The betrayal

Chapter 4

"I am getting married this week" Dev announced as he caressed Radha's hair and had his fingers entwined with her. 

"Congratulations" Radha said stoically, she knew it had to happen some day and she had to toughen herself for it. Life never went the way one wanted.

"Radha-" 

"Don't give me an invite for it Dev, I am busy for this weekend, I have to attend another wedding of a family friend's" Radha announced

"Family friend- is it the same family that you're living with right now? the cause of your misery?" Dev spat out. 

"Stop it Dev, I don't come here to feel like a victim and for you to sympathize with me! Yes, that is the only family I have! the cause of my misery, is my birth family and myself!" Radha announced as she got away from him in annoyance and quickly began wrapping her Saree around her. 

Dev got up assessing the situation. "Radha, I am sorry, I am just a little tensed and nervous about how this will work!" he exclaimed 

"You think I have all the answers Dev!? No I don't know either!" Radha retaliated 

"Can you stop screaming! I know you don't have the answers but can't we discuss for once!?" Dev intervened

"Discuss? What do we discuss? What we are doing is completely immoral by the society's standards, I'll be pronounced a whore if someone were to find out meanwhile you will only be a man who went astray. I have a lot at stake here too! Discussion will get us no where! We have to make up our minds individually about what we want!" Radha insisted as she glared at him and then puckered her pleats quickly. 

Dev sat down on the bed and put his face in his hands while Radha was exasperated thinking about how she would be the cause of somebody else's unhappy marriage. How she would ruin another girl's married life who probably got into it with the hopes that it would work out, just like she had. She tucked her pleats and slid her pallu over the shoulder and quickly picked up her handbag to leave. 

"So what do we do? never see each other!?" Dev screamed as he stood up and stopped her at the threshold. 

"My mother says never turn back from the threshold" Radha announced as she stood between the door frame, begging for god to show her some direction. 

"Alright, tell me you can go away forever without looking at me once" Dev replied to her as he neared her. He ran his hands on her shoulder and tightly pressed them. An electric jolt ran through Radha's body and she immediately turned to hug him tightly.

"I can't Dev, I can't! I am addicted to you!" Radha sniffled as she ran her hand on his back. "I won't stop loving you ever" she repeated. 

"I can't even think of loving anyone else" Dev repeated. "Anyway, come here, before you leave, I must give you this present that I brought for you!" Dev said as he held her hand and pulled her excitedly. 

"Dev! What is it?" Radha said frowning, he'd get her late today, yet again!

"I'll tell you, come sit on the bed! Come quick!" Dev instructed her as he went to the cupboard and brought out a long red rectangular box. He opened it to reveal a pair of silver anklets. Radha was enthralled on seeing them. It wasn't that she hadn't seen jewellery, she had seen plenty and thanks to her Kapoor family stature, owned plenty too, it was a status symbol for them, but somebody gifting her jewellery out of sheer love was new. 

"This is so beautiful Dev!" Radha replied as she stroked the anklets.

"I know right, that's why I bought it, for myself, see it's looking good on my feet right? On my sexy feet" Dev teased her as he pretended to wrap it around his foot leaving Radha, rather surprised. Dev judged her face in amusement and then broke into laughter. Radha slapped him lightly on the chest and began laughing with him.