Free Yours Accidentally by Madhur Nevatia Page B

depth of
your sorrow, but one thing is for sure, if I can ever lay my hands on that
swine, I will kill him. I will kill him if it is the last thing I do.”
    They sat
wrapped in each other’s arms.
    “You have
trusted me with your deepest pain and I honor that. I knew about this because I
made Tanya tell me, but it was very important for me to hear it from you.” He
pulled away and looked at her. “Are you angry with me?”
    Sameera did
not say anything; she just clutched him harder.
    ”Nothing
that I say will wipe away your insecurities; you need to trust yourself first.
It wasn’t your fault after all.” They sat together, crying unabashedly, rocking
gently, in a tight embrace. She felt lighter while he was overcome with anger
and grief. “My darling. I will always cherish you. There may be issues and
problems that life throws at us, but we will deal with everything together. I
do not have any illusions of being perfect, I can be rude, moody, abrasive, but
I know I am perfect for you. Please, let’s give our love a chance. Be mine.”
He’d wanted to say the words that burned his mind, but all he actually managed
to say was, “Let me take you inside.”
    She
staggered in after him, holding his hand tightly. She slipped into bed without
letting go of his hand. It was a surreal feeling. Her mind felt free but her
body had collapsed. The strain was too much for her to bear. Through
intermittent sobs, she pulled him in with her. “Don’t go.”
    “I won’t.”
He pulled the covers over her, bent down and kissed her forehead. “Trust your
heart Sameera. Good night.” She turned and fitted into him perfectly as she
fell asleep, ensconced in his tight embrace.
    ≈

 
    TWENTY-TWO
     
     
    When she got
up, he was gone. She had actually spent the whole night with him, wrapped in
his arms, yet she felt no guilt, no shame in the morning. She had slept more
peacefully than she could ever remember. Being the thorough gentleman that he
was, he had quietly left in the morning, giving her space to deal with her own
emotions in privacy. Sameera looked at herself in the mirror; “What does my
heart really say?”
    The
festivities of the day were about to begin and there was no time to soul-search.
There was a knock on the door. Gautam? She ran to open the door and was
surprised to find a waiter from room service carrying breakfast.
    “I’m sorry
but there must be a mistake. I have not ordered anything.”
    The waiter
handed her a card that read “ Pehle pait pooja . Another hectic day ahead.
Cheers, Gautam”.
    She stood at
the door, reading the card over and over again even as the waiter laid the
table for her. For her this was romance at its best. He was ready to take care
of her, could she reciprocate?
    Soon Sameera
was engulfed in the barrage of festivities. She could not desert Tanya in the
midst of chuda, haldi, lunch , milni and the actual wedding.
     
    ***
     
    She was with
Tanya at the parlor, arguing over the right shade of lipstick for her when
Tanya abruptly clutched Sameera’s hand. “Do you like him?”
    “What? Who?”
    “You know
jolly well who. Still, if you want to be daft, do you like Gautam?”
    “Yes I do. I
hardly know him well, but he’s different from every other guy I know.” Sameera
fidgeted with her hair. “I love him but am afraid to commit. I’m so confused.”
    “Just trust
your instinct Sam. I know what’s bugging you. But do you see any similarity
between Gautam and Kabir? Sanjay has known Gautam forever; he’s a loving son, a
loyal friend, with unquestionable integrity. He’s madly in love with you; even
a blind man can see it.”
    Sameera
could no longer control her tears.
    “Just think
about it, and do what you have to do. You deserve to be happy and I deserve a
sexy, handsome jiju like him.”
    Sameera did
not budge. She kept combing her hair while a thousand thoughts crossed her
mind. Gautam had tried to take care of her but did not demand anything from
her. If she could