War For Love

~Twenty One~

"I've bought something for you." Sahib said quietly after a long silence.

The silence amid them was so comforting that none of them felt the need to break the silence. Siya looked up from his shoulder, raising her brows up, asking him silently what he had bought for her. The idea of Sahib buying something for her made her heart to stutter and the colors to fill her cheeks. Suddenly she had forgotten about her pain, she forgot that her parents were waiting for her. That it had been too long since she had been sitting with Sahib. Sharing the beautiful silence. She had forgotten everything for that minute.

"For me?" Sahib hummed, getting up from the cot as he removed a wrapped leaf parcel. Siya furrowed her eyes when he walked closer to her with the parcel in his hand.

"For you. There are a lot of things I can't afford, Siya. But I also know, how much you adore these. So, here." When she unwrapped the parcel, Siya's eyes widened as she gazed at the gajra (flower garland) in front of her.

Tears shun her eyes as she looked up at Sahib. How can any person do for her what Sahib did so effortlessly? What even more can he do for her? She swallowed the overwhelming emotions that formed a lump in her throat as she brushed her fingers lightly against the fresh gajra. She could smell the garland. Siya had always loved the gajra, women wear in their bun and braids but Siya could never afford them. They weren't expensive, of course but she could never think of buying them when they can barely manage three meals, a day.

Sahib looked at Siya, who didn't knew how to express what she felt. Tears had pooled her eyes and a smile had graced her face. Like her happiness had drew the tears out of her eyes. Sahib felt a blanket of happiness wrapping him, seeing Siya so happy and stunned.

She slowly looked up at Sahib, the gajra (flower garland) still in her hand. Sahib gripped her palms, squatting down to match her level as he licked his lips, taking the gajra in his hands.

"May I?" He asked softly, almost fearing that she would deny. What if she wouldn't like him touching her, to put the gajra in her hair. After all, he had just told her that he would never give any name to their feelings and desires. That he would never accept their relationship.

Siya, however felt like a bird who had been given the open sky to fly after being captivated in a cage for a long time. Sure, Sahib had just told her, he can give her everything other than his name. But wasn't that what she only wanted? His love? What future holds for them is secondary but destroying their present by fearing and mourning for their future was wrong.

"Please." She said, nodding her head as she turned around with her back facing him.

With shaky hands and thumping heart, he pulled her braid back, wrapping the gajra on the length of her braid. Sahib was trying not to touch her back as he put gajra on her braid but when he was done, his fingers lightly brushed her back, making her gasp. The sudden contact made her body to jolt forward. Siya gripped her skirt, closing her eyes. Her chest kept heaving up and down as the warmth of his slight touch made a mess of her insides.

He gently gripped her shoulders, turning her around. Their eyes met for the umpteenth time now. Sahib's lips parted as he took her frame in his eyes. He was embracing her beauty. He knew, Siya was a beautiful woman but something about her that day was so different and so pure that it made her beauty to increase by tenfold. His unwavering gaze made her timid. She looked away, her cheeks flushing red and her stomach fluttering.

Sahib never confessed that night how beautiful Siya looked. He never told her how she makes a mess inside him. Sahib never told her how he wished to forget everything, leave everything behind, to be with her. Just her. But Siya heard it. His eyes were enough to tell him the tales his tongue could never have dared to tell. She heard him, like every other time without him speaking.

The look Sahib's eyes held made her realize that no-one can make her feel so beautiful like Sahib can and that too without uttering a single word. His eyes were enough to swoon her.

"I must say, Rudra, every man must learn from you how to compliment a woman." Siya teased him as he didn't say anything but kept staring her instead. Taking a step back as she brushed her fingers against her gajra. Sahib rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back, himself.

The scent of the gajra had flooded her senses. She could smell Sahib on her. Though his scent was much more masculine and tempting, than that of the gajra, which soothed her heart; she smelt him on her. Like every inch of her body had absorbed his scent.

"And every woman of this village must learn how to be narcissistic from you, no?" Sahib shot back and Siya chuckled, shaking her head before she playfully glared at him.

"That, Sahib, is called self love."

"Of course." Sahib agreed sarcastically before he gazed at the sky. It was getting late.

"You should leave, Siya, it's getting late." Sahib said and Siya's heart sunk but she knew she had to go home. Ma and Baba were waiting for her. She looked at him, one last time, her heart not getting enough of him.

"I'll see you in the training tomorrow?" Siya asked, almost hopefully and Sahib looked at her intently, folding his arms infront of his bare chest.

"You're still hurt, Siya. This whipping will take some time to heal."

"But—"

"Just one day, Siya. Take rest for a day. We'll start from day after tomorrow." Siya sighed, nodding her head in defeat.

"At least, tell me when we're going to attack the mills?" Siya asked, almost in excitement and Sahib rolled his eyes at her childlike excitement.

"Not atleast for a week. I'll tell you when we'll attack the mills."

"But—"

"I promise, Siya, I'll tell you when we'll attack the mills."

~~~~~~

When Siya reached home, she found out that her family was waiting for her. They were fearing if she had already decided to go in another protest. But when she walked in, they could finally take a breath of relief. Vedika had told her parents that Siya was out but she never told them that she was Sahib.

But as soon as she walked in home, her mother— Leela's gaze fell on her gajra wrapped braid. This was the first time, she had seen her putting gajra on her hair. Her eyes held a different spark and the smile her face held, made Leela suspect her daughter of meeting a stranger— a man. She couldn't believe that her little girl had now grown up so much, as to sneak out of her house to meet a man. Vedika, however was very well aware of everything that was happening in her sister's life. Satyavan— her father was silently observing everything.

"Why do you have a gajra (flower garland) in your braid, Siya? Who gave it to you? Is this the same man, who you were talking about the other day?" Siya's mother asked, fear clear as day in her voice and Siya looked at her mother, brushing the gajra on her braid as a smile formed on her face.

"Yes."

Leela gasped at the boldness of her daughter. She was blatantly confessing that she had been meeting a man in the darkness of the night. Women of this world never ever met the gaze of any man, even in the bright daylight and here, her daughter had sneaked out of her house to meet a man, who had the audacity to gift gajras to her daughter!

"What has happened to you, Siya? Was today's whipping less humiliating for you, my child? Protesting against the foreign rule was something we had tolerated but meeting a man at such hour is not something I will ever allow in this house!" Leela said sharply, her voice raising with every word, making Siya to snort at her words.

When Leela was trying hard not to burst in anger, Satyavan— Siya's father was trying to observe her daughter, trying to read the thoughts that were running in his daughter's mind. He knew, Siya was smart enough not to come in someone's flattery. He also knew how firm Siya had always have been in her decisions. And her sudden involvement in the protest and then meeting a man at such hour was something that was beyond his understanding.

"Baba, is it not my right to choose my life partner myself? Or is it another sin listed in the book of this world?" Siya asked.

Satyavan knew Siya was an intelligent woman. She never debated on topics, she had no knowledge about. Even though, Satyavan never said it out loud but he was aware of everything she did secretly. When she would sneak out to learn about medicines, Satyavan knew that too. And no matter how orthodox they were, Satyavan never spoke any lie.

"It's indeed your right, Siya." Leela was taken aback by her husband's words. He was supposed to explain his daughter what she was doing was wrong, immoral, against their customs not to agree with her rebellious thoughts.

"What are you saying? It's not her right to disrespect our customs and traditions! Her rights are not more important than our reputation in this society!" Leela growled and Siya looked at her mother.

"I'm not disrespecting our customs and traditions, Ma. I'm barely pointing out what my rights are and I am just fighting for them."

"And how is sneaking out to meet a man, who is not your family, in our customs, Siya?" Leela asked, her anger increasing with every answer Siya was giving her.

"If I would've sneaked out, Ma, I could've easily hidden this meet from everyone. And talking about our customs and traditions, Ma, I never did anything wrong for you to feel ashamed. I merely went out to give food to him. Is feeding people a sin now, Ma?"

"Food? What food? Don't tell me, now you give your food to that man! What's wrong with you, Siya? Have someone done any black magic on you, my child?" Leela asked, concern bubbling inside her and Siya smiled, shaking her head.

"Just a portion of my food, Ma. You and Baba always taught me to help others, then why are you so against of me feeding the man, I have grown liking to?"

"Because that's a sin, Siya!"

"Leela—" Satyavan said, trying to calm his wife down but she only glared at him.

"No. You don't say anything! It's you! You have spoiled them so much! She's meeting a man at midnight and you're sitting so calmly here! I can't believe this! I can't believe you!" Leela said, tears rolling down her eyes and Siya felt guilt stabbing her chest.

"Don't you believe in our daughters, Leela? I know they can't do anything that is immoral. Siya, my child," Satyavan said, gazing at her daughter with his soft and understanding eyes.

"Choosing your life partner is indeed your right but loving someone before marriage is not something even I support. I am not doubting your love for that man, Siya but my child, what if you don't marry them? Won't it be injustice to the man you'll marry then? Love is pure as the Ganga Maiya (sacred river) but the love before marriage is always termed as illegitimate. Attraction and love have a very thin line amid them." Satyavan tried to explain her daughter, who in turn looked at her father with seriousness.

"I won't cheat any other man, Baba. If I don't marry him then, Baba, I'll never marry anyone else my whole life."