Strangers- Part 9

Hii all thank u for ur comments. I am blessed. This may also be a short update but this is the pen down chapter for Pragya’s past.so here is the episode.

Ever since the day of their outing Abhi kept inventing ways to spend more time with Pragya. Unless he had some urgent work in the office, he returned home well on time and immediately sought her company. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, find out about her day and share with her every detail of his life. He did not care what he was doing as long as he was around her. He secretly bribed Ramu kaka to leave whenever he is around and invaded her kitchen, volunteering to assist her in cooking. He used Baba’s order to him to be a more responsible husband and father-to-be as an excuse to shut up any protests made by Pragya. It is another matter that most of the time he ended goofing things up and creating additional work for her because he was more absorbed in her than the task at hand. An unsuspecting Pragya always quietly cleaned up after him. He sought her views on things like what clothes he should wear every day, what furnishings he should choose for his office renovation, even innocuous things like what layouts he should use for his power point presentations at board meetings. Anything that would get Pragya close to him made him happy. He eagerly anticipated the arrival of the baby whom he had started considering as theirs. He bought pregnancy books and sat by her side every night reading them aloud to her.

He enjoyed the new feelings which he was developing for her as it made him feel more alive and happy. He did not know whether in giving to and encouraging these feelings he may end up getting more hurt when she eventually leaves but subconsciously he was hoping that she would stay. He was hoping that she will feel equally drawn to him as he was to her and will never want to leave when the time comes to do so. Although he did not openly confess his feelings to her, in his own way he was trying to make Pragya see him for what he is and understand him better.

Abhi’s changed behavior was a pleasant surprise to Pragya but she thought that he was merely obeying Baba’s orders, not realizing that her husband has fallen hopelessly in love with her. Her own feelings for Abhi were increasing by the day but with it came a sense of guilt. Thoughts of her past which had begun to fade returned with greater force to haunt her. As a result she ended up subconsciously suppressing her attraction towards her benefactor as she felt unworthy of him.

One night she had a bad nightmare of her past as a manifestation of the inner turmoil she was going through. She kept muttering loudly in her sleep, tossing and turning from side to side. Abhi woke up with a start hearing her cries and was alarmed to see tears streaming down her cheeks. He bent his head close to her lips to hear what she was saying but could not decipher anything. Unable to bear the emotional stress she was in, he shook her awake and tried to calm her down. When she saw his face, she covered hers with her hands and wept uncontrollably. Abhi was torn, seeing the pain she was in and he took her in his arms, thrusting her face in his chest. Soon his pyjama top was soaked in her tears as she clung to him. He tried to soothe her with kind words and patted her head till she fell asleep again.

The next morning he reopened the topic of her past, knowing that the previous day’s nightmare was linked to it.
“Pragya, can I say something?” he asked tentatively.
Seeing her nod her head he continued, “Please don’t torment yourself like this by suppressing everything. In doing so you are not only harming yourself but also the unborn baby you are carrying. Last night you had a bad nightmare and it could become a recurrent phenomenon unless you come clean with whatever it is you are holding back. You do consider me as your friend, don’t you?”

Pragya nodded her head in acquiescence.

“Then please unburden the secrets you hold close to your chest. Talking to someone will help relieve your stress. Whatever you say to me will be in the strictest of confidence. I’ll not judge you or think less of you. Please, Pragya, don’t torture yourself any longer. I can’t bear to see you like this.”

The genuine concern and reassurance in his voice compelled her to open up and finally bare her heart to him.
She haltingly recounted her entire life history to him.

So here it is. The next chapter will be the revelation of Pragya’s past. Now itself I just want to tell that if anyone expecting the baby to be Abhi’s I am so sorry its not and abhi will not be in Pragz past. So hope u all like it. Keep supporting me. Next update will be on Saturday when I return to pondy. Guys wish me luck coz I am gonna start a new life.. hope u all love me the same even when I quit.. love u all
Thank u Sethidishaa, Mythili, REshma dii, Prathi dii ,Pratheba,Hanna, Aizaellahi , Shafia, Abhigya dear, Tianaa for supporting me like anything. Love u guys stay blessed and don’t forget to tell me ur views..
Sayanora to all..