Mag-log in"Ji..." Her voice was soft. "Hm?" He said slowly caressing her head. "Aapko kabhi darr lagta hai?" She asked. (Translation: Do you feel scared sometimes?) "Kis baat ka, bacche?" Ryker's hand paused on her hair. (Translation: Of what, kiddo?) "Humko kho dene ka." She said in her low voice. Silence. His jaw tightened slightly. (Translation: Of losing me.) "Haan." Then he answered honestly. (Translation: Yes.) "Kitna?" Inaayat lifted her head. (Translation: How much?) "Itna ki mujhe iske baare mein sochna pasand nahin hai." Ryker looked directly into her eyes. She studied his face. (Translation: So much, so that I don't like thinking about it.) "Hamein bhi aap ko khone ka darr lagta hai. Hum bhi aisa nahi sochna chahte ji." Then quietly wrapped both arms around him. (Translation: I, too, am afraid of losing you. I don't want to think like that either.) "Toh phir mat sochiye kyun ki aisa kabhi kuchh nahi hoga, bacche." He held her closer. (Translation: So don't even thi
On the other side the haveli had fallen quiet again. Most of the lights had been switched off, leaving only the soft yellow glow of a few lamps along the corridors. The night air was cool. The open terrace was almost completely deserted. Nancy walked slowly across it. Her hands were loosely folded in front of her as she moved from one end of the terrace to the other. There was no particular destination. She simply couldn't sleep. Her thoughts had been restless for hours. She reached the railing, stood there for a moment, then turned around and began walking back. A few minutes later the terrace door opened. Nancy glanced over her shoulder. Arjun stepped outside. He didn't say anything. He walked toward one of the couches placed near the wall and quietly sat down. Nancy continued walking. For a while neither of them acknowledged the other or more like he was looking at Nancy with longing eyes but she didn't pay any heed to him. The silence between them wasn't exactly hostile. It
It was well past dinner time when the haveli finally settled into silence. The dining hall had been unusually warm that evening. Raghu's family had eaten together, with Sunaina doing most of the talking as usual and Baba occasionally scolding her for speaking with her mouth full. Inaayat and Ryker had eaten with them too. Nancy had quietly eaten and returned to her room. Arjun had disappeared upstairs. Urvashi had never come down for dinner. And the three Thakur members Sudha, Dadi and Ranvijay were still nowhere to be seen. Eventually, everyone retired to their respective rooms. The lights in the long corridors were dimmed one by one. The haveli became still. Raghu was walking toward his room. He had just passed the staircase leading toward the quieter wing of the haveli when he stopped. His brows furrowed. Something had caught his attention. A sound. Very faint. He stood completely still. Listened. There it was again. A muffled sob. Raghu's expression immediately changed. He turn
The moment Ryker entered their room, he gently pushed the door shut behind him. The familiar room immediately surrounded them with silence. No guests. No family. No curious eyes. Just them. For the first time in two days Inaayat didn't have to pretend that she wasn't waiting for him. Ryker walked toward the couch with her still in his arms. He bent slightly, intending to put her down. But the moment his arms loosened Inaayat's grip around his neck tightened. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. Ryker paused. He looked down at her. Her face remained hidden against his neck. She didn't say anything. She simply held him tighter. He understood. She didn't want him to go anywhere. Not even a step away. A faint softness appeared in his eyes. Without forcing her to move, he sat down on the couch with her still in his lap. Then he reached behind him and locked the door. Click. Inaayat heard it. But she didn't lift her head. Her face remained tucked into the crook of his neck, h
Two Days Later... Two days had passed since that night. Two days since Inaayat had heard Ryker's voice. And somehow those two days had felt longer than the entire week of wedding celebrations. The haveli had slowly returned to its usual rhythm. The flowers were being removed, the remaining decorations were being packed away, and the servants had finally stopped running from one corner to another. But there was one thing that had changed. Sudha, Dadi and Ranvijay had suddenly left. No explanation. No proper goodbye. No one knew where they had gone. They had simply left early one morning, taking a car with them. Even Arjun had been surprised. When he asked where they were going, Sudha had merely said they had some work to attend to. And that was it. Since then nothing. No calls. No messages. Arjun had tried asking Urvashi, but she knew as little as he did. For once, the haveli had been left without the three most controlling people in the household. And strangely it felt lighter. Th
Inaayat's fingers tightened around the phone. Suddenly she forgot how to speak. It is the very first time after her childhood that she's talking on the phone. Only her quiet breathing reached him. Silence. On the other side Ryker stood alone on the terrace of a hospital. The city lights stretched endlessly below him. Doctors occasionally passed through the corridor behind him. But none of it held his attention anymore. The moment he heard that soft breathing he already knew. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Bacche." She didn't answer. (Translation: Kiddo.) "Mujhe bata hai ki aap hain. Boliye." He spoke again. (Translation: I know it's you. Speak up.) His voice became gentler. Only then she finally found her voice. "Ji..." The single word carried so much relief that Ryker unconsciously closed his eyes. He had missed hearing it. Far more than he had expected. But before he could say anything Inaayat began complaining all at once. "Aap hamein chhod kar kyun chale gaye?" (T
When Ryker left the room all the boldness and happiness of Inaayat was gone with him leaving a silent person behind with no words or movements as if she was a mannequin. She sat there looking at her hands in her lap like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Nancy also settled on the c
On the other hand, Ryker came inside his room with Inaayat and closed the door from inside while Inaayat looked at him silently with tears pooling her eyes. He sighed and again that feeling started looming in his mind that his world is not made for her- the innocent soul. Just the promise ritual of
It was evening time and the sky almost turned orange and yellow shade looking so ethereal that everyone had to stop and capture the beauty of the sky in their mobile phones. The birds were returning back to their respective shelters but someone was coming to a whole different and new place after le
"In logon ne pareshan kiya kya aap ko?" Ryker asked her in such a low tone that only she could hear. (Translation: Did these people bother you?) "H-Humne chori nahi ki. Aap kahan chale gaye the hum darr gaye the?" She said then a sob broke out of her lips. (Translation: I-I did not steal. Wher







