C7 Chapter 7 Night of Revelations.

Narrator's Perspective.

The dreamy atmosphere of the room created a havoc inside her, who sat in the middle of the bed clad in a red bridal attire with heavy jewellery. She got up from the bed and spare a glance at the whole room when her eyes got fixed to the center of the wall behind the bed where her favorite painting 'A Starry Night Over the Rhoñe' was hung with all it's glory. A smile crept onto her beautiful red stained lips while looking at the painting. She then went towards the dressing table and saw her beautiful reflection in the mirror.

It was the Henna ceremony when Izna was sitting with Raima, Khushi and group of girls who were busy applying beautiful henna on her arms and hands. They even wrote Rahil's name in her henna cladded palm. There was a separate function of Henna for the bride and groom due to the elder's decision. All of the young generation was unhappy with the decision but at the end they have to accept it.

The girls were having much fun at Izna's place when Raima came towards Izna and said something in her ear while Izna have some confused expressions on her face. Both Khushi and Raima took Izna upstairs with them and asked her to go to the terrace. At first Izna didn't get something and went to the terrace and started looking here and there when her eyes finally landed on the wooden swing where her would be was sitting with all his glory. Dressed in a dark green Kurta (shirt) and black trousers. Hairs perfectly gelled with a little stubble increasing his charm.

"Rahil...Rahil what are you doing here?"After realizing that he was actually present there and it wasn't just an illusion. She panicked and rushed towards him.

"I came to meet you." He said looking at her from head to toe who was dressed in a beautiful tea pink and green combination lehnga choli (eastern attire) which was exposing her perfect curves. Her silky long hairs were ending in beautiful thick curls with her beautiful henna cladded hands, she looked like a doll.

"Why? Don't you know Gradma didn't allowed us to meet before the wedding day." She said panicking.

"Hey! Don't panic too much. Of course I have came here with everything planned." He said and held her henna cladded hand while she started protesting.

"Why shouldn't I panic? What if Daddy see you here? Rahil I'm telling you he will kill me for sure." She said to him and held his arm to get him out of there. She kept struggling when he held her arm and pulled her with a jerk while she landed on top of him. Izna lifted her lashes and found herself drowning in his captivating eyes. Their faces were inches apart while their breaths mingled. Her heart started beating madly with the walls of her chest when Rahil placed her bangs behind her left ear. His mere touch was creating a havoc inside her.

"You know what?" He leaned in and whisper in her ear seductively.

"Wha..t?" She stammered.

"You are looking like...........Right now" He said while his lips touched her earlobe sending chills up her spine.

'What am I looking like?' She said impatiently.

'You are...' He said roaming his expert fingers on her back.

'I am?' She said looking in his eyes.

"A frightened rabbit." He said mischievously bursting the little bubble of intimacy created between them, a moment ago.

She got up and was about to leave when he quickly held her wrist and made her sit beside him on the swing. She kept protesting but he didn't let her go.

"Let me go." She said looking away from him.

"Without even looking at your henna?hmmm.' He said when she turned towards him with excitement.

" How is it?" She asked like a little girl showing her henna cladded hands to Rahil, he held her hands in his own.

"Beautiful." He said gently placing a kiss on her knuckles.

Remembering yesterday's night Izna stared at her reflection into the mirror and a hue of red was visible on her cheeks.The pleasant smell of the rose petals bloomed new feelings and desires in her, relating her upcoming life. The room was surrounded with a sweet silence which broke with the voice of someone's steps. The voice gradually became more deeper and louder, and then with a click of the door knob the door got opened and then shut the other second. His mere presence was enough to create a tingling sensation inside her and she felt her heartbeat going wild. She felt his presence behind her and glanced towards the mirror to see his reflection. He was wearing a black eastern attire looking like a total Greek god. Their eyes met and everything got blurred. Staring in his deep beautiful brown orbs, Izna observed something unusual or it was just her assumption. They were standing close to each other without a distance of a mere inch. Slowly Rahil placed his hand on Izna's hand which was resting on the dressing table.

"You are extremely beautiful." He complimented her staring in her eyes while a visible tint of red was found on her cheeks.

"Looking at your beauty, any other man in my place today would have taken you then and there." He said huskily in her ear roaming his expert fingers on her bare arm while she closed her eyes.

"But, I will never do that." He said in a tone unfamiliar to her, lifting her eye lashes she looked towards him in the mirror whose eyes were bloodshot red. He held one of her arms in his death grip and swiftly turned her around.

"I Hate you. I just hate your entire existence." He said in a voice filled with rage and eyes spitting fire while she was stunned on her place, shadows of uncertainty and desolation were visible in her beautiful eyes.

"Then why did you marry me?" She asked in a state of shock staring in his eyes.

"To teach someone a good lesson." He said calmly staring back in her eyes.

"Who?" She inquired.

"Who else? Your father my dear wife." He said smirking and pulled her towards him clutching her waist.

"My father." She repeated his words completely stunned on her place

"Yes your father. Even he should taste his own medicine." He said with eyes spitting fire.

"What are you saying Rahil? I'm not getting anything." She said looking in his eyes assuming in her heart that he might be playing with her but his next words were enough to clear her misunderstanding.

"Izna, this marriage is just a part of the revenge. You know the game of cards, the revenge game is the same. I'm the player and you are the trump card which is in my hands now so I can easily turn the tables around." He said staring in her black orbs which were filled with the shadows of desolation.

"I think it's enough for today. I'm going to change and you should change too, because I have clearly stated my rejection." He said looking into her eyes and went inside the changing room.

~•~

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her beautiful reflection. Her eyes were devoid of any tear but they didn't held the same shine they held some hours ago. Staring at her own reflection, she thought what was the advantage of having a beautiful face or a beautiful heart? The beauty of the inside and outside ain't useful until you have a good fate. Alas! It was written in her fate to writhe all her life. She thought as tears started trickling down her face and she started snatching away all the jewels from her one by one. She remained strong but, for how long? At the end she was a human with emotions.

She started splashing water on her face when all the memories started flashing in front of her eyes.

'Izna what if Rahil is the one for you? What if you find a reflection of a perfect life partner and a sincere man like your father in him.'

.

'Rahil is such a talented and decent boy.'

.

'I'm so happy just at the thought of making this beautiful girl Rahil's bride.'

'My dear that's the main reason why I chose him for you.I mean after spending his Boyhood in such an advance place, he was raised up so well that he knew and respect all the customs and values. I'm proud of him.'

'Izna Mallick, welcome to my world.'

'You are a naive girl who take decisions emotionally, without even thinking of the consequences.'

'I Hate you. I just hate your entire existence.'

'Izna this marriage is just a part of the revenge. You know the game of cards, the revenge game is the same. I'm the player and you are the trump card which is in my hands now so I can easily turn the tables around.'

Several voices rang in her ears while she sunk down on the bathroom floor. Her head was hurting badly due to the continuous crying. Her body was trembling while she felt suffocated. Every cell of her body was aching with pain. She managed to stand up and look at her disheveled self in the mirror. Messy hair, eyes swollen from continuous crying and a tear-stained face.

"This is your reality Izna Mallick." Her own-self taunted her.

"You were a broken girl from the start. Masking Bravery doesn't make you a brave person." Her insides shouted at her showing her the reality.

"What a shame Izna Mallick? You yourself allowed Rahil to broke you so easily?" She saw her own-self in the mirror laughing at her condition.

"Rahil is right about you. You were a naive girl, you are a naive girl and will remain naive." Laughingly her own-self taunted Izna and she felt her soul being stabbed brutally.

"You trust people so easily that's why you are left broken at the end." She heard her own-self screaming at her.

"Enough." She said and held her head in her arms.

"Just go away. I'm not a weakling." She said trying to compose herself.

"Rahil Khanna you have played enough. I won't get used by you Anymore." She said looking into the mirror and carelessly wiped away the tears from her face.

"You'll never be able to break me." She said with a determined look on her face.

The little buds of feelings which started to bloom inside her some days ago, were killed brutally.

She came into the room dressed in a simple black shalwar kameez (eastern attire) with a scarf around her neck. She saw Rahil lying on one corner of the bed covering his eyes with one arm. She slowly went towards the other corner of the bed, picked her pillow and turned to go when his voice startled her.

"What are you doing?" She heard his voice and got an electric shock, composing herself she turned to face him.

"I want to sleep so..." She said not looking in those captivating eyes.

"Sweetheart, don't even think of committing such a stupidity. Sleep here only." He said in an authoritative tone.

"I don't want to." She said in a daring voice looking in his eyes.

"I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you to sleep here." He said while she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You keep your orders to yourself." She said and turned to go away.

"Think! When you'll go downstairs all the guests will start their inquiring session and start pointing fingers at you asking the same question that what's the matter that your husband throw you out of his room that too on your wedding night?" He said with a smirk on his face while Izna felt herself burning in a fire.

" You..." She turned around and shouted while her eyes were spitting fire.

"Don't.. Don't you dare raise your voice in front of me again." He said emphasizing each word.

She threw her pillow on the other side of the bed and lie down on the other corner in anger, her back facing him. She felt a burning sensation inside her. Thoughts and memories kept flashing in front of her eyes while sleep was far away from them. She was trying to sleep but was unable because of the light coming from the bed lamp kept on the other side-table.She got up from the bed and went to his side to turn off the bed lamp. She was going to switch it off when he frighten her by holding her wrist.

"Now what?" He said in a sleepy voice while frustration was visible in his eyes.

"Leave my hand, I just came here to turn it off." She said pointing towards the bed lamp and freed her hand from his grip.

"Why?" He asked.

"I can't sleep in a mere light from last thirteen years." She said absentmindedly looking nowhere while he found sadness in her eyes.

"Never mind. I won't turn it off." She said and was about to go when he stopped her.

"Wait...Turn it off." He said with a softened look on his face.

"But.." She opened her mouth to protest but he interrupted.

"Turn it off and let me sleep." He said in frustration and covered himself with the duvet.

Izna turned the light off, went to the other side of the bed and lie down but sleep was far away from her. The events that happened few hours ago, the revelation of a fake marriage, her emotional breakdown and the argument with Rahil roamed in her mind. She tried to sleep but then the thoughts regarding the sensitivity of their relationship plus some continuous movements on the bed didn't let her sleep.

"Rahil can you please sleep in one position." Izna said in frustration but there was no response while the movement continued disturbing her.

"Rahil are you listening to me." She asked again.

"Rahil." Izna said but it went in vain.

Frustrated, Izna turned on the bed lamp placed on her side table and turned towards Rahil. She was stunned on her place when she saw his body sightly trembling and he was sweating badly.

"Rahil are you okay?" Izna asked slightly touching his shoulder. Worry was written all over her face.

"Baba don't leave me."

"I hate this darkness."

"Baba please come back."

He was trembling and blabbered some incoherent sentences while Izna assume that he might be having a dream. She quickly sprinkled some water on his face gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up. He opened his eyes and mumbled some incoherent words.

"Rahil are you alright?" Izna asked worriedly while he stared back in her eyes.

"Baba went away, leaving me alone." He said like a little boy.

"Rahil it was just a bad dream. You just try to sleep." Izna said and slightly stroked his hair so that he could sleep while he closed his eyes.

✳ The underlined connversations and events are highlighted as the character's Flashback.