RAGLAK- Second love (21)

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Part 20

Laksh pushed himself from the car and walked towards ragini and rahul. Ragini’s heart started racing as laksh came closer to her. Its not like she doesn’t trust him but for some reason, she didn’t want to know about rahul’s obsession.
Laksh: hi ragini! Any help?
Ragini: um..no! I can manage.
Laksh smiled at her and turned to rahul who is holding his breath.
Laksh: what a pleasant surprise!
Rahul visibly relaxed so did ragini. It means that laksh didn’t listen anything
Rahul: I had some work in this route and offered help to ragini when I saw her who just denied. So I am just trying to convince her.
Laksh raised an eyebrow and smiled
Laksh: well..as I am here now, you don’t need to worry about her. Get into the car ragini.
Rahul hoped, actually prayed that ragini should look back but that didn’t happen. She just headed towards the car with bag of vegetables. Rahul waved his hand to laksh who just turned towards car but laksh turned back to rahul, pinning him with a deathly glare that made rahul gulp.
Laksh: stay away from my wife, otherwise I will be volunteered to forget that you were my friend once and a brother now.
With the last warning, laksh went to his car and rahul watched them till the car disappeared with his pissed off glare.

SAME EVENING
Laksh entered their room and saw ragini involved deeply in her thoughts. This one month, he had always felt worried about her condition but everything became clear that day. But still, she is not ready to open up herself and it annoyed him. Doesn’t she have trust on him?
‘did you give her a reason to trust you?’ laksh ignored his taunting inner voice and walked to her
Laksh: what’s the problem ragini?
Ragini: uh..nothing
She simply shrugged faking a smile but soon understood that he is not going to give up that easily, especially when his ego hurt.
Laksh: don’t you have enough trust on me or you still consider me as a heartless person.
Ragini: what the hell are you speaking?
Laksh kept quiet for her harshness but still it wasn’t her mistake too.
Laksh: it was rahul. Right?
Ragini’s eyes widened at his words. It means that he heard everything. She opened her mouth to explain herself but laksh interrupted her.
Laksh: you have started behaving oddly from the day you saw him and I observed you being silent and moody in his presence. Just tell me ragini.
Ragini exhaled mentally but she understood that she can’t keep him in dark for more time. She should do something to make him get out of this topic because she is not ready to confront him.
Ragini: what is with you and your enquiry laksh?
She snapped that made him flinch. She kept her voice high.
Ragini: yes, I am not feeling good and that’s not because of rahul but you. Why is it bothering you so much. Seriously, laksh! We are still friends and I would like to keep my life private.
Laksh didn’t answer her question and simply walked out of the room.
SAME NIGHT
Though ragini felt guilt covering up, she just ingored him rest of the day.
Sanskar: penny your thoughts?
Sanskar asked walking towards laksh who is sitting on bench of the manison garden. Laksh smiled weakly at him.
Sanskar: spill the beans laksh. You have everything you need and hence you shouldn’t be this moody.
Laksh: its just.. I don’t know sanskar
Sanskar: what happened? You sound dull
Laksh: I am not sure if I will be able to give the happiness that ragini deserves. How much I try to assure her, she always backs off from me.
Sanskar: give her time laksh. Its not so easy for her to digest the truth and at the end it will be you both only.
Laksh sighed.
Laksh: she asked me today why I always keep bothering about her and do you know what my voice answered me?
Sanskar: that you love her
Laksh simply nodded without any expression.
Sanskar: seriously man, you are feeling bad about this? For loving your wife?
Laksh: I don’t know sanskar. I mean she is my second love and…
Sanskar interrupted with a laugh, a loud laugh
Sanskar: do you think love has names and numbers laksh. Then you really don’t know anything about it.
Laksh: don’t hurt my feelings saying that my first love was infactuation. I really loved her.
Sanskar shook his head with a small smile on his face.
Sanskar: remember laksh. Love is not that emotion that would be given a number. Will you say that you are your mother’s second love?
Laksh: what do you mean by that?
Sanskar: just because you are his second child doesn’t mean that you are her second. Just as how you cannot differentiate love of a mother for her children, you cannot name any other too.
Laksh: I am confused
Sanskar: and its because your past is haunting you laksh
Laksh: I forgot her
Laksh defened himself but both of them knew the truth.
Sanskar: if seriously you had forgot it, everything that had happened between you let it be love or hate, then you will be with ragini instead of sitting here and numbering your love life.
Laksh crossed his arms and inhaled sharply letting the words of his brother sink into him.

NEXT EVENING
Ragini exhaled dramatically once she stepped into the hall of the empty mansion. The maheswaries have been to a dinner party while laksh will be late which gave her an opportunity to spend her whole day with her parents and sister. Sighing, she made her way to her room but froze as cool breeze hit her. Frowning, she turned to balcony and surprised seeing it open.
Cursing her amnesia, she closed it and walked to washroom after selecting green color dress, her favorite color, their favorite. When she returned dressing in it, a smile came on her lips thinking about the ways she could please her husband. Their argument they had the previous day didn’t give her a good sleep and so she is now standing infront of the stove frying gulab jamuns. Throught the cooking process she felt like someone is staring her but brushed off it just because she know how coward she is.
Its almost eight, when she finished with the whole dinner for two of them. She then strolled to her bedroom lazily with a stupid satisfied smile plastered on her.
From the day she dreamed about anusha and laksh, the only thing that kept running in her mind is that does she really love laksh? There is nothing in him that she can loathe. He is funny at the same time serious, perfectly knows everything about her mood and behaves according to it which made her like him. If she still says that he is the same person she sketched, then she will be the wrong person. Though she didn’t get an opportunity to sense his intensity of love but she can imagine it by the way he thought of ending his life for family. Would it be really hard for her to love him?
‘Did you forget that he is a divorcee?’ her mind immediately asked her but this time, ragini didn’t nod her head for it.
‘Hell with your second’ her heart scolded
‘are you just blind to see his love for you ragini? Don’t you think it’s foolish to consider that he shared his feelings when you are his future. What has happened has happened. It is past, his past, your past and you are torturing and punishing yourself and him too for that phase which cannot be reversed or erased. Don’t be so foolish ragini. Try to accept this before the relation goes out of your way’ her inner goodness came into picture which remained silent for years.
Ragini pursued her lips thinking and analyzing the information. The only thing that always bothered her is laksh still loves her or might anusha will be a barrier for them because laksh is still feeling uncomfortable whenever something happens which reminds her. She just doesn’t want her to be their barrier.
Sighing deeply, she caressed the ‘r’ locket in her hand which she decided to gift her husband in her teens. A smile came to her lips for the memory of the day where she fought with swara like a child.

Two strong warms came to wrap her waist and she stilled. The warmth of the hands and the body which is plastered to back of hers increased her breathing along with heart beat. The warm breathe fanning her neck released a knot of butterflies in her stomach. Without protesting, she stood rooted to place savoring the moment with her husband.
Ragini closed her eyes when the grip on her waist became tight. His every touch is awakening some foreign feelings in her but that felt so right at the moment. Her inner sides relaxed because laksh forgave her for being rude.
Ragini: laksh
She murmured with still eyes closed in escasty. Suddenly, he left her and ragini immediately opened her eyes for lack of contact. She turned back listening some glass item break. Her eyebrows touched her hairs seeing the person.
Ragini: what are you doing here rahul?
Ragini screamed just to hide her fear because of his bloodshot red eyes. Rahul smiled humourlesslely.
Rahul: laksh! laksh! and laksh!. Why ragini?
Ragini: what do you mean by why rahul. He is my husband.
Rahul: if everythinmg was good, I would have been in his place. Why did you do that?
Ragini shook her head, crossing her arms.
Ragini: how did you get in?
Rahul: get……in!
He staggered towards her with a fore finger on his chin. Ragini sensed threat.
Rahul: i..dont..know
He purred and pinned her to the wall. It is then she smelled alcohol in his breath
Ragini: you are drunk!?
Rahul: answer me!
He completely pinned her to the wall by his body and his hands gripped her wrists, breaking bangles there.
Ragini: get off me rahul
She struggled but he simply ignored her.
Rahul: you said that you will marry me when I will be back with a good job. Then why?
Tears came to her eyes for his rough handling.
Ragini: please rahul. I just said that to manipulate you
Rahul shook his head and brought his lips to her ear
Ragini: I thought my girl was different from everyone, She will surely wait for my return but..ughh you proved that you are the same one who just plays with a man’s feelings.
Ragini: i..i..
Rahul placed his finger on her lips silencing her.
Ahul: my mother died six months back. I felt alone…alone that you can’t imagine my emotional status but do you know who stood beside me?
Ragini gulped and offered silent prayers asking him to leave her.
Rahul: you
He spatted

Rahul: it was you ragini..your words, your smile, your scent and your promise. Everything gave became a light in my darkness. I thought you would become my family after….
She felt sad listening about his mother’s death. Surely, she never loved him but he was a brilliant person with a good heart apart from being obessed with her and she didn’t want him to feel pained.
Rahul: but what did you do? Married someone here and enjoying your life by ruining mine..two years ragini..two freaking years. There wasn’t a moment that passed without thinking about you but..
Ragini: rahul..look you are nott..
Before she could complete her sentence, rahul lifted her up in the air and threw her on the bed. Without giving a chance for her to escape, he climbed on top of her effectively pinning her to the mattresses. The whole situation brought tears to ragini’s eyes. She know that this is wrong but doesn’t have the strength to fight with him.
Rahul: I will make everything right ragini. From now, you will be my princess..only mine.
Ragini turned her face away from him, blocking by her hands that are infront of her face. Rahul let a groan of frustration and pinned them to her sides.
Ragini: rahul..no!
A sob escaped her lips but she is helpless now. He is predator and she is his prey. Alcohol really turns a human into wild animal and she doesn’t have the strength to tame him. She is one of that helpless woman letting the devil in front of her to consume her and be the worst nightmare for rest of her life.