A/N- CAST REVEAL : I've put up a picture of the actor I've chosen for Lekh at the end of the chapter! I am very very very excited for you all to see him, I am already whipped. Also, thank you all so much for the support that you've been giving this book. I am so thrilled and honoured by all the shout-outs and recommendations! You're all going to heaven <3 

Much love, Aashix

10 | Dus

Something had happened, the women weren't talking, not a word. And Lekh knew that when women didn't talk, it was usually a problem. Two cars were going for the shopping, the one behind Lekh was handled by a driver. God bless him, Indira and Arti were in that one. Along with the kids.

Lekh was going to drive his, and Tara and Ramya were going to be with him. When he had come outside all the women were quite; his mother stood sternly with a careless face while Ramya glared at her. Tara stood worriedly beside Ramya while Arti stood behind with the kids out of the danger zone.

Had Lekh been someone else he would have asked what was wrong. But Lekh was Lekh and Lekh didn't care.

After his arrival Indira automatically chose her ride and snapped at Arti to come with her, the kids just followed their aunt. Lekh sighed and prepared himself for a long day, he didn't say a word and sat in the driver's seat while the two women followed. Tara and Ramya both started opening the two back doors.

"Tara!" Ramya hissed desperately.

"What?"

"Sit in front." She mouthed at her aloof sister-in-law.

Tara looked at her in horror, "No!" she said, pulling the door and getting in at once. Ramya sighed, what was she going to do about her best friend. But stubborn as she was, she sat behind too.

Lekh moaned internally, it wasn't like he really cared whether anyone sat beside him or not but he did feel like a driver. One of them could come and sit in front, but no, how would they commit such a crime.

He looked at Tara through the rear view mirror, she looked nervous and bit her lips as Ramya looked at her amusingly. For a second Lekh considered calling her to sit in front, but then he shook his head. He didn't want to give her any ideas, he didn't really care if she sat with him in the front or not. Except he wouldn't exactly mind if she did. He'd feel less of a driver, is all. Nothing else.

"So when are you going to start driving?" Ramya asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Drive Lekh. Stop looking at Tara through the rear view mirror and drive." Ramya said, enjoying every moment of this. Her spoiled mood was now fading away and everything was panning out to be humorous. Tara blushed a crimson red besides her. She nudged Ramya to keep quiet while Lekh chose to completely ignore his sister's presence.

He started driving immediately and tried very hard to maintain a straight face. He wasn't staring at Tara, he was just checking if she was comfortable. Not that he cared if she was comfortable. Oh, fuck it. What would go wrong if she would just sit in the front.

Nothing had really changed, it was still a forced marriage, a compulsion of fire. The marriage was necessary and the prospect couldn't be messed up with. His mother was fire, and if you played with fire you were bound to get burnt.

But something had shifted in Lekh, even though he would never admit it, he could feel it. Years of being alone and lack of companionship was finally going to be over in a few weeks, and some part of him- the human part, craved it. And it craved it more maybe because it was about Tara.

Tara. Star. That is what her name meant. And Tara was a star in herself, beautiful and sad like poetry. Tara made you feel a hundred thousand things. There is something really different about vulnerable people, you want to touch them even though you know you might destroy them.

But Tara was also about hope, when she smiled even though it was rare now, it made Lekh feel good. It reminded him of the years that had gone by. It reminded him of someone who had gone away. Someone who had taken his humanity with her.

The sun burnt Lekh's face as he drove too lost in thoughts.

"Lekh. Listen, Lekh!" Ramya called to him and when he didn't listen she pinched him from behind startling him, the car came to a sudden halt as Lekh pressed on the brakes in astonishment.

"What the hell?" he asked turning back in anger once he had started and parked the car in a corner.

"Where is you mind?" Ramya asked him, "We are ahead of where we were supposed stop! We have been calling you since way back."

Lekh opened his mouth to say something but he didn't, mostly bevcause he had nothing to say. His eyes fell on Tara who was looking at him worriedly. Today, Lekh had done what he had refiused himself for years.

He thought about his past, he re-lived it in his mind and he drowned in the memories and left consciousness. Bloody emotions, they always messed things up.

"I'll go back." He murmured choosing to ignore any questions Ramya asked.

He caught a glimpse of Tara from the rear view mirror for a second, she was looking at him worriedly but she didn't utter a word. Perhaps that's what he liked about her, she knew when to be quiet.

When they finally reached the market, Indira was waiting for them impatiently. She shot a few taunts about punctuality and stomped into the crowds.

Arti sighed heavily, "God help me, I am dead."

"We are too." Ananya cried while her brother ran to their mother. Ramya looked at them empathetically, it must be tough for them to spend a whole car ride with their Naani.

Everyone tried to follow Indira in the crowds. The woman was fast, old age didn't seem to have any effects on her legs, unfortunately.

Lekh was hot, the sun burned his face and the crowd smelled of sweat. Everyone was rushing, every person trying to push through the crowds, everyone was in a hurry. No one wanted to stop, it was as if it was a rule to be in haste here. Lekh's breath was heavy, the crowd was suffocating him. Street vendors called for customers loudly who had no interest in buying what they had to offer. But they stopped if the shop keeper was persuasive, sometimes they even bought some of the things they were selling even though they promised themselves they wouldn't buy anything unnecessary today.

Lekh smirked to himself, people couldn't even keep the promises they made to themselves. Maybe that's why everyone was reluctant to trust others these days, they couldn't even trust themselves.

Lekh's eyes followed Tara, he wanted to keep behind her. She was not supposed to be out here like this, it was tiring for him he couldn't imagine how tiring it would be for her and the baby. She was still taking her medicines. He knew, he checked. Everyday.

He wanted to make sure she wouldn't fall off in the middle of the street out of fatigue. Lekh saw Indira bargaining angrily with a street vendor, the woman had all the money in the world, why was she not entering into a showroom. Suddenly his eyes fell on a bridal store. It screamed expensive, they'd have air conditioners for sure.

He pulled Tara as she startled.

"What?" she tried to ask him but he simply dragged her to the bridal show room. Behind himself, he could feel Ramya following them, she was probably having fun out of this.

But when they were inside the showroom, both Tara and Ramya fell quite. Lekh gestured for them to sit but they wouldn't.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are we here?" Tara asked curtly.

"Do you plan to get married in the clothes you are wearing right now?" Lekh deadpanned. Why wasn't she sitting, the whole point of dragging her like this into the showroom was so she would sit and rest in the cool air of the air conditioner.

Tara's face lost its colour and Ramya looked at her sympathetically.

"It's fine, I already have a dress." Tara said and left the showroom immediately. Lekh didn't bother stopping her, it would be futile anyway. Why did he even try, what had gotten in him. A few of the staff were staring at him, he glared back at them and they turned around guiltily.

Ramya looked at Lekh softly. Her brother barely ever took interest in things like these and dragging Tara here to select a wedding dress must have taken a lot of effort from Lekh's side. She knew it, she was his elder sister. She knew these things were tough for him and he still did. But it was all in vain and only one person was responsible for this, the person who had destroyed him. She would never forgive their mother for the woman she was.

Lekh was hurt and confused, he didn't show but if you made efforts to look closely, you could see it. His expressionless face was blanker than ever. He fists clenched on his sides, he figure rigid and eyes fiery.

He was looking at Tara through the translucent windows. Her back turned towards them.

"Lekh."

"What?" he answered without turning to her.

"It's not her fault to react like this. It's maa's doing."

That got Lekh to turn.

"What did she do?" Lekh asked carefully. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He was tired of all this, he was tired of his mother pulling dramas all the time. He felt like he was living a life of reel.

"She, uh." Ramya stammered. She wasn't over dramatizing the whole situation, it's just that she really didn't know how to tell him about it out loud without sounding foolish. It sounded absurd in her mind already.

But then she told him, in the shortest way she could, she did. She simply looked at her, as Lekh as Lekh could get. Expressionless, not an ounce of emotion showing on his face. He lips were tightly shut but she could she his jaws clench.

She knew he wasn't reacting because it wasn't surprising. There wasn't much that Indira could do that could surprise her children, or anyone for that matter. She was a cruel person and Lekh was tired. Ramya could feel irritation flowing within Lekh, desperateness to be away from all this. She knew Lekh was feeling all this even though he wasn't showing it; she knew, because she felt it too.

Ananya had started banging on the windows of the showroom and the staff were looking at the crying child irritably. Ramya gave Lekh an apologetic nod and ran out to see what was wrong with her little princess.

Lekh looked at his sister for a while, she took Ananya in her embrace while Ananya told her what was wrong. In a few years, Tara would be like this, consoling their child. Or maybe even children. Who knew.

It was a marriage after all. An arranged marriage, but it was complicated.

There used to be a time when Lekh day dreamed of children too. He would discuss it with the girl he wanted to wake up with everyday. But with her gone, his dreams went away too. The prospect of marriage had never crossed his mind since, he never thought about it.

But now he was getting married. He was getting married to Tara.

And he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be married to her, to be her husband, to be the father of her child. To be happy. But he knew as long as his mother was alive, he'd never have it. He'd never feel happy, she'd always be there; a dark shadow looming in a shiny day. But he had to do something, now he had to. He couldn't let her ruin Tara too, not more than she already had. Not like he'd let her do with the girl he loved years ago. The girl who vanished.

So he turned around and walked to one of the counters and motioned for a staff member towards himself. And then he ordered.

"I'd like to get a wedding dress for my bride." 

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*drum rolls* Introducing Fawad Khan as Lekh Singh Rajput. Also, if you've skipped the chapter to see him comment here! :P Also, don't forget to vote and show your love ;)