OTHER GROOM... the tale of the rejected guy...

Part 23

"Something like chilly chicken?" She asked with a redness of coyness on her nose.

Subhro looked at her with wide eyes. "You are yet to recover from fever..."

"But I am fine now!" She argued.

"You don't have the fever, but no you are not fine enough..." he tried to reason with her.

"What are you doctor now?"

"I know well enough- thank god the fever didn't get to something serious. I was so afraid..." the last sentence came out as monologue.

"Just because you took care of me while I was sick does not give you the right to decide anything for me okay!" Tuli suddenly screamed up making Subhro look at her with awe. "I didn't ask you to..."

He kept looking at her being flabbergasted.

'You didn't need to. Why won't I take care of you? If needed my life would be on stake, for you, without a second thought.' He wanted to say, but the frustration inside him lashed out, "but I did." He uttered while his head was spinning in raging exhaustion.

"So now what? You want me to say thank you to you? Well thank you." She asked him. If he could realise a shield in her eyes that was breaking a little by little - would have catch his eyes. Her clenched stubborn jaw didn't get support from her eyes. She wasn't sure of what she was fighting for anymore.

Subhro's flaring that was penetrated in Tuli's eyes didn't notice all this. Ratul's words kept ringing in his ears. He was right, wasn't he! He was right all this while. That son of a bitch! But he was right. She would never appreciate him. Never!

The exhaustion was weakening him more. He inhaled sharply closing his eyes and then walked towards the cupboards.

"I am making Khichuri. Have that with hot sauce. Now go back to your room."

Tuli didn't move instantly. She kept standing there pegging a corner of the duvet wrapped around her. "I am sautéing the daal." She proceeded towards the stove gingerly when his growl made her halt in the mud way.

"I don't want anything from you. Go back to your room. I will inform you once the food if ready." He hissed turning at her with a jolt.

She took a look of his fuming face and retorting back "you don't have to do any thing for me. I don't wanna eat anything." She stormed out of the kitchen.

***

"Khichuri's ready." Subhro knocked on Tuli's bedroom. He was coming inside nonchalantly like it had been a habit in these four days, but then he remembered Tuli was not unconscious anymore and won't like it.

So with knock he walked in gingerly and saw her laying on the bed again facing her back at him.

"Are you feverish again?" He asked worryingly.

Squirming she pulled herself away from him. But he kept the bowl of khichuri and the bottle of hot sauce aside on the bed side table and pulled out his hand to place on her forehead. The temperature didn't occurred to him more than normal. "You are fine, then why are you lying like this?" She didn't answer again. He sighed and said again "here is your Khichuri Tuli, and the hot sauce is beside it. Have it while it's still warm, you will feel good."

Saying he walked up to the window. The darkening the sky a storm was arising again. Thinking about this only he had gave Chaya an early leave.

Closing the windows he turned and saw Tuli sitting up and taking the bowl of the food in her lap.

He was about to walk out of the room when her meek voice fell in him ear.

"Where's your?"

His head snapped at her to look at her. "In the kitchen."

"Bring that here." She said in a demanding tone opening the lid of the hot sauce.

When Subhro walked into Tuli's room with his plate of khichuri he saw her pouring out some hot sauce on her palm and licking it.

"Have the food. What are you exactly doing? You haven't have even one single spoon." He scowled.

"I am sick don't you scream at me." Came her reply instantly in a tone of a five year old.

Her reply made him mum for a second and then he said gently "Well. Eat... then"

"Seat here and feed me. I am sick." Her tone carried demand again as she looked at him with her red nose, cause of sneezing continuously.

Looking at her very cautiously he sat beside her, in his usual spot and put down his own plate before taking her bowl of the Khichuri.

She sat up straight and leaning towards him opened her mouth widely.

He pulled out a spoon full of the khichuri and blew off the hot steam before putting inside her mouth.

"Have yours." She commanded while gulping down the morsel again with a lots of hot sauce. With out any words further, he did as she wished.

His straight face concealed all the thing that was storming inside him, the dragon that was firing flapping butterflies inside his stomach, the rush that his blood cells had suddenly picked up and his heart which wad pounding so loudly that he was afraid she would hear it.

***

After feeding her and himself he dumped all the dishes in the sink, fed her the medicines before she went to sleep again. And then he rushed inside his room- after almost five days. His body was shaking so much that he was afraid that he had got fever.

Outside the rain had started meanwhile.

He placed his palm on his forehead to check the temperature. But his body felt colder than a dead body to him. His heart was throbbing at his throat now. He jumped on the bed and pulled duvet on him but the warmness made him kick the duvet aside. Stomping out of the bed he walked inside the washroom shutting the door with a thud.

Subhro woke up in the sound of the door bell. He was so exhausted, he had slept all through the evening soundlessly. Rubbing his eyes he looked at the clock to see it was ten already.

The doorbell rang again making him wonder who was it at this hour.

Subhro's feet froze opening the door.

"Hi jiju!!!" Renuka smiled widely looking at him. "Dekhona ki bristi! Every road is clogged in this rain. And its so damn hard to get a bus in this shower you know. I was out and then could not go back to home. Them I remembered, wow thank god you guys live here..."

Renuka kept bubbling as she walked inside the house jerking the water droplets off her umbrella. And Subhro's heart started drumming again loudly...

So here was the update. Hope you guys liked it. Now VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! if you have liked it and comment...