down. She had wanted to watch a drama but fell asleep within few episodes. He pulled the covers over her. He was not feeling sleepy, so he went to get his guitar and went downstairs. He asked for coffee from the kitchen and settled on sofa, he was playing the tune of a new song he had heard few days ago.

The servant brought the coffee and left it on table. The housekeeper came and stood on side. Advay stopped playing and smiled politely at her. She had few matters she wanted to discuss regarding the house, Advay listened and responded accordingly. Then, at the end she handed Advay a notebook saying that someone left it for chandhini at gate. Advay took it and put it on table. The housekeeper bid him bye for tonight and left for the servant quarters at the back.

He played guitar a bit more, taking sips of his coffee now and then. His eyes fell on notebook. He put the guitar away and picked it up. He opened it and flipped through pages. They were notes for economics. Then, he came across a folded paper placed in mid of the notebook. He opened it and read. It was a love confession from some guy named Pratham. He folded the paper and put it back.

...

Chandhini woke up totally disorientated. She was on bed. Her brain tried to recognize the place, she was watching drama and then fell asleep. Advay must have carried her to the bed. He was not in the room. She looked at time, it was 2 in the morning. She frowned why did she wake up so early? Now she will need a nap during the day.

It was so quiet this time of the night, and peaceful. She got out of the bed and went to washroom, after brushing her teeth, she went to look for Advay. He was not downstairs. Finally she went to look for him in basement. She couldn't seem him in gym, so she went toward the swimming pool. He was swimming, at this time of night!He hadn't turned on all the lights, so it was bit dark.

She went and sat down on one edge and watched him. He saw her but continued his lap. Finishing it, he grabbed the rail and got out of the pool, the water sliding off his body as he stood directly under one of the lights. She got up and moved toward him. He had grabbed a towel and was drying himself.

Chandhini asked,'' Couldn't sleep?''

Advay,''No''.

Chandhini watched as he grabbed the robe from the chair and put it on. He went toward the door, she followed him. He paused on ground floor to get his guitar and a note book and then, went upstairs to their room.

Chandhini followed him into the room and sat down on sofa. He went and took a shower. She was surprised to see him getting dressed up in black jeans and black shirt. He rarely slept with clothes on, was he going somewhere or was he going to work on some project?

Advay came toward her carrying the notebook and said,''Pratham left this for you.''

Chandhini frowned and took the notebook. Were these notes for her economic class? She had just mentioned to him in evening that she needed some notes and he had already got them for her. He was such a nice guy.

Advay noticed her smile as she looked at the notebook. He sat on sofa opposite to her. Chandhini felt his gaze on her and looked up at him smiling,''he is such a nice person, I just mentioned that I needed these and he has already got them for me. He didn't need to come all the way to give them, he could have passed them in academy.''

Advay was much calmer now, the anger he had felt was now manageable,'' Very nice of him.''

Chandhini's smile faltered, there was something off about him. She put the notebook on table and got up and moved over to him. She sat down beside him. His eyes had followed her movements and now he stared calmly at her. He was angry, he was really angry, but why?

Chandhini touched his cheek with her hand and asked softly,'' Why are you angry?''

Advay pulled away from her touch,''Are you trying to make me jealous?''

Chandhini gave a self-mocking smile,'' Can you get jealous? Over me?'' Impossible.

Advay,''You are playing a very dangerous game. '

Chandhini leaned over and hugged him,'' I don't know what are you talking about but I wish I could make you jealous.'' Because it would imply that he cared for her as his wife.

Advay,''What's between you and Pratham?''

Chandhini frowned and pulled away from him. Pratham?. She gave him a confused look,''nothing. He is my colleague and a nice friend.''

Advay,''He wrote you a love letter, it's in that notebook.''

Chandhini looked at him in bewilderment. Pratham wrote her a love letter?, she went and grabbed the notebook. She flipped pages until she came across it. She bit her lip as she read it. After finishing it, she laughed,''It's a joke advay, a prank!. You don't know him. He is really funny.''

Advay didn't laugh, he couldn't find anything humorous in this situation.

Chandhini came back and hugged him,''Did you really got jealous?'' she looked at him in wonder.

Advay,''I don't think it's a joke.''

Chandhini tried to calm him down,''Do you know him?, no. I do. I work with him and you know I love you. Trust me.''

Advay shook his head,''You won't work with him anymore.''

Chandhini,''Advay!''

Advay looked into her eyes,'' Chandhini!''

He was serious chandhini looked at the stubborn look in his eye and she knew he was not going to let her work there. It was so unfair that chandhini's resolve to do whatever he asked was shaken.

She got up and paced in room trying to calm her own anger, then she said,''this is not how it works. You can't take decisions about my life. You are always giving me ultimatums. I..''

Advay cut her off,'' I have told you my decision. I don't want to talk about it.''

Chandhini shouted,''No, its not done. You have to listen to what I have got to say. I am not a doll. I feel, I think!''

Advay got up from sofa,''Are you shouting at me?''

Chandhini,'' You make me do it. I don't want to fight, but you always do things your way and you never listen. Just because you know that I love you, you use it against me in every argument.''

Advay,''Didn't you ask me to stop seeing sasha? Now I am asking the same. Stop seeing Pratham.''

Chandhini,''Did you stop seeing her? no.

Advay,''I didn't meet sasha anywhere after that incidence.''

 Chandhin,''I teach in a small academy, I am not qualified enough to get another job like this while you are so rich, you have got your team, you can still do the project without having to face her. I will stay away from him.''

Advay,'' That's not good enough for me. If you work there, you will have to face him and you are my wife. I don't want him around you.''

Chandhini,''You are over reacting. It may be a prank and even if it's not, who cares? I love you!''

Advay,''You love me? Right, so leave this job for me.''

Chandhini,''See you are doing it again, you are using my feelings against me.''

Advay,''why is this job so important, it's merely few thousands per month. You get one lac in your bank account each month.''

Chandhini knew that he was transferring money to her bank account again but she hadn't used a single penny. She still hadn't forgotten when he had called her gold digger,'' That is your money, not mine. I want to earn my own money. I don't want to be dependent on you.''

Advay,'' The roof under which you are standing is mine, the clothes, the food, the utility bills I pay for them. You are dependent on me whether you like it or not and it's not like it's something new, you have been dependent on my family for your whole life. You used everything shamelessly. This sudden burst of pride makes no sense to me. You are not going back to that academy. That's final.''

Chandhini paled. If he had slapped her it would have been better, his words pierced her heart. It was so painful that she couldn't even cry. She just stared at him. He moved past her and went out of the room.

She walked feeling numb and sat down on sofa. Khushi, arnav, megha di, advay and Veer they were her family. She had never thought of herself separate from them. She was a raizada. She had taken everything as her right. They had given her money and she had never questioned it. 

Parents did that for children but today she felt like she was an orphan. She was an orphan and she had forgotten it. But first veer and today Advay had drilled the point in her brain that she was not one of them.

...