As Maya turned the page of the dialogue sheet, she couldn't concentrate. Rewinding the past few hours, she felt nothing was bad. What was the reason behind Rudra's strange behaviour? She shrugged it off thinking it to be related to some work issues and management.

As the pain crouched into her, she squirmed on the chair before asking the director for another five minutes break which they had granted her. Obliging to the top's actors request, the debutant director decided to shoot another sequence. Walking into her vanity, she boiled a few millilitres of water before adding some coffee powder. Blowing it, she drank it through the steams wafting through her face. Picking the dialogue sheet, she sat on the small couch of her vanity...

As she tried read to the dialogues, she made sure that she was thorough with those without causing other's any difficulty.

~~~~

As Maya opened her WhatsApp to make sure that he was going to come, she saw his message which was sent yesterday that he would pick her up. It was 9:34 already and she was still inside the vanity when he told her that he would pick her up by 7:30 yesterday

As she dialled Ritwik's number, she came to know that Rudra left as soon as his time was over. She left angry at that and quite frustrated at that. She was waiting there for mkre than two hours and he didnt even feel like acknowledging it? As she dialled Rudra, he wasn't picking her calls

Bidding a goodbye to her bodyguard, she ordered a cab which took her home. It was almost 10:30 and she was really famished. Sitting on the couch after removing her bag, she arched her head backwards.

She got up within a few minutes and went to the kitchen to see him holding a coffee mug. He was sipping it and she knew that he was unaware of her presence. As he saw her, he turned his gaze to the cup from which he was drinking. He heard her call him," Rudra!"

He walked slowly with the coffee mug intact. As he sipped it slowly, the coffee mug was pushed to the side making the floor dirty. He was angry at that!

R - "What the Hell Maya?"

M - I should ask you the same! Why are you just avoiding me as if I am someone not important? 

Rudra was about to leave when she held his wrist inside her palms. She had gripped it tightly...

"What is the matter with you?" Maya asked while he didn't speak anything and looked at her hold. She realised the intensity of her hold and left his wrist. She saw the marks she had made on his wrist...

"Rudra.." She called him endearingly and he looked to her. He didn't speak anything and it angered her. She didn't like his silence!

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked going next to him and he was about to leave when she shouted, "I am tolerating this from the morning!  I have told you to tell me if there is any problem? Did anyone trouble you?.." SHE shouted while he said,

"That's the point! Why should I tell you and who are you to talk to others on behalf of me?" He asked gripping her forearms while she formed her lips into a thin line. His nails were surely hurting her.

"Who asked you to go and talk to Dev? Did I ask you or tell you anything about it! Did I complain or share it with you? Then why did you go?" He shook her while she asked,

"Then what should I do when you asked me that question?  I got scared when your eyes teared after that question.  When I called Ritwik, I came to know that Dev insulted you in my name. So I went to ask him! What is the wrong in that?"

"Who are you to speak for me? You are dominating me. You are like your screen roles where the woman gathers the attention and outstands every male. They should be under your feet! Is that what you want?"

"Why don't you see my intention on why I did it? You are  blaming me when I cared..."

"This is not caring! This is clear possessiveness!" Rudra stated animated with his hands.

"Oh please Rudra! You have seen how my possessive side looks and if you compare this with that, it's nothing." Maya stated while he affirmed,

" If there is anything, I can stand for myself and I don't need anyone's help. You are making me your toy! "

"Am I making you a toy? Get one thing clear Rudra! I care for you and I will respond if someone does something to you!"

"Why do you bother if someone provokes me? It didn't matter to me. I ignored him.." Rudra was snapped in between...

"No Rudra! You neither ignored him nor his words! If you had ignored his words, you wouldn't have had tears in your eyes yesterday! You wouldn't have asked me that. He planted seeds of doubt in you and.."

"I am going to correct my statement which I said before! You are clearly obsessed with me!" Rudra started while she stated...

"If obsession is a synonym for love and affection, then YES! I am obsessive about you!" She argued making her point clear.

"I don't need your obsession, Maya. The more you turn obsessive and start standing for me, I am losing my identity of being independent! Till today, I have had everything to look after myself. But your words are making me look like I am dependent on you! I don't want this obsession!"

"If you don't understand what I am saying, then what can I do? Do I have any other choice if you can't understand me?" Maya questioned...

"Yes! Leave from my life!" He shouted.

"You are the one who came behind me like a dog based on a friendship which you had turned into love! You are the one behind everything between me and your parents! Do I have any choice now?" He stressed on 'I'

She was shocked at that. Without any word, she bend to pick the glass pieces and threw them in the dustbin. Keeping one glass piece inside her palms, she clutched it before she walked to her room leaving a frustrated Rudra behind.

~~~~

As she locked the door behind her, she saw her palms filled with blood. Moving to the bathroom, she washed the blood and hissed in pain before disposing of the glass shard. As she washed her hands subconsciously, her mind was stuck on the last few sentences.

Wiping her hands, she lied down on the bed stretching out her arms and legs, without any particular direction. She was visibly hurt and upset. She felt her limbs loosening up after a few minutes and as a result, she fell asleep.

She didn't know what time it was when she had woken up. She knew that she woke up due to the phone which was ringing.  Opening her eyes, she found it difficult to adjust the sharp light which pierced her after her teary eyes were reopened. Feeling a tightened face, she picked the phone as she groaned in pain. It was for the shoot!

M - I am sorry for the inconvenience! I am a bit sick!

D - Maya, I know it's cruel to ask you when you are sick but we need you here.

M - No problem! Give me 2 hours. I will freshen up and come...

D - Sorry

M - It's alright.

She took a few breaths before she got up with her palm dried blood.

 
...

As she stood in front of the dressing drawer, she took paracetamol and flux from the box and had it with the water which was inside the jug. Calling Rudra, she heard that he wasn't picking her call. Calling Ritwik, the phone was picked up.

M - Rudra? He...

R - He didn't tell you?

There was a few seconds of silence which Ritwik broke by speaking," Actually he had applied for a programme for journalists and the ticket came yesterday! He went to Chennai for the afternoon flight!"

The call was cut immediately. As she called Rudra, her call was cut. Throwing her phone in anger, she left for her shoot.

...

As Rudra reached the hotel in Chennai where his room had been booked, he knew that he was already a celebrity for his relationship and tactics with Maya. Covering his eyes with a pair of shades, he entered the hotel and luckily the receptionist didn't recognise him by the name on his card.

As he was given the hotel key card, he unlocked the door and entered the hotel room. As he removed his bag, he kept his watch and shades on the table.

Slumping on the bed, he was very tired. Switching his phone on, he saw 2 missed calls of Maya which he hadn't picked earlier.

Messaging Ritwik that he had reached, he got so many notifications from Instagram and he was reminded about the incidents in the last 24 hours. When he was about to delete the post,  he received a call from Ritwik. 

"Yes, Ritwik tell me." Rudra spoke while Ritwik asked," Reached safely?"

Rudra just hummed and he heard Ritwik speaking," Is everything okay between you and Maya?"

"It isn't Ritwik. She has started...."

"Rudra, I don't want to hear the complaints. Think for yourself and decide whatever you want to do. If I say something, that will turn into the next problem."

Saying that Ritwik hung up. He had five days of conference and he knew that it would be in extremes based on how he would control himself, emotionally.

{ Felt like sharing this song for Mayra's Trauma and distance}

...

As Maya reached the set, she saw MJ sitting on the chair.

"Actually, Kartik had quit from playing the role." The director spoke and she waited for him to complete it...

"So, MJ will be playing the role of being the villain." The director completed and she bit her lips to prevent herself from breathing rapidly as she knew that MJ's gaze was on her.

"I know this scene will be difficult since you have confirmed your relationship with Rudra.."

She cut him off by saying," He doesn't stand against my decisions when it comes to my profession. I can decide for myself. You can prepare the shot. I will be comfortable with him.."

....

As Rudra came after freshening up, she saw a message from Savita... It was Maya's manager. Thinking that something bad had happened, he was about to call her but his ego stopped him. He didn't want to know about her.

As he switched the lights off, he couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning, he decided to call her manager and he called her. His phone was answered immediately and she heard him congratulating her.

"Congratulations Sir! God bless you both!"

He thanked her and took a sigh of relief before he asked her in a hesitant voice," Maya..."

"She is doing fine but she looked very tired." He knew the reason behind that and she asked," Should I hand over the phone?"

"No, no... She might be shooting right?" He declined in haste and covered with a reason.

"Yes! Maya mam is preparing for a scene.." She spoke while he heard her yelling out to someone other than the phone...

He heard," No! MJ sir is playing the scene since Kartik sir quit the role at the last moment.."

He just simply heard before realising that MJ was with her. It took a few minutes for him to register that he had heard 'MJ'. He knew that if not physically, he would try to verbally break her. He had seen MJ's  comment on his post

"Wait, did you say MJ sir?" He asked shockingly as he sat up while she said," Ha! He is doing the scene! Since.."

"What scene?" Rudra immediately asked to which she said," I think it's a scene after kidnapping Maya madam. After that MJ sir comes as he is the one who told them to kidnap her. As they both are in the forest.."

He couldn't hear the next few words as his mind imagined whatever bad that can happen. He heard what Savita had to tell,

"And finally, she is in the hospital in a traumatised condition! "

-To Be Continued -