Chapter 68: chapter 68

Next day, after the conference when I was on my way to drop Kabir it started raining heavily.. Roads were jammed with flood water and because of the heavy rain and wind it was becoming difficult to drive.. Observing my inconvenience he said, "Nidhi,I will drive.."I immediately agreed and got down from the car and took the co-pilot seat.. meanwhile I was completely drenched because of the heavy rain..When Kabir started the car he said," Nidhi I will drive you home first , I will take a cab from there to my hotel later.. ""I don't think you will get a cab at this moment, you drop me and then take my car to your hotel", I suggested..He agreed and immediately turned the car to take a U turn but there was a heavy traffic jam and heard that a big tree had fallen down due to heavy wind completely blocking the road.I was worried, "how will I go home now.??""I think it's  better to go to the hotel and book a room  so that you can rest for the night and go tomorrow morning" ,he advised..I had no other option. There is a  heavy downpour, and moreover we have already covered most of the distance towards the hotel and it's easier to reach the hotel than my home..I immediately agreed as it was the best option in front of me right now..Kabir very carefully and very slowly drove the car towards the hotel..As I was drenched in water I already started shivering.. If I stay out I feel I will definitely freeze..We quickly entered the hotel and  walked towards the reception to book a room for me.." I am sorry sir, we are already full and the customers who are supposed to leave today have extended their stay because of the rain.. Sorry for the inconvenience sir".. Receptionist replied very politely..The city was on alert and the government  instructed people to  not to come out on roads because few cars were thrashed away in the water..I was literally in tears when I heard the news.. I don't have  a room here nor can I go back. What will I do now???"Nidhi, if you don't mind, you can come to my room.. it's a suite  so it's large enough for two people", he suggested.."It's ok Kabir, I will wait here in the restaurant, I will return back when the condition becomes better outside ",I replied..'"Nidhi,you are completely drenched in water, you will get sick if you are in wet clothes.. and even the restaurant will be closed soon and I don't think the rain will stop in near time and I can't allow you  to go out in this weather.please understand", he requested..I had no other option so I nodded my head in agreement reluctantlyI was shivering due to the wet clothes .seeing me he took out his coat and covered me..I was shocked and looked at him with surprise in my eyes and quietly followed him to his room..As soon as we entered he said," take a hot bath , you will feel better.you can wear the bathrobe or I can give you my shirt.." he suggested"His shirt!!! How can I wear it?I decided to wear a bathrobe.. When I came out from the bathroom I heard him ordering food for us.. and turned towards me and stared at me for a while.. I was standing in my bathrobe in front of him.. My heart was beating rapidly.. I clenched my bath towel tightly.. He didn't talk to me and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower.He had already turned on the room heater so I started  feeling warm..Kabir's POVMy heart ached when I saw her hesitating to come with me in my room..Maybe I am the first husband whose wife is hesitating  to spend the night with him.Of course it was  all my doing so I deserve this..When she came out of the bathroom ,I was mesmerised to see her. I couldn't take my eyes off her fair and slender legs.. Her hair was wet and water was dripping from her hair , her lips which were quivering were driving me crazy..and  she looked extremely stunning .If I  continue  to see her for a few more minutes I may kiss her, so to control myself I walked towards the bathroom..When I came out I heard her talking on the phone," Yes Riya ,I am absolutely fine.. I  took a room in the hotel and will come tomorrow morning ,you take care of yourself and don't worry about me.. ""Dry your hair ,you will fall sick", I reminded her and gave her the hair dryer...She took it without rejection and dried her hair. I was staring at her as if she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.When she looked at me I averted my gaze and when she retracted her gaze I started staring at her once again..I heard the doorbell and it was food that I ordered..I arranged the food for her and she soon joined me after drying her hair..We ate our dinner in complete silence.. Neither she nor I spoke..After dinner, she walked towards the window and  was looking at the rain which was pouring heavily.."Do you like rain??", I asked..She was startled when she  heard me.." Hmm, I like it but only when it drizzles", she replied with a faint smile on her lips.." Kabir, can I speak to you for a while", she asked.."I was happy  for her initiation.Of course Nidhi ,tell me",I replied with a smile on my lips.."Kabir, you need not to waste your time to take my friends to your estate.I know how busy you are.. if you are doing all these because you accused me and  feeling guilty in Avani's issue then please don't.. I already forgave you.. it's not your mistake.And coming to this broken marriage, it was my decision to marry you even after knowing you don't like me.  it was just one sided.. and this kind of relationship will not last long.. it has to come to an end one day.. so it ended.. When I go back home I will ask my dad to prepare the divorce documents , I  will sign them and will free you from this forced marriage.. you will be free and you need not feel guilty anymore.."I was in shock when I heard the word divorce from her.. I didn't expect this from her.. I thought she was angry and would come back if I could make her realise that I love her.. "What if I say , I don't want to divorce you??" I asked.."There is no meaning in a relationship where there  is no trust Kabir.. I understood I couldn't win your trust even after staying with you for months..so it's better if we can divorce and choose our own paths", she replied calmly.."No, I cannot lose her"I immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her into my arms and said" ,I love you Nidhi. I was stupid to realise so late.. I need your love, I can't divorce you. Please come back"There was surprise in her eyes and she tried to escape from my arms.But I held her even tightly  and  planted a kiss on her lips to claim her mine.******Nidhi's POVI pushed  him away when I felt his lips on mine..with tears in my eyes, I said,. " Kabir, I  am not Nandini"..He was astonished to hear me, he dragged me once again closer to him,cupped my face and said," I know you are Nidhi....he stared into my eyes.. I walked away from him, stood at the window , took a  deep breath  and said," Kabir this is not love.. this is just guilt..""What if I say it's love?? ",he argued.."I don't believe you.., why would you suddenly fall in love with me..You had no feelings for me when we were together, it's just sympathy Kabir ,it's not love..""Nidhi I really fell in love with you, but I realised it when you left me.. Please Nidhi come back..", there was pain in his voice.."Kabir, I have gone through a lot of pain   and it took a lot of courage to forget my past and to move on with my new life.please I can't bear to face the situation . I don't have enough courage left in me. I yearned for your love for every single moment when I was with you but you have always seen me as a substitute for Nandini..I don't want to live the life of your first wife Kabir.. I can't kill my self respect just because I love you..You can't forget Nandini and you always see her in me , that's the worst thing I have faced in this relationship.. I don't have enough patience nor courage to handle all these once again.. so it's better we get seperated..""what if I say I love you as Nidhi",he asked "I don't think it's possible for you", I replied."Will you come back to me if I can make you trust that I love you as Nidhi  not as Nandini??"I didn't know how to react to his question, I was completely blank."I am waiting for your answer Nidhi" ,he said.."I need some time to think about this Kabir", *****Kabir's POVI cursed myself for comparing her with Nandini every time..but before I could realise my mistake I already hurt her a lot.. She has gone through so much just because she loved me..I know she loves me and if I can prove my love for her she will definitely accept me..When I asked about it she didn't agree and  said she needed time.. I just hope she agrees to my request..It's already midnight, I think we should sleep, she said and walked towards the couch and slept on it. It's been more than two years  since we are married and the distance between us grew day by day. The irony is we love eachother but we couldn't become one..I sighed and walked towards my bed and tried to get some sleep hoping the next morning would bring me the hope of getting closer to Nidhi..I know I have to work hard to win her trust. with all her thoughts in my mind I slowly slipped into sleep...******Nidhi's POVI came onto the couch pretending to be asleep, but I didn't.. His words were ringing in my ears..if it would have been one year back, I would have jumped with joy but now everything changed..the person is the same, the love is the same but still there is a lot of distance..I looked at him and saw him sleeping deeply.. I sighed and closed my eyes to get some sleep..Next morning when I woke  up I saw him still sleeping..I walked towards the window to check the weather and observed that the rain has stopped and the weather is clear now. I thought it's better to leave.I took my clothes which are dry now and walked towards the bathroom and changed them.. I didn't want to disturb him  so left a thank you note on his bedside table and left..******Kabir's POVWhen I woke up, I didn't see her but saw a thank you note which said, " thanks for yesterday's help".. I understood she left..Smile appeared on my lips unconsciously  looking at her beautiful handwriting and my gaze fell on her hand  bag.. Looks like she forgot it in a hurry..A wicked smile appeared on my lips..