Drops of alcohol slid down his chin as Karan gulped two concentrated shots of bear. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt whose cuffs were loosely untied.

"Crap, this sucks. I never thought I would see you like this. Drunken Romeo hurt by his Juliet's rejection."

Kabir laughed while fisting on the table. Yesterday, what happened between Karan and Preeta had scattered their relationship again. He was outraged by her words. Preeta had ignored him for the rest of the night. He had heard her weeping before sleeping. Both had again slept by their back facing each other. An unhappy married couple.

Karan stared at the table with bloodshot eyes. He was extremely nauseated by Preeta's thoughts.

"... How could she think so low of me?... I gifted her gifts, pampered her. Why does she think of it as bribing, man? Why? Look at me, Kabir..."

Kabir's face turned serious seeing his best friend suffering. He looked how hurt he was. Preeta was right on her side but she shouldn't have gave him false hope if she loathed his touch.

"... Look at me... Do I look like a villain? A rapist? She think of me as her tormentor... Is it wrong to expect love from her?..."

Kabir's eyes hardened seeing Karan's voice cracking. He stood from the table and held the glass of wine away from Karan's reach.

"... Hey, it's okay. It's not that bad, bro. She is shy, Karan..."

Karan clenched his jaws and threw the files from the table.

"... Stop fooling me. Just stop. You, Mom, dad, everyone is fooling me like her. Wait for her, wait for her. Why did she spoke those words? Tell me. How much times, I apologise to her? How much? This hurts so much. She just shoves me away everytime..."

Kabir gulped seeing his best friend heart broken. He wanted to scream at Preeta for doing this to his buddy. That girls meant everything to him and she had always played with his emotions. He thought about cooling Karan down. He was a great mess.

"... Karan, think from her side. She is scared. She is new in your home. She feels the change. Understand. Okay? It's not easy to get use to..."

Karan glared at Kabir making him shut his mouth.

"... Then, why speaking those venomous words? She can easily accept my efforts and appreciate it. No, she will cut me to the core. She said, this marriage won't work. What does that mean? Tell me. Is it a good way to refuse me? She could have reminded me to not cross limits. She doesn't even accept the fact that she enjoyed the moments between us. This is all a way to hurt me..."

He kept on bickering in his slurry voice making Kabir tense. It had been so long, Karan was this much drunk that even for Preeta. Enjoying high school parties, getting tipsy was another thing. But this whipped Karan was looking terrible. He wondered how Preeta had the power to bring misery to his best friend.

Shaking his head, he caught Karan's forearm.

"... Leave it. Think about the night. We have been so late. I will call your driver..."

Karan shook his head when Kabir picked his coat from the chair.

"... No, she doesn't want to see me... She hates me... God, I am whining like a girl..."

Kabir clenched his jaws, breathing hard. He held Karan's shoulders.

"Karan, look at me. You are not whining. She is just angry. Go home, tell her that it's your right to touch her. You are her husband. She can't object again and again."

Karan looked at Kabir with bloodshot eyes trying to process his words.

"... She can't speak such words again and again. You have been treating her so fairly. You have been enough gentle with her. Now, it's the time to show her what you are. You are her husband, not her punching bag..."

"... Punching bag..." Karan murmured absentmindedly.

Kabir nodded. "Yes, that's how she is treating you. Get a grip and confess how you feel, how her words hurt you so much. She needs to mind her tongue before pushing you away. Remind her of what you are to her..."

Karan looked at the floor in thought. His best friend was right. She had been taking his kindness for granted. This was unfair treatment. How the hell she said, he didn't deserve it.

He surely deserved her love.

If she didn't want to step further, she could have politely refused him. Instead, she put all the blame on him. Twisted his kindness into bribing. She was so wrong. She really needed to understand who she was playing with. If she called him as the cruel and mean. He would prove her exactly.

With a cold look on his face, he started walking with trembling steps. Kabir followed him gently, taking note if he was close to fall. He had held his coat and phone and led them to the lift.

It was eleven in the night and everyone had left the office. Kabir had come to check on Karan before leaving but seeing his best friend taking gulps of beer with pain obvious on his face, he sat with him and acknowledged what happened between the legendary couple.

Leaving the office building, Kabir waved at Karan's driver who was already waiting for him. The driver in his fifties, came running to hold Karan.

"Shyam uncle, He's very stressed, today. Make sure he reaches home all fine."

The driver smiled nervously and held Karan's arm and supported him to reach the car while Karan was lost in his own thoughts of confronting Preeta.

_________

"Go home. I will be fine."

Karan told his driver who was insisting him to walk him up inside the house. Before the driver could come out of car, Karan had already entered his home with trembling steps.

Blinking forcefully, he tried to look through the dim light of the hall and walked towards the stairs. He climbed on them slowly, thinking about the words, Preeta had screamed at him.

The Luthra house was silent. Everyone was asleep. Not thinking anymore, he reached his bedroom door and opened it. His eyes roamed hurriedly on the whole room before falling on the sleeping form on bed.

He threw his coat away near the bed. Shutting the door, he bolt it and shook his head.

She was sleeping.

He couldn't disturb her. Thinking about confronting her tomorrow, he walked around the bed and was about to reach bathroom door, when he stumbled at the study table.

Preeta jerked up from the bed who was observing his actions from the beginning. She jumped from the bed and held Karan's arm.

"Karan..."

He looked at her with bloodshot eyes making her gasp. Her chocolate brown eyes widened seeing the mess. His hair disheveled, his nose red, eyes scarily tired, she was shocked seeing him like this.

Karan put his hand on Preeta's and removed her hand from his. He pointed his finger at her face.

"Don't be a fucking bipolar."

Preeta flinched at his words and let him removing her hand from his arm.

"Go to sleep and let me be."

He was about to turn and walk towards bathroom when Preeta suddenly spoke.

"You are drunk." She exclaimed noticing his slurry words.

"So what?" Preeta clenched her jaws and glared at him. This was no way in hell she would have imagined her husband like. She shook her head while turning around.

"... No wonder, that was all an act... A week passed and you started showing true colors..."

Karan stopped walking as he turned around at her words. What the hell did she think of him? He was avoiding arguing with her and she again left those heavy words stabbing him.

"What did you say?" He reached her angrily with a high speed. Gripping her shoulder, he turn her around. Preeta gasped seeing the anger in his eyes.

"What did you say? True colours?" Preeta was scared now. She tried to push him through chest but he was strong, not moving an inch. He had held her tight by wrapping arms around her and pulling her close. Her arms stucked in between their chests as she tried to push him worriedly.

"Karan, let me go..."

"True colours?"

Karan gritted his teeth and felt her pushing hard at his chest. Getting angry on her for pushing her again and again, he unwrapped his from around her back and held her wrists. Tightly pinning them to her back, he saw her wincing.

"...You said, true colors..."

Gripping her wrists at her back, he pushed her to him making them dangerously close. Preeta's eyes filled with fear. She was horrified seeing his anger. She had seen him angry before but not drunk. She had offended him. Terror struck her face when he looked at her with angered eyes. She struggled while Karan only tilted his head to look at her misery.

"Don't act like you loathe my touch. You enjoyed it every fucking time. Putting the whole blame on me won't change the fact that you too want me. This is what married couples do. They cherish each other... What? You can't accept that you enjoy our intimacy..."

He gritted his teeth while leaning closer to her face. Preeta was terrified now. She had never seen him so crazy before. He was intimidating her by his intense gaze.

"... You are hurting me, Karan. Let me go. You are drunk for God's sake..."

Karan cut her off. "... Preeta Karan Luthra, I will show you my true colors now..." Saying this, he pressed his soft lips against her making her groan. She struggled by moving her shoulders but Karan was able to handle her easily. He moved his lips at a faster pace making her aware of his anger.

Karan felt Preeta shaking beneath him in fear so he held her more tightly. Gripping her both wrists with one hand, he started moving his free hand on her back to her butts. He squeezed her sides making her whimper in his arms. While moving his lips aggressively with her, he pushed his tongue inside her mouth. Preeta struggled again to free her hands but it only made him kissing her more intensely. Her whole body heated with the sudden fulfilment.

When he felt her groaning and writhing in his embrace, he pulled away from her. His forehead touched hers while their breaths mingled as they panted hard. She was still shaking from the rough kiss. It was aggressive and had made her knees weak but she was hell scared.

But Karan was greedy tonight. He couldn't let her pushing again and again. She needed to be taught who lead the war here.

"... Karan, I am sorry... Let me go..."

He shut her with another rough kiss. Preeta's tears couldn't wait now. She was tired of stopping him. But giving up would be dangerous now. He was drunk. She didn't want to let him touch her when he wasn't sober enough to recognise how aggressive he was to her.

Preeta shivered when he pulled back once again and stared at her with lustful eyes. She shook her head while her tears flowed endlessly.

"...Don't... Please, Karan. I am sorry..."

It was that moment when Karan's eyes left her face and roamed downwards to take in her form. She was wearing the silk nightie again. That was a new turn on as he left her hand wrists.

Preeta rubbed her sore wrists while a sudden push came from Karan making her fall on the big bed. Her teary eyes widened in horror. Oh god! This couldn't be happening. She closed her eyes weeping for her fate.

Karan leaned over her making her breathing hard in fear. Preeta tried to get up but he was already hovering her. He was staring at her tear-stained face. Bringing his face closer to her, he supported his whole self on one elbow and looked at her with a stern gaze. He saw her gulping in fear.

"... Punching bag? That's how you will treat your husband? But not anymore. Are you satisfied or should I show more colours to you?..."

He saw her sniffling while looking in his eyes.

"... I am sorry..."

Karan's face softened at her words. She didn't even know why she was saying that. She just wanted him to cool down. He sighed.

"... My hand, it's bleeding..."

As if whole amount of alcohol was drained from his head, he widen his eyes. Looking for her hand, he saw the white medical tape turning red.

"... Fuck..."

The heated environment suddenly turned cold. He immediately got up from her and Preeta did same. He was about to take her wrist but she pulled it to her chest.

"... Please, let me do it myself..."

Karan blinked and shook his head.

"... God, I messed up again. I... First, I need to clean that blood..."

She wiped her tears and shook her head tiredly.

"... It's okay..."

Karan was left mouth agape. He saw her closing her eyes and opening them finally. She sat on her side of bed and quietly pulled out a spare medical tape from the drawer that she had kept there for her convenience.

Avoiding looking at the blood, she hurriedly wrapped the tape around her finger.

"... It may get infected... You need to clean that..." She ignored him.

She had winced while finally knotting the wrap. Taking a long breathe, she silently laid on her side and pulled the covers over her.

Karan was now on the verge of hitting his own head on the wall. He dominated her because she had spoken harsh words to him.

But this time, she not only apologised but also said nothing. She had been very frightened. It wasn't ever fair for her to say sorry. It was his fault for pushing her to repeat them. It was worse than before. He had behaved monstrously. He had hurt her again. She was right after all. He had proved her words right at last. It kept on prickling him inside.

She didn't say a word this time and frighteningly, it was more torturous.

__________

What do you think?

I know it's being the 33rd chapter and she's still not accepting the love. But please have faith in me. This little moments have meaning in them. I don't want to rush with her feelings. I hope, it feels acceptable. It would be wonderful if you all are totally aware of their Characters, nature before we could judge on their decisions. I will not drag it that long. It's just totally dependent on plot requirement.

Hope, you all will understand. Do share your opinion with me.