Chapter 12 A Stare Across The Table
I wake up at exactly 6 AM. Last night, I was so exhausted that I ended up falling asleep on the cold floor itself, but right now, none of that matters. The moment my eyes open, I sit up quickly and look around.
Samar is nowhere in the room. A strange uneasiness settles in my chest. Just then, there’s a knock on the door.
I walk toward it slowly and open it. Standing outside is Neeti. In her hands, she’s holding some brand-new, elegant clothes along with a small, beautiful jewelry box.
She smiles politely and says, “Sister-in-law, Mom said you should get ready wearing one of these.”
I nod quietly, take the clothes from her hands, and gently close the door. As I look through the clothes, my eyes stop at a stunning red suit a red kurti, matching trousers, and a red dupatta. I place the extra clothes neatly into Samar’s cupboard and take the red suit with me into the bathroom.
After a hot, relaxing shower, I step out and stand in front of the mirror. Dressed in red, I look more radiant than I expect but what I don’t know is that someone is already watching me.
Suddenly, footsteps stop behind me. I lift my eyes to the mirror and freeze. Vihan is standing right there. Startled, I turn around immediately, my heartbeat racing. He stares at me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable and then steps forward, extending his hand.
“I didn’t get a chance to meet you properly,” he says calmly. “I’m Vihan the elder son of this house and the only heir of the Rajput family.”
I force a faint smile and shake his hand. But the moment I try to pull back, his grip tightens. My breath catches.
His gaze feels invasive, unsettling almost as if he’s stripping away every layer of my comfort. After a few long seconds, he finally lets go and says, “Come. Everyone’s waiting for breakfast.”
Without another word, he turns around and walks away. I stare at my hand. It has turned red from his grip. My heart pounds violently, but I gather myself, finish getting ready, and step out.
This is only the beginning a new house, a new story,
and countless hidden truths waiting to surface. When I enter the dining area, I see Samar, Vihan, Ruhi, Neeti, and Mrs. Shobha already seated at the table.
Mrs. Shobha looks up at me and smiles warmly. “Come, child. Sit and have breakfast.”
I walk quietly and take the seat beside Samar, not saying a single word. Neeti serves me breakfast, and I start eating silently. But then I feel it.
My eyes lift on their own and land on Vihan. He’s sitting right across from me, staring. There’s a faint smile on his lips. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t look away.
Anger rises sharply inside me. Annoyed, I narrow my eyes at him and press my fork hard into the plate, cutting into the omelette.
Takkkkk!!!!
The sound echoes lightly. Vihan stiffens and swallows nervously, clearly startled. Ruhi and Neeti are busy chatting, completely unaware of the tension burning between us.
Suddenly, something taps my foot under the table. It’s Samar. I look at him and my heart sinks. His eyes are burning with intensity. He has seen everything.
I swallow instinctively when our eyes meet. He leans closer to me and whispers near my ear, “Stay away from him.”
Then he stands up abruptly and walks toward the room without saying another word. My heart races.
After a few seconds, I quietly get up and follow him. Inside the room, I see Samar putting on his watch. I can tell my appearance affects him today. Yet he avoids looking at me, forcing himself to stay distant. I walk closer. “I need to talk to you,” I say softly.
Without even turning toward me, he replies, “I’m busy right now.”
“Please… just listen,” I insist gently.
Suddenly, his voice turns harsh and sharp. “I said just shut up!”
I freeze. His words hit me like a slap. Everything I wanted to say about Vihan, about the way he stared, about how uncomfortable I felt dies on my tongue.
Without another word, Samar walks out, leaving for the office. I slowly walk to the bed, sit down, and pull the blanket around myself.
Silence surrounds me. A little while later, Mrs. Shobha Rajput is seated in the living room of Shekhawat Villa.
In front of her sits Mr. Abhay Shekhawat, and beside him is a man around fifty-five years old, carrying an unmistakable resemblance to both Samar and Vihan.
Despite his age, he still looks dignified, wearing glasses that show the passage of time.
This man is none other than Mrs. Shobha Rajput’s husband, Mr. Ajay Rajput. Mr. Ajay and Mr. Abhay were once very close bound by a deep, lifelong friendship.
Today, Mr. Ajay has just returned from abroad. And the moment Mrs. Shobha tells him how Mr. Abhay distanced himself from everyone without explanation, Mr. Ajay cannot keep calm.
Without wasting time, Mrs. Shobha and Mr. Ajay come straight to Shekhawat Villa.
Mr. Ajay looks directly at Mr. Abhay, his voice controlled but filled with emotion.
“I didn’t expect this from you, Abhay. You left without informing anyone not even once did you think about how we would feel.”
His eyes reflect more pain than anger the ache of an old friendship wounded by silence. Mr. Abhay takes a deep breath and lowers his gaze. “Ajay, I never meant to hurt any of you. There were things… even I didn’t have answers to.”
Mr. Ajay replies immediately, “Forget the answers. Relationships survive on time and presence. But you walked away from friendship, from family, from every bond.”
Mrs. Shobha intervenes gently, “Ajay, time changes everyone. Abhay has changed but the friendship still exists in his heart. If it didn’t, I would never have asked you to come.”
Mr. Ajay looks at Mrs. Shobha and falls silent
for a moment. Then he turns back to Mr. Abhay and says firmly, “I didn’t come here just to say all this. I came because I don’t want the remaining bonds to break.”