War For Love

~Six~

As soon as Siya entered Sahib's doorless house, he turned towards her. What pained Siya more was that Sahib was trying to mask his pain. Infact, he was very successful in masking his pain as he did with his all other emotions except for the anger. Their eyes met each other, like the two oceans meeting at the Gulf of Alaska. Sahib couldn't help but embrace her existence in his eyes. He was astounded as much he was enraged with the fact that Siya had disobeyed him yet again. But when did Siya ever followed the laws? One could praise Siya's courage for she didn't even think once of the consequences her actions can bring to her.

Sahib's eyes took in her now braided hair, that were once open. She still had no bindi on her forehead and no kohl in her eyes. And yet she looked beguiling to him. He didn't stood up from the cot, his back still facing her but his face was a little tilted, letting each other to stare in the neverending chasm of each other's eyes. Sahib noticed the wrapped tortillas she had brought for him and a disposable cup filled with her ayurvedic ointment, she had prepared for him and Sahib felt something inside his chest stuttering. But what, he wasn't aware of that, yet.

"I think, I told you not to come here, ever again." Sahib's hard voice growled lowly, his fingers curling as he stood up from the cot, taking the white clothe, hanging on the branch of the banyan tree before throwing it over his upper torso, hiding his chest and wounds from her but his wounds and his pain weren't concealed from her. She, however, took a step forward at his angry words, smiling a bit at him, feeling a new spark of courage surging inside her.

"And I thought, by now, you would've been grown accustomed to me flouting your rules." She said instead and Sahib glared at her amused words, looking away from her and Siya felt something inside her shattering as her eyes looked at the little exposed area of his back, red and swollen from the whipping, he had took to save her. And he didn't even complain once.

"I'm sorry. You got whipped for covering up for me. You didn't had to do it, Sahib. You didn't had to take the punishment for me." Siya said, her voice quivering a bit as she blinked back her tears.

Sahib clenched his fist. Her broken voice, somehow pained him even more than the whipping the royals gave him had caused. But he didn't let the superficial emotions to blind him.

"I couldn't have let a woman's reputation get questioned and smeared right in front of my eyes, Miss."

"I thought, they would've put you in the jail." Siya said, biting her lips. Silently thankful for Sahib for turning his face, for she couldn't have stared in his eyes for too long. They made her insides to tremble in a way that made her mind to stop working.

"Why put someone in the jail when you can humiliate them in the public, hm?" Sahib said, his voice a little dark. His daunting dark orbs now boring into her own eyes.

Siya gulped at the intensity, his eyes held. Sahib made her nervous and it was very much crystal from the way color filled her dusky cheeks and she gripped on the hem of her dupatta (scarf), tightly. He made her nervous.

"I've made this ointment for you. It will help you with the pain and infection."

Sahib looked at the ointment she brought with her with slight hesitation. Though not even a single line of uncertainty crossed his face, it was stoic and impassive as ever but he was scared to hold her ointment.

If the royal officials saw the ointment on his wounds or saw them healing any faster than it normally heals, they would again suspect Siya— a woman. They already have a doubt that a woman was involved in the protest, and any more clue and they won't take much time to find out that there was indeed a girl in the protest last night and the girl was none other than Siya.

And how can he let that woman, that girl take the ramification of her rebellious but humble nature, who has been feeding him for a long time now. The very woman who starves herself partially every day just so that he doesn't sleep hungry, every night. She does everything without asking anything in return. She does this selflessly. Though, Siya riles him up, like no one has ever infuriated him in his entire life, but he was grateful to her. He would never admit that but he could never deny this fact too.

"I can't." Sahib said lowly and Siya looked at him, pinching his brows together.

"Why? Are you allergic to Neem (Indian Lilac)?" Siya asked and Sahib clenched his jaw, before shaking his head, reluctantly.

"No."

"Allergic to turmeric, perhaps?" Sahib almost glowered at her, angrily glaring at her but shook his head, nonetheless.

"No."

"Coconut oil?"

"Uh—huh."

"Then I don't see a problem, Sahib. Apply this ointment or I shall do it for you. I don't have a problem with either of them."

"I told you before. I am telling you now, I don't need your ointment, Miss. Please, leave before anyone see you here. With me." Siya looked at him, her eyes narrowing at his obstinate behaviour as she took a deep breath, not to shout at him.

"I don't care if anyone saw me with you, Sahib."

"But I do! I won't let a woman's dignity get tattered because that woman is being recalcitrant! There are certain norms we can't break." Sahib said, his eyes burning Siya's inside. She felt his intimidating aura increasing, making it difficult for her to maintain the eye contact anymore.

"These laws are not statute, Sahib! These norms you call as 'unwritten rules' are made for us, for our comfort, for our ease. We are not made for them. And I don't think any rule, any norm can ever be mightier than someone's life. So forgive me but I won't follow those norms that makes me distant from my own humanity."

"Don't be vacuous! If my wounds heal any faster, they'd know someone is helping me. And they're already suspicious that a woman was involved in the protest last night. You're in enough danger, already and I am enough stressed out as it is; please do not increase my problems anymore."

"I'm ready to take all the consequences, Sahib. But let me tend to your wounds or they might get infected. Please."

Before Sahib could have protested against her, she gripped the clothe on his upper torso and pulled it off, revealing his dark skin, glowing with red, angry marks that made Siya's inside to twist painfully. Sahib was too astonished to react as Siya took some ointment on her fingertips and slowly and gently, glided her fingers on his back, over his wounds, applying ointment on them.

As soon as her fingers touched his bare skin, his heart froze for a minute second. His skin burning under her touch and he felt his soul bending down on its knee for her. The weird twisting and fluttering in his stomach wasn't helping either. He opened his mouth to speak, to let something out. Something. Atleast anything. But as if, her fingers on him made him to forget how to even speak.

This was the first time any woman other than his own mother had touched him. No one had touched him with such fragility ever before. His breathing was getting uneven. The pain was long gone, he had forgotten that a maiden touching a man other than her father or brother was a sin in their society. He had forgotten the difference amid the right and the wrong. All he could feel or see was her fingers brushing his back. Taking every inch of his pain.

Siya felt no different. This was the first time he had touched a man other than her father. But something about this didn't felt immoral to her. Not when he was in pain, his wounds open for the infection to reign. Her fingers trembled as she applied the ointment on his back, his hot skin burning her fingers and her insides bowing down for him. Was this normal when a woman touched a man? Or was Sahib any special?

None of them had a clue. But both of them felt the exact thing, the exact emotion bubbling inside them. They had broken so many laws today. First, seeing a woman with her locks open, free. Sahib saw Siya as raw, as pure as any woman could be. Though many men were present there who might have seen Siya with her hair open but not everyone had the emotions waking in them as it did in Sahib's heart. Second, walking into Sahib's house without any right, breaking the rules of the society they lived in. Third, touching a man who wasn't her husband.

"I'll apply myself." Sahib managed to speak out, finally when Siya was done with his back and looked hesitant to even look at his chest, let alone apply ointment on his front. But Sahib knew Siya was just too stubborn that despite her discomfort she would've applied ointment on him. Siya nodded her head, silently, handing him the ointment, her gaze down and Sahib felt something stirring inside him.

"Sahib?" She called out, making him to look at her direction as he rose his brows at her.

"It's okay to fear as much as it's okay to express your pain. It doesn't mean that you're weak but that you are strong enough to accept what you're going through. Hm?" Sahib didn't knew what to say any longer. Her words had left him with nothing. Because her words were true but he was just too coward to accept them.

"Have the food too. It will help you with the nutrients. I'll leave for now." Siya said when Sahib didn't say anything in return.

Sahib wanted to protest. To tell her that she shouldn't risk her life to feed him but he also knew for a fact that Siya was pertinacious. She was as stubborn as him. Maybe even a little more than him. Though they didn't knew anything about each other, Sahib was very sure that until Siya don't see him eating, she won't eat too. So, even though, reluctantly but he took a piece of the tortilla before putting it in his mouth, chewing.

A smile stretched on her face, making it harder for Sahib to not look at her. She was no different than other women yet she wasn't akin to anyone one of them. It was like she was one of them but not one among them.

And with that Siya left his house. With every step she took away from him, they felt their heart leaping out of their chests. It was nothing. It has to be nothing. After all, Sahib knew his feelings for her would only defame her and she knew, her care for him would mend him. It was like the relationship darkness had with light. It fears that it will leave light with nothing but the darkness but it knew he needs the light.

Thank you. Sahib almost whispered to himself. Not being able to tell her how grateful he was to her but somehow, Siya heard him. Her heart and soul did. Was it magic? Or telepathy, she didn't knew but she had heard him whispering those words. Not from his mouth but like he whispered them to her heart.