Fitoor | ✓

04 | Chaar

A/N- do check out the hindi song linked to this chapter, it's one of my favourites and suits the story too!

Much love, Aashix

04 | Chaar

World of the women is so complicated. Fuck it, world of the human beings is complicated. Lekh strolled rapidly in the hallway of the hospital. He had felt Tara getting dizzy but he had ignored it, he'd taken it as a side effect of pregnancy. Now he just wished the fainting didn't have any side effects on the pregnancy.

Tara was repulsive of him. She didn't welcome his presence and her persona cried that out. He didn't exactly blame her but it would help if she was a little understanding. He wasn't doing this for himself. He could pack his bags and leave forever and pretend his mother never walked in his room that night. He could forget all of this and leave, for his better. But maybe his heart wasn't completely dead. Yet.

The doctor came out of the room and shook his hand. What a waste of time.

"Is she fine?" Lekh asked, face stoic as ever.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, her blood pressure fell. Her body seems very fatigued, over stressed probably. I'd suggest bed rest for the next upcoming months. Some women can't be active during pregnancy. Tara is one of them."

"When will she be discharged?" Lekh asked, he was worried. He didn't want his mother to know about this. Indian women were supposed to be strong enough to not faint during pregnancy. For her, over working Tara meant keeping her body fit while she carried her child. Plus, he was pretty sure if she got this excuse to get to the hospital she would inquire for an ultrasound to test the gender of the baby.

There were a thousand billion problems in this world. His mother was the creator of most of them.

"You can take her in a few hours, we are just running a few tests. As a father you should be very careful Mr. Rajput. Help your wife in every way you can and I am pretty sure with the affluent background you come from, you can afford help." The doctor mumbled on. Yes, feel free to assume I am the father. The forces of the world were chasing after him to get married to Tara.

Lekh ignored the doctor, "Can I go meet her?" he asked glancing at the door.

"Yes, sure. Happy months ahead!" the doctor grinned.

Screw you.

Lekh walked into the room Tara was kept. Her skin was like milk, soft and white. And very, very innocent. She was the ideal Indian beauty. It was so easy to fall in love with women like Tara, no wonder his brother was crazy about her. Lekh couldn't help but remember how he had felt the first time he'd seen her face. It was in a photograph, the one that had been sent to his family when they were looking for brides for his brother. She was so beautiful. Her smile so addicting.

He had looked out of the window with the photograph in his hand. Suddenly it was so hard to breathe. Flashes of her ran in his mind, the memory of her laugh, her smile, her voice, kisses, all of it suffocated him. He had clenched his fists and crumbled the photograph. He had burnt the picture later, who said being happy for family was mandatory.

The whole house had looked for the photograph, no one found it. Kartavya was desperate, his heart was set on the girl in the photograph. The lost photographs. Lekh's heart was set on the girl in his memories. The lost memories.

Lekh watched Tara sleep, the same overwhelming feeling crept over him, like it had so many years ago. His life was a bloody tragedy and people called Romeo and Juliet sad. His expression must have been intense because when Tara finally opened her eyes, she was startled.

Neither of them spoke, both their eyes uncomfortable.

"Listen, I don't think you understand-" Lekh finally begin.

"I'll marry you." Tara interrupted him.

"What?"

Tara nodded, "I'll marry you."