Destiny's Play!!

Chapter - 20

Why did he have to keep following her around? It was not just irritating anymore. It was infuriating. He had started taking the dogs for an early walk these days considering she feared them and they liked to roam free. He didn't want to give her any more chances of fainting at the sight of his dogs. And so he had to carry the leashes around with him only today he had tied them when he had seen her standing near the hedges that marked the end of level ground near the swing. He should have taken the other route instead he had decided to cure a little of her phobia. The dogs had stayed calm though she had looked terrified as they had sniffed her scent. But it was good to familiarize the dogs with her. That way they wouldn't think her a stranger every single time. And then on a whim he had decided to challenge her and see if she would go for a walk with him. Why in the bloody hell did he have to do that? He should have just gone ahead and taken the dogs for a run. Okay so he had done something alien to him. But it seemed every time she was around his softer side decided to make an appearance. He was curious about her. He had already acknowledged that. But she didn't have to agree? She could have said no. Did he ask her? Did he give her a choice? More so did she think she had a choice? Considering how overbearing he was and how intimidated she always acted near him it wouldn't have occurred to her to say no, not when he had challenged her.

Then he had found it amusing not to mention interesting when he had seen how she had stood under the tall trees just gazing up. It was refreshing, he had grudgingly admitted, to watch her just take in her surroundings. As if she was amazed by things that surrounded her. Maybe amazed wasn't the correct word, mesmerized would be more apt. Why did she wear that innocent expression every time? She seemed naïve. There was no sharpness to her which meant maybe she wasn't very intelligent. But she wasn't dull either. And this complexity intrigued him. But when she had mentioned his relationship with his father he had seen red. He didn't know why it had bothered him so much normally when anybody asked him about it he just shrugged and walked off but with her he had reacted badly. Why?

It was annoying him to no end. There was no answer at least none he could think about. And why the hell had Manya told her anything? She was a stranger. Agreed the scene at the dinner table the other night could not be helped. But still. She had told him she wasn't concerned or curious or interested but he had found it difficult to believe. Come to think of it what had angered him more was the way she had said the words. It had sounded to him as if she blamed him for the sourness in his relationship with his father. And that hadn't gone down well with him. He had wanted...what had he wanted? What had he thought? That she would just believe in him. Why? She didn't even know him from Adam. And he hadn't been nice to her either. But for some strange reason he hadn't liked it. Hence the reaction.

But when he had levelled his eyes with her he had seen her eyes grow big in her face with worry. She was such a cute little thing. Young and very unworldly. There was no meanness or pretension. Her eyes were clear. Her skin was flushed and her breathing had been rapid as if she was having difficulty breathing. Was that something to do with his nearness? Or his intimidation? But he had felt everything else around them suspend for a precious few seconds. He had seen something that had no business in a girl's eyes especially if the girl was her age. Wariness, and he couldn't help but wonder the reason for it. Which also made him think if her fear of other things was genuine and had been with her for long or was it much more recent and a result of something else. And then he had kicked himself mentally for letting her get to him. He had deliberately warned her off. He hadn't liked it but it was better she stayed away from him and sensitive topics which she had no inkling about. Then to create the distance between them he had walked back at a rapid speed with Don and Kiser. And he had immediately missed her company. He had seen her come round the corner a few minutes later as he gave water to the dogs before going inside. But then as he had prepared his breakfast his mind had been preoccupied with the ugly scenes from fourteen years ago and as he worked faster with the knife, chopping and cutting, they had been succeeded by numerous others over the years bringing him to the silence that stretched between him and his father.

It wasn't as if he didn't know the others always got hurt when he and his father clashed. But he couldn't help it. He would never give in to him. Had he wanted to he would have done so a long time ago. The problem was it wasn't that simple. Because both Uday and Manya didn't know much details. Only his mother and father did. And of course him. He had been at the center of it all. So many thought it was all because of his decision to not become an army man. A common mistake one that they had deliberately never corrected. Yes, to some extent that was one of the reasons but there were a few others too and they were much bigger. His father's ego was as big as his and he would be damned if he ever apologized to the older man. So it didn't matter who thought what.

Only it had started to matter what one person thought not that he was going to accept it.

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