Sapna's pov

Should I?

No

He was watching me closely, like a high school teacher, during my moments of hesitation. He tried to read the emotions written on the pages of my eyes, but I turned away to hide my eyes from his intense gaze.

" Sapna, it's our alright, our skin won't touch. This piece of cloth is separating us, sperating you and me."

I shook my head and said, "This won't do."

" How so?"

" I just know it. It won't work."

"You have not tried it yet."

" It won't work."

"Why are you so afraid of things not working out? If it did not work, simply pull your hand back. It never hurts to try new strategies. Until you give it a shot, you will never know. You want to try to get past it, right?"

After giving it some thought, I finally mustered the courage to raise my hand and reach for his stretched out hand hanging in midair. To normal people reaching out to others may less disturbing . To lovers, holding hands and Feeling the warmth of your partner's hand must be the most romantic feeling ever for lovers, even though it may seem insignificant to others. For rivals, reaching out to your enemy's hand may only hurt their egos. And for those who have crushes, this could be a dream come true.

But to people like me who hates skinship to death, it was the worst feeling, the worst circumstance. Because it shattered my entire body, mind, heart, and soul. I almost reached for his hand, but I held my breath tight, expecting a negative response. But as soon as I took his warm hand, I did not feel disgusted enough to turn away. The piece of cloth in between us did have a big impact. My eyes widened in surprise, and with good reason. And Advit smiled like the brightest child when he saw my positive reaction; he could not stop smiling.

Why was he so happy? I should be the happiest because I did not feel repulsed at all. But strange as it appears, he was happier than me. The golden hue in his eyes was glittering

"Do not worry, I will not let go of your hand. You can trust me on this journey."

He smiled at me. His smile would melt your heart if you could only see its brightness. His warmth and lightness are so contagious that you could get lost in them. Any girl would melt down if they were in my shoes. But me who is unable to feel the warmth of other's heart, it's such a pity. If I wasn't wounded by the past, will my heart get melted as well?

I don't know.

" Hold on tight, the path ahead of us is full of mud, rocks and hurdles."

I firmly grabbed his hand, and he provided me with the strong support I always needed.

" I told you that you will not know unless you try. See, you are not repulsed. Isn't that a good thing for both of us?

I raised an eyebrow at him and asked,

"How is that good for you?"

I understand that it is a good thing for me. But what benefit does it provide for him?

"Because, finally, I can hold your hand without making you feel disgusted."

Did I hurt his feelings by expressing my true emotions?

Was I being inconsiderate?

There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. But I put all of the questions aside for another day. The route ahead of us was challenging; there were mud patches, high and low points in the ground, and large boulders and small rocks scattered along some of the paths.

I don't know where he's taking me, or where he's going.

But my mind was at ease because my heart knew he was not going to harm me.

That is the most important thing to me.

After I finally managed to walk, my legs were still sore, even though Advit had helped me in getting to the parts of the hill that I was unable to climb on my own. We reached the top of the hill, and as soon as I saw the scenes unfolding magestically before my eyes, I lost my breath-no, my breath was stolen.

The wonders of God's creation and the enchantment of nature were revealed right in front of my eyes. The sight of the slightly dark clouds and the sky tinted in shades of violet, red, golden light, and bright orange was incredibly captivating and the setting sun was pure bliss. My leg ached, but I ignored it. It was worthwhile to overcome all of the challenges along the way; all I knew was that it was worth the effort.

" You should have told me. Why did you keep me in the dark?"

"Aap sidhe sidhe baat se Maane walo mein nahi hona, toh Bata ke bhi kya faida (You are not the type to listen when told directly, so what is the point of explaining things to you)"

"You think I am a nonsensical person, correct?"

What makes him think I am very disagreeable? Mein pagal thorina hu ki har baat pe ruth jaungi (I am not a mad woman who will get angry at his every word).

"Aapne kaha hai toj sach hi hoga (It must be true if you said it)," he said with a sly grin.

I was about to fireback, but I stopped when I heard him muttering something under his breathe.

" Waise, blue saree mein aap kafi sundar lag rahiho( You look kind of beautiful in blue saree)." With a low, whispery voice he said, it sounds like he was almost speaking to himself rather than to the other person.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope, Nahi toh, but if you heard me, that is fine, good. If you didn't, that is not my fault." He said this with a serious tone and stoic expression, rather than his usual playful tone. Bara ajeeb Aadmi hain!( He's acts weird sometimes)

I looked at myself from head to toe; my hair was a tangled mess, like a bird nest. If a child sees me in this state, he will call me Dayan (witch), and if a baby sees me, they will cry their eyes out. And if the villagers see me, they will mistake me for a dayan and possibly burn me alive. The bottom of my saree was covered in dirt, but he thought I looked lovely in blue. Is he mad? Is there something wrong with his eyesight? Is he going blind?

Maybe he had a double meaning behind his word.

" You're making fun of me. That's mean."

" I am not, sorry, if you feel that way, but what can I do? You always take my every word negatively. It's not my fault that someone's head is full of negativity."

Well, what can I say? Was I too harsh on him? When you listen to him talk, it sounds that way.

I narrowed my eyes.

" Isn't it strange? Why are you so upset with my behavior when we just met today?"

He's upset like I have been giving him cold treatment ever since, like for a very long time.

" Because I have always wanted to meet, and it upsets me seeing you..."

I waited for him to finish his sentence, but he never told me anything else. Even though I was listening to him with my open arms.

I was going to ask him to continue what he was saying, but I stopped when I felt a slick and cold sensation in my right leg and lowered my gaze to see what was going on. I pulled up the bottom my saree, and my heart exploded when I saw a thin black snake hissing at me with its poisonous tongue wagging in the air and wrapping its body around my right leg. I screamed so loudly that the birds flew away to another branch, and I could hear the crows cawing in the distance, annoyed.

" Snake!" I shouted. I started bouncing around as a sudden reflex action. I slightly felt like something fell off from my chest because my chest area was slightly cold. Anyway, it does not really matter right now.

Advit questioned, "Where?"

I started jumping wildly without paying attention to him. My senses and body went numb due to anxiety.

Please do not bite me.

I do not want to die just yet.

I am not ready to depart from this world just yet.

God have mercy on me.

Maybe I would keep jumping all evening until Advit grabbed both of my arms, preventing me from jumping any longer.

"Oh my god, Advit let go of me. The snake is going to bite me. Do you want me to die?"

"Relax, calm down."

"Are you mad?How can I stay calm when I am about to die?" I shouted.

"The snake is gone; for god's sake, relax." He yelled back.

" No, you're lying."

" The snake is gone, it's really gone."

"I know you are teasing me."

"Believe me just this once, okay."

I remained silent. I don't want to believe him. I can never recover from his reckless jokes and lighthearted banter he played on me. It is fatal for my heart that he jokes around like that. This man has no conscience. I want to check if he was telling the truth but I don't want to look down and see that venomous snake's ugly face. This time, if I see something as deadly as a snake, I will pass out, no doubt.

When I lowered my eyes, the snake had vanished in the wilderness. Heck! I don't want to know where it vanished. It's better that the snake is gone without harming me. Still I looked around, It is truly gone, just as he said. I exhale a sigh of relief; finally, I can have peace of mind.

After clearing his throat, Advit said, "Your saree," avoiding eye contact and looking sideways.

"My saree, what?"

He swallowed his saliva. "Your saree is off your shoulder."

My eyes widened, and I realized my chest was not covered with anything, this damn deep V neck blouse, screw you. When did it fell off ? No wonder I felt slightly cold some moments ago. I quickly drew the saree back over my shoulders. My face turned bright red with embarrassment. Right now, all I wanted to do was drown in the Indian Ocean and never return. I am sure he saw everything. Was his whole gaze fixed on my partially bare chest? Did he look at my body with lust?

"I saw nothing," He claimed.

"Liar, bloody liar."

He shruggdd his shoulder and said,

" Well, I am not at fault."

" I don't blame you."

I know he's not at fault. All the fault is this stupid saree. And the maids who didn't give me safety pin.

"You are not to blame either. Don't think too hard about it. I had no dirty thoughts; I am as pure as Ganga jaal (Ganga's water; Ganga is a holy river in India)."

"Every man is the same, I know that. Bhole baane ki acting kisi aur ke samne karo( Don't act innocent infront of me).You don't have to act like a gentleman because it makes no difference who you are, to me."

"Then, do you really want to know what my real thoughts are?"

"No, keep it to yourself, who wants to hear your perverted thoughts?" I said, furrowing my brows.

" One day, there will be a day when you will beg me to tell you my true feelings."

I laughed out loud at his incredible confidence, and he scowled at my happy expression. Where did he get such confidence? Which supermarket did he buy his confidence from?

" What's so funny?"

" You can dream on. Maybe one day it will come true, but don't cry if it didn't."

"Everybody has the right to dream." He replied back.

And continued," Whether it comes true or not, it's all on me. So rest assured, and don't be concerned, Sapna ji."

I just nodded.

Whatever. I am not responsible. After that we returned, we were on our way back. I grabbed his hands in places where the road was rough and filled with cracks and stones.

" Sun na( Hey, hear me out.)" he said.

" Boliye na, mei sun to rahihu (I am listening)."

Waise bhi yeh aadmi toh hamesha bak bak karta rehta hai, mein sunnu ya na sunnu.

(Anyway, he is always talking, whether I listen or not).

"I think Vikram is interested in you. It is rare for him to act that way toward a woman. The way he acted with you today."

My blood flows cold throughout my arteries, veins, and capillaries.

" If he wants to marry you, woh zameen aasmaan ek kardega tumhe pane ke liye( he will unite the heaven and earth to win you over). He did not become a highly qualified doctor by accident; rather, he earned it via perseverance and dedication. He's very persistent. His wishes are more important than anything else in his family. He has gotten everything his eyes have set on since childhood, and now his eyes is fixed on you. You caught his fancy, it can be both bad and good news."

" It's definitely the bad one."

" How so, you don't want to marry him?"

I shook my head.

" Why? He has a stable job, earns an unlimited amount of money, and is a doctor. He also has a good family background. He's good looking , smart responsible and dedicated."

" He's ruthless."

"Oh, how did you know? Have you met him before?"

"No, but I can tell whether someone is ruthless or kind."

He smiled and asked, "Then what about me?"

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, so when I stopped and he turned to face me, I looked directly into his eyes.

" Your eyes tell me you will not intentionally harm anyone, but will inflict pain on yourself for the sake of others. Your thoughtful and considerate nature is the root cause of all your failed relationships. Because there are times when you can not tell the difference between being nice and being cruel to the feelings of others. Your good intentions always turn to cruelty, and you either fail to notice it right away or discover it too late. And get yourself caught up in the maze you have created involving deep feelings of others and a game of infatuation."

His eyes widened in horror, and his face turned pale as if he had witnessed his mother being stabbed in the stomach and dying right in front of him. For a brief moment, he stopped breathing and stared blankly at me.

"And I am compelled to behave rudely to you because I know exactly that even if I offend you," I said, breaking the silence. "You will not use physical violence on me, like those men who used to use women as punching bags to vent their anger."

Anxiety began to take over my body as his emotionless face became increasingly devoid of emotion by each passing sec. Did I say something that went too far? I must have done so. Just look at his eerie blank stares; they are so creepy that I started to freak out. Someone who is normally talkative and cheerful is suddenly transformed into a hauntingly beautiful figure devoid of expression, which is quite frightening. I get goosebumps down my spine.

Then he burst into laughter and I frowned. He said," Oh, Sapna, true to your name you're just like a dream, either a nightmare or a beautiful dream."

And he continued," If you're marrying Vikram refrain from speaking out your heart."

" Who said I am marrying him?"

" Let's assume that you're stuck in an unavoidable circumstances. And the only way out is to Marry Vikram."

" I will get constipation just imagining it."

He laughed for a while and then cleared his throat.

" Alright , where was I ?"

" Vikram marrying me."

" Oh,yah. So keep in mind. You should act differently from how you act with me, even if you do not like him. He will not put up with it and will even tear you apart to suit his needs. Not every man is as gentle and enduring as I am, and Vikram most definitely is not one of them."

" You're scaring me." I said, my voice trembling.

"It is better to tell you the truth now than when you make a mistake and suffer from his rage."

" I am never going to marry someone like him."

" You can't run away from him."

I will. No matter what it takes.

" But why are you telling me all this?"

In a tone that was almost whispery, he said, "I don'to see you in a miserable state, and I can't watch you suffer. Whether it's you or anyone else." He said as he put the helmet on me and tightened the straps.

Following that, he got on his bike and motioned for me to join him. My head was spinning; Vikram and Advit are like water and ice; while they are the same thing, they are very different from one another. Advit nature is fluid, much like water; he knows when to alter its form and volume based on the circumstances. Like a drop of water, he is cool and refreshing.However, Vikram's nature is judgmental and frigid; he will not alter its form, and the other person will eventually have to adjust to its inflexible and frigid nature. He resembles a solid, hard block of ice.

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Okay, this was a long chapter. Usually, my word limit is 2500, but this time it is 30,00😂. I dislike writing long chapters because it is exhausting to check for grammatical mistakes. I always try my best, but 😭😭

Anyway, thanks for reading.

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