~~
After finishing all the little tidbits of the work, Ashutosh finally returned to his room on the right-wing. But the duvet placed on the sofa made him halt. It was her. She had covered him with it, after watching him sleeping carelessly, early.
He sighed, then took the duvet and knocked on her door. He got no response from the other side. But the door opened, since she had forgotten to lock it. Making him ponder on what he should do.
He knocked again and again, but the girl sleeping soundly didn't even hear it. Left with no choice, he opens the door himself and walks with a duvet in his hand. He sighed when he saw a careless but soundly sleeping girl. He helped her in removing her heels, then covered her with the duvet and left her room, silently.
He closed the door gently.
~~
Once he was in his room, he stared at the moon in the sky, a small, little sigh escaped from his mouth.
The time is coming. Sooner than he expected it to be.
He sighed once again, then he pulled the mobile phone from his pocket and stared at the blank screen for a few minutes, before finally making the call.
The ring kept going yet no response. He should have expected this. After all, he had ignored her, too.
After five to six calls, when he was starting to lose his call, finally the person on the other side picked it up.
'H-Hello.' He said, still unsure whether the call really went through or he was hallucinating already.
'What now?' came the rude response.
'Are you still angry, sweetheart?' He asked in a light-hearted manner, the smile sticking to his lips.
'Don't call me that. I am no sweetheart thing. I am me. Besides, I have every right to be angry. You ignored my calls. You even hung one on my face.' The feminine, angry voice roared from the other side.
' I am sorry, princess. Please forgive me. I promise it will not happen ever again.' Ashutosh said in a determined voice.
'Okay. I am counting on your words this time. But, if it ever happens again, then forget forever that you even have an elder sister.' The angry voice hissed at him.
' Okay. Okay. My angry bird. Now calm down.' Ashutosh said with a wide grin. Gosh, this girl is like a ticking bomb, without any time warning attached to it, who can burst out at any moment, any time.
Sometimes, even in small and simple matters. But she is his sister. His only family in this World. The person to whom he loves the most.
'Alright. So, I got to know about two shocking things;
One. You got married to some random human.
Two. You took a human to our humble abode.
I am giving you one chance to explain.' She hissed angrily, turning Ashutosh serious too.
' Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to explain myself, your highness.' Ashutosh said dramatically, earning a little giggle from Shivanshi, his elder sister.
But she didn't say anything.
'Come on di. [Di is a term used to refer to an elder sister in Hindi. Though the accurate term is Didi, nowadays, people use Di.] I am confused, myself. How am I supposed to explain that to you ?' Ashutosh whined like a child.
'So, you are blaming 'confusion', for all that you have done. You know that day is approaching soon. You know, I tell your adoptive family to create a big hype about your marriage, so that you can marry Kirti, the girl you loved, under the pretext of your life is in danger.
But what did you do? You married some unknown, lowly, unspecified human.
As if that wasn't enough, you even showed that ingrate, uncouth bitch our humble abode. What were you even thinking, when you did so? You know, how these lowly, greedy, corrupt species are. Yet, you above all did this.
What? Do you know what it cost me to handle the situation slipping away from my hand? Do you even have an idea? ' Shivanshi snarled at him, but her voice was low, dangerous, and clear.
Not like normal people, who would have shot their lungs out, at this point.
' I know, Di. I know. You have done a lot for me. I will forever remain grateful for that. But Kirti wasn't here when the plan came into execution. Those people, despite them being my adoptive parents, they have loved me as they would have loved their biological son.
You know their reputation was at stake. Besides, it's not like this marriage thing even counts in our society or system. I just married that girl, to save their reputation.
But now, things aren't normal anymore.' He decided to explain his confusion to the only wise person he knows.
' How are things not 'normal' anymore?' Shivanshi asked, clearly in an amused tone. After all, she knows how innocent her brother is. If he can help someone, then he will. While she is the complete opposite of him. Bit too cunning and dangerous, to keep everything in check and in tight wraps.
' My body is reacting to her.' He shared his confusion. But he heard a hiss from the other side.
'So, just because you are lusting over the girl. The things are not 'normal' anymore. You really are something to have the guts to tell this to your sister, who has devoted herself in the worshiping and service of ' Lord Shiva.'' Shivanshi said with a pissed voice.
' That's the thing. It's not lust, Di. It's different.' Ashutosh pin-pointed it out.
` Then, what is this ' it's different' of yours? ' Shivanshi asked, curiously.
'I don't know. That's why I am confused.' He said annoyingly, but keeping his temper in check. Because the person on the other side, gets flared more easily than him and he would regret getting angry with her.
'Fine, whatever it is, leave that aside. Try to come up with a plan to get Kirti fall head over heels in love with you. Try the mate bond with her. You must have her fall deeply in love with you, before 'that day'.
Only then will she do what we want her to do. Remember that. She must protect us of her own will.' Shivanshi emphasized once again, on the importance of 'this mission'.
'But Di, I am married now. If I court Kirti now, then it would hurt my legally wedded wife. Humans don't understand us, or our world. Kirti would end up becoming a home-wrecker, a mistress in this society of humans.
You know, I can't afford that.' Ashutosh said with a sigh.
'Then, let me help you clear your way.' Shivanshi suggested.
' You won't kill her, or anyone. No blackmailing. No torture. Nothing.' Ashutosh said in a threateningly calm, deep, cold voice.
'But lil bro, we both know, the easiest way to get rid of an obstacle is to remove it. Kill it. No life, no witness. No proof. No tension. No worries.' Shivanshi replied nonchalantly with a shrug.
'She is Kirti's assistant. Hurting her would be akin to hurting Kirti. You know what that means, right!' Ashutosh said calmly, devoid of any emotion or feeling.
'Then, what are you planning to do? How will you get rid of her? Today is the 21st of Feb, already. Mahashivratri is on 1st of March. We have to find that girl we have been looking for, for the last five decades, before that.
You know, everything would depend on her. Now, when we know Kirti is 'that' girl, then why should we take the risk, just because of human and their stupid rules.' Shivanshi holds herself in time, before passing more information.
Ashutosh, who knows how alert and full of suspicion his sister is, nodded with a 'Hmm.'
'Take care, lil bro. Do what is right.' Shivanshi said and then hung the call, without waiting for his response. Earning a small giggle from Ashutosh, who nodded the wished farewell to the now blank screen.
His eyes fixed on the moon, once again. Completely unsure of his own life's decision. He met Kirti a few years back. At first, he didn't pay much attention. But her unique, strong, dominant persona made it impossible for him to keep neglecting her presence.
She never did anything illicit. She never even tried to approach him. She never even tried to gain his attention. She had been completely professional with him. It was her simplicity, but smart and creative thinking that made him want to know more about her.
The sides of her, when she is truly happy and not pretending to be. When she is truly pissed, when she is sad, when she shows emotions, any emotion, not the professional mask, the smile that she wears.
When his interest turned into fascination and when that turned into crush, he himself didn't know. When that crush turned into one-sided love, he couldn't know, either. When the realization struck him, he was deeply, madly, crazily in love with her.