Touch Her And... (Completed)

Chapter 22

A small girl was running towards the woods behind the mansion. Her wildly curly hair and her knee length safron saree covered her body beautifully. The nupur (a sort of anklet) was making a soothing sound. Finally she stopped, stopped in front of a giant temple. The temple was surrounded by a huge waterfall.

She placed her small hands on her knee and continued panting for a few seconds. And then she started climbing the the stairs which seemed way too high for her tiny legs. She ran inside the temple made of stones, folded her hands into a namaste, closed her eyes, smiled and said, "Om Namah Shivay!"

"When did you arrive? Have you taken your bath?" A middle aged man asked her with a calm but scolding manner. "I did not baba." She lowered her head while pouting. "How could you do this everytime Ambika? I am so disappointed about your actions. Now I have to do a shuddhikaran to the whole temple again." Her father shouted on her and started chanting something while sprinkling water all over the temple.

"But baba whenever I wake up I feel like coming here at first. What happens if one enters the temple without bathing?" She asked her father and continued staring at him with her husky doe eyes filled with innocence. "The gods punish you for your audacity, what else?" Now her eyes went wide. She knew that she was going to get punished pretty bad as she broke this rule many a times. "They do?" She mumbled while lowering her head again. She was playing with fingers when her father said again "go back and send your brother. And do not roam around here and there, Boro Saheb doesn't like it."

She silently turned around and moved her small feet outside the temple with a visibly sad face. But she was a rule breaker by nature. She sneaked out of the temple and ran towards the water fall behind and placed her hand on her mouth and giggled alone. She threw few pebbles into the water, took a deep breath and turn around to leave.

This was her daily routine. By now she understood it very clearly that girls were not allowed to do many a things here. They were not allowed to laugh loudly, talk much, get to know people, roam around and be seen, above all get educated. She hated being a girl. Her brother lived a life way better than hers. Although he was helpful. Whatever he had learnt so far he taught her. He was her favorite person.

Being a purohit (a priest),her father spent most of his time in the temple. The huge Shiv Linga inside it had always attracted her. Whenever she got to know that her father was out of the mansion for some reasons she used to go inside and touch it with her bare palm. It gave her a weird happiness. She loved this temple, the waterfall behind it and above all the Shiv Linga.

Back to the contemporary

Triss:

I did not say a word to the man who seemed utterly confusing to me. The man who was choking another person to death seemed so vulnerable while seeing me cry. What was wrong with this man?

The car stopped in front of my aunt's place and I was about to get down before he said, "wait." I kept my hand on the door lock and stayed still, but did not turn around. "Go inside and pack whatever things you find necessary. You'll be staying at my place for few days." My jaw dropped. What was this man talking about? "Listen Mr. Nagpati, thank you very much for whatever you have done till now, I will remain grateful forever. But I am not a child and I can take care of myself. Trust me." I immediately got down and slamming the door behind started walking towards my aunt's house. I could sense him pacing behind me. "This is not happening Teressa, do as I said. I am saying this for your own good and I will not accept a 'no' for an answer." Now I had to turn around. The whole day was a mess and this man was not helping the situation at all.

"What is this all about? Why are you doing this to me?" Now he was breathing heavily, as if he was trying hard to control something and stared me into the eyes intensely, then within a millisecond my face hit a hard chest and a strong pair of hands was snaked around my waist so tightly as if the owner's life depended on it.
Before I could say anything his head inclined towards the crook of my neck. His lips were touching my ear lobes. His hot breath gave chills to my body. A weird sensation was going through my spine like a flow of electricity. My eyes closed automatically without my consent.

"How can I leave you alone here? I'll be so freaking worried that I might go crazy. Do you understand that?" He whispered in his usual ear satisfying husky voice but I was too mesmerized by the woody smell and the warmth of this man to respond. He finally lifted his head, looked me into the eyes and said, "come with me.." with that pleading pair of honey browns. I was so engrossed with that weird feeling. I felt a lump of emotions forming inside my throat and that was when he said, "please" and the dam broke. The pressure of everything, the feeling of being left alone and the sudden realization that someone was concerned about me being alone, attacked me all together. All I could do was give him a small nod.

As I looked at this man and tried to understand why was he doing everything, just because I was Manik's best friend? Why was he so concerned about my wellbeing? Why was he so mysterious? And above all why did I feel so safe within his embrace?