38. She Knows?

MashihoSAN Happiest birthday dear. May God give you a great health and happiness in your life.

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Meera was sitting at her place when Kavya came running to her and hugged her.

"Aww my baby !!!! Look how beautiful you are looking!" Kavya said and side-hugged her while Meera was busy on her phone.

"Thank you."

"Look even Ravi is looking at you," Kavya said nudging her shoulder while Meera didn't even look back.

Meera was busy on her phone replying to her dear hubby who was messaging her every hour asking if she was fine. Did someone make her feel uncomfortable? Does he need to come here?

Kavya tried to peek into her phone and Meera quickly turned off her phone while Kavya looked at her with stinky eyes.

"You are hiding your boyfriend from me again?" Kavya asked with thinned brows.

"I will tell you when the time is right." She replied not sure about sharing her relationship status.

"I trust you and I'll give you your much-needed privacy," Kavya said patting her head.

Meera smiled at her "What were you saying? Sorry. I didn't hear."

Kavya coughed a little and whispered, "Hottie is continuously staring at you."

Meera's face morphed into confusion "Hottie?"

Kavya slapped her forehead "Ravi Sharma."

Meera made an O face but did not react at all. And got busy reading her novels.

"Don't you like him? He is handsome even though he is a playboy. I mean you have a boyfriend but at least you can have just a crush and a little bit flirting." Kavya said winking at her.

Meera's face saddened on hearing her and something from the past went through her mind.

So what he is a playboy? He might have changed for me. I mean he doesn't even look at other girls. Maybe he fell for me.

She was thinking all this when someone put chocolate on her bench and she looked up to find HIM. He put the chocolates and left without even looking behind. No one noticed it . Meera's heart fluttered on his romantic action when her phone pinged and she quickly opened her phone only to see a message from him.

"A sweet for my sweetie." The message read.

She blushed at his message.

She came out of her thoughts when someone shook her. She looked at her side and noticed Kavya looking at her with confused eyes.

"Come on!! Where do you get lost? At least look at him. He has noticed you for so many days. And you never even looked at him." Kavya said excitedly.

Meera smiled at Kavya "You can never change a man who thinks of women as a pleasure thing. And he is one of them. Stop romanticizing him instead romanticize someone who is a one-woman man." Meera said caressing her hair.

Kavya was shocked at her words but quickly spoke "Maybe he changed for you"

"Or maybe I am just another one of his victims."

"We should at least give them a chance." Kavya tried to defend him.

"Not when your inner self is screaming at you not to do this," Meera replied took her bag, and left the class with Kavya on her tail.

"Is it because you have a boyfriend?" Kavya asked.

"Even if I was single, I would never give that man a chance," Meera said with a smile.

As Meera was leaving the class, her eyes met Ravi Sharma, and noticed the same spark, she saw in HIS. The spark to win her and then destroy her completely.

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Meera was done with her night routine. She took one of her novels and lay beside Aashrit. As Aashrit saw her settling beside him, he put his novel beside him on the table. He also took her novel from her hand and put it over his.

Meera was shocked by his actions and looked at him confused.

Aashrit spread his one arm over pillow and signaled her to lie on his arm.

When she didn't lie and kept looking at him, he finally said "Come on!!! For how long you are going stare?"

Although he said that somewhere he was scared of her rejection. His heart was beating loud but he was trying to control the emotions. He knew she wouldn't be taking the next step but he should have.

Meera thought about his proposal and decided to go with the flow. She didn't want to live a strange life with her husband. And when he is the one who is trying first, she wants to be there for him.

She went and lay beside him on his arm.

"Wouldn't your hand hurt?"

"I am going to the gym for a reason baby." He said turning towards her.

They were close, very close. It was hard for both of them to stay sane in such a situation. But Aashrit decided to work against his feelings and make the environment comfortable for her.

"So how was your day today?" He asked folding his hand and sliding her head on his bicep and his hand going through her hair.

A smile formed on Meera's face realizing how she felt confident in herself "It was different. Unique. I felt a strange pride in my heart."

Aashrit's hand went to her waist and he pulled her closer "And?"

"I didn't feel ugly. I didn't feel people judging me. And I wasn't scared of bad comments. I knew I had you ."

"Look!! You were just worried for no reason." He said with a smile.

Meera looked at him "Thank you"

Aashrit smiled and silence prevailed between them when Aashrit spoke again

"That reminds me one thing." He said "Um......... You said you get scared when someone fights. So you don't want to teach people lessons who harass women." He asked that question which had been running around his mind this whole day.

Meera looked into his eyes "That's not true. I want the situation to be handled how you do it?"

Aashrit furrowed his brows not understanding her words.

"Do you think I didn't figure out what happened with Mahesh or how come, Naman, disappeared from my life and the next day he was seen on TV all bruised up ? " Meera said raising her brows at her husband.

A shock passed through his eyes but soon changed into a smirk.

He slipped more closer to her leaving space only for air to pass through them. "And how did you figure that out."

"It wasn't that hard. My family wouldn't do that considering they don't care about me when I told them about all this." She took a deep breath and looked up at his face "And I might have heard you talking over the phone about taking care of Naman when you thought I was deep in sleep. "

He was shocked to hear this new information.

"While I was confused about your words I understood the very next day when the news flashed his showroom caught fire and he ran from the house and I instantly looked at you, and saw the smirk. I tried to make myself understand that you can't do it but....... It wasn't wrong anyway. And I understood the meaning behind your words." She said and her hands went to her cheeks unknowingly " And it got confirmed when I saw your bruised knuckles the day Naman was found in the worst state possible. And the very next hour he was arrested by police with his hand broken, the same hand which was running through my arm, other palm carved with knives which held my mouth, and his whole arm burnt as he warned me to do the same with me and much worse things which I couldn't even utter. And the irony is when the court gave him a verdict of hang till death." She said and smiled a little "Who has that much power in our country to destroy a man like that?" she said feeling confident in front of the man who is breaking her walls slowly.

Aashrit took a deep breath. "Did you tell someone about that man?" He questioned her.

Meera scooted closer to him touching her body to his completely while he caressed her head. "when it happened for the first time, I didn't know anything about all this. The only thing I knew was that his closeness was not normal. It sent a shiver down my spine. It scared me to stay in the same place with him alone. At first, it was just words that turned into actions, don't know when?" She said and a sad smile was intact on her face which broke Aashrit's heart "I never knew these words, harassment, bad touch, bad sight; And suddenly I experienced it. And when I got to know this, I also got to know that no one would trust me. Because I had no proof against him. And I never got the courage to say it to anyone."

"You never tried to tell anyone?" He asked

"I did. I told Dadi but she threw some insults saying I was that hungry for attention and lured him. She trusted him more than me. And later on, I didn't get the courage to say it out loud." She said and a bitter smile was there on her face.

"Meera" He called

"Hmm"

"Did he...... did he ever cross the limit?" He asked, "I asked him but I want to confirm with you." He further added "And if he would have lied to me, I won't wait for the police to hang him but....." He said but stopped.

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