10. Between questions and kisses

It was nighttime when Chahat stared at Ashwat in shock, wondering how she should respond to his question. When Ashwat saw that she wasn't saying anything, he lay down on the bed and said,

"Alright then, as you wish. I can wait the whole night for your answer..."

Chahat panicked upon seeing him lie down like that. How could he stay in her room and wait for her answer? If he had given her until tomorrow morning, she might have been able to think of something, but now what? While she was lost in thought, an idea popped into her head. She was just about to say something when her foot got caught in her saree, and she fell face-first right beside Ashwat on the bed.

Ashwat instinctively placed his hand near her head to stop her fall. Chahat lifted her face and met his eyes. Ashwat was looking at her, captivated. Seeing him look at her like that made Chahat's heart race. And then, without really knowing why, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek.

Ashwat was stunned. Chahat quickly moved back and tried to get off the bed, but before she could, Ashwat grabbed her hand and pulled her back, making her fall again. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ashwat above her, which made her anxious. She placed her hands on his chest to push him away, but he grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head.

Chahat stared at him wide-eyed while Ashwat stared back, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Chahat tried to free herself from his grip.

"Tell me what that was. What did you just do? Were you trying to seduce me?" Ashwat asked, looking into her eyes. Chahat turned her face away and said,

"Who wants to seduce you? And anyway, I only did that to distract you..."

"And why's that?"

"Obviously, so you'd stop asking me questions." Chahat replied. Ashwat looked at her, trying to understand what kind of girl she was. Did she really think it was okay to kiss him just to distract him from a question?

He was still thinking about this when the room door opened, and Shalini ji walked in.

"Vrinda beta, I was just saying—" she stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the sight in front of her.

Ashwat and Chahat were shocked too. They immediately got up, but Shalini ji had already turned and left the room.

"I hope mom didn't get the wrong idea..." Chahat said, worried. She feared that Shalini ji might have misunderstood what she saw.

"What's to misunderstand? You were doing exactly what it looked like. And besides, we're husband and wife—we can do whatever we want," Ashwat said casually.

Chahat punched him on the shoulder, though it had no effect.

"You talk nonsense! What do you mean by husband and wife? You've never treated Vrinda like your wife. So what changed? And what about Anira? Have you stopped liking her?" Chahat snapped.

Ashwat glared at her and asked,

"How do you know about that? I never told you..."

Hearing that, Chahat's heart skipped a beat. She wished she could just bite her own tongue. What was she even saying these days? Ever since she had entered this story, she had been talking too much. She cursed herself mentally and then turned to Ashwat and said,

"So what? I'm not blind. Anyway, you should go now. I want to sleep."

Ashwat replied coldly,

"If that's how it is, then... Don't even try to come between me and Anira."

He started to leave when Chahat's voice rang out behind him:

"I have no interest in coming between you two anyway."

Then she shut the door.

Ashwat stared at the closed door, then walked off to his room. Chahat sat on her bed, reflecting on everything that had happened that day. Had she done the right thing? She didn't know. Thinking about it, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

---

The next morning, everyone was at the breakfast table when Ashwat came and sat down. He was surprised to see Aksh sitting across from him already. A strange happiness flickered inside him, but he didn't show it and began eating quietly.

Before Aksh could say anything, Shalini ji looked at him and said,

"Aksh, Vrinda is thinking of opening a bakery..."

Hearing this, Aksh said excitedly,

"Really, bhabhi? That's great! Now I won't have to worry about food—I can just come to your shop for cake whenever I want!"

"Of course! I'll make special cakes just for you," Chahat said, smiling. Aksh smiled back at her.

Watching the two of them laugh and talk, Ashwat's grip tightened around his spoon, though no one noticed.

"I want you to help her find a good shop. Ashwat already refused, so please help her," Shalini ji added.

"Absolutely! Let's go today itself and check out some places. In fact, I say we do the shop opening tomorrow!" Aksh said cheerfully.

Before he could finish, Ashwat interrupted,

"When did I say I won't go with Vrinda?"

But no one paid attention. Shalini ji had already decided to ignore him.

Aksh was about to say something when Chahat cut in,

"No, I'll go with Aksh."

Hearing that made Ashwat's blood boil. He got up and walked away to his room. Chahat saw him leave, shook her head, and continued eating.

---

Soon after, Chahat and Aksh were about to leave. Aksh got the car and said,

"Let's go, bhabhi! Today we'll find the perfect shop for your bakery. I'll make sure it's finalized today itself!"

"Yes, I want to get this started as soon as possible," Chahat replied.

"By the way bhabhi, can I ask you something?" Aksh asked hesitantly.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Do you really not remember anything from before?" Aksh asked. Chahat looked at him, then nodded. What else could she do? She couldn't possibly tell him that she wasn't Vrinda, but Chahat, from another world—the real world.

"That's even better. Makes my job easier..." Aksh muttered to himself, then said aloud,

"Let's go then." He got into the driver's seat.

Chahat was just about to get in when suddenly someone grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. She looked up in shock and saw that it was Ashwat. Chahat didn't understand what he was doing now. Why was he dragging her like this? Did he not want her to move forward in life?

She yanked her hand back and shouted,

"What are you doing?! Let me go! What do you want now?"

Ashwat didn't respond to her yelling. He stopped in front of his car, opened the door, and forced Chahat inside, slamming the door shut. She tried to get out, but he locked it. By then, Aksh had caught up to them.

"What are you doing, Ashwat? I'm supposed to take bhabhi to see the shop!" Aksh said.

Ashwat put a hand on his shoulder and said,

"She's coming with me. You go rest—you must be tired from traveling."

"But—" Aksh tried to protest, but Ashwat didn't listen. He got into the car and drove off with Chahat.

---

As Aksh watched their car disappear down the road, a smile appeared on his lips. He spun the keys in his hand when Shalini ji came and stood beside him.

"The spark has been lit, aunty. Now we just need to fan the flames," Aksh said with a grin. Shalini ji smiled.

---

What's going to happen next?

What are Aksh and Shalini ji planning?

What does Ashwat really want—why is he so obsessed with Chahat?

To find out, keep reading...

Rebirth in Novel ✨