The guest room had a balcony.
Sonara discovered.

She had woken the baby up and fed her. The maid had come to serve hot milk for the kid.

Seemed the child was tired of everything too. She had fallen asleep again.

Sonara stood at the balcony, judging her life now as a whole. In bits and pieces though. Her body and mind weren't ready for any serious calculations at all..

A car whooshed into the yard.

Jai got down. He had been driving himself. Just as he always did.

The stormy night, months back flashed before her eyes. The first time, she met this weird individual.

Sonara had come across many humans till date. Good, wonderful, bad, worst...
But Jai hardly fitted into any of these categories. Sonara knew not, what Jai Prakash Raichand actually meant to her life. And what even was the purpose of his presence....

From the distance too, she realised, he was extremely messed up. He stood supporting himself against the car, staring at the ground for quite a long time.

Was he distressed with his decision of holding her back?
Sonara was struck again with the same dilemma....did he really mean what he said?

Jai suddenly looked up. And unknowingly his eyes met hers.

Neither of them looked away for sometime. For a long time.
All Jai did was softly smile. Sonara couldn't smile back though.

Jai walked into the house. And Sonara stood still. Regretting the fact, that she couldn't even reciprocate a smile to her host.

___

" This is the gossip corner. Dad's friends love to gather in this spot every Saturday night. So do mom's kitty party friends. "

Jai said.

It was hardly a room. Literally a corner of the huge living area, secluded by seperators, but brilliantly designed..
The semi round sofas, the climbers around, and the lights, reflected taste of the designer.

Sonara kept standing. Her jaw almost on the verge of demolition.

" Sit, please. " , Jai settled on one end of the sofa.

Sonara slowly did, on the other end.

" Would you like some tea?
I mean, would you like to accompany me? My head's hurting badly and I'll have some. "

" You have. " , Sonara cleared her throat.

" Ease up Sonara! I'm the same person you even flied with. Midair. Remember?

Lisa!! Two cups of Earl Grey please! "

Jai smiled at Sonara again.

Sonara choked on the insides.

She remembered everything.
A part of her soul cursed herself.

Why did she try to murder a beautifully brewing relationship, an honest friendship, in the fear of not being able to repay the debts ever? Could she even stick to that?

Meanwhile, everything turned chokingly formal, a game of chess as if.

" Jai sir..... " , Sonara couldn't help but speak out in a gust.
" I know I've hurt you...hurt the aquiantance...the...the trust...the friendship we shared even if unequal..
I... I brought in this inequality more, when you never did...

You could to a large extent give up on your father's ideals in case of me, but I couldn't give up on my complex of being smaller than you in every means.... "

Sonara spoke at a go, as if trying to relieve herself of a burden. After she finished, she kept staring at the floor.
Marble floors that hurt her eyes with the spark as well.

Jai slightly squeezed his brows.

Thought for a long time, and then said,
" As far as I remember, you had started calling me Jai. "

Sonara slowly nodded her head in agreement.
Jai smiled again.

" I heard you joined business. Did you? "
Sonara looked at him.

His smile slowly disappeared.
" The one thing I judged myself very right, you see. Business is not my cup of tea. "

Tea arrived. Jai gestured her to sip hers, and did his. Cookies, chicken strips and cakes were served as well.

" Then what motivated you in joining Rangruchi? " , Sonara took up her cup.

" Dad's face. His faith in my abilities. The desire to secure his belief in me that I will secure his company.

But I terribly failed. "

The tea sent pleasure down Sonara's throat. She didn't know how elixir tasted like, but this was no less.
" Woww....... " , she couldn't help but utter.

" Earl Grey, right? It's from Holland. A friend of Dad gifted us. My favorite as well. " , Jai reciprocated.

" So, how did you fail? " , Sonara returned.

" Hurt a couple of humans soon. Including my family. "

" Which means, the absence of your parents in the house.... "

" ...owes to me. You got it right, smart woman. " , Jai smiled again.

Sonara looked away. His smile was addictive. And she couldn't afford addictions.

" I don't really think, anything you do against your will can make your dad happy. " , she said.

" I understand. I really do. If I'm not happy, if my sister's not happy, how can our parents be? " , Jai drifted away for sometime.

As if trying to change the subject, Sonara said,
" I haven't switched my phone on for two days now. Couldn't contact Som sir as well. I owe him a huge lot...... "

Jai didn't answer. Rather, he seemed to be drowning into something deeper.

Reviving suddenly, he asked,

" Is the problem you are caught in now, anywhere connected to that scoundrel Raqesh Chhetri? "

Sonara stared at him.

Anyone amongst Maya and Som could have told him, but she believed that if he knew, his reaction would be something different. Or maybe.... not. Maybe she couldn't still understand him.

Jai stared back.

Sonara slowly nodded a yes.

" WHAAAT? "

Jai banged the cup on the table.
Sonara shivered with the impact.

" What exactly is he trying to do this time that you had to almost hide away from him? " , Jai gritted his teeth. " You are not this weak, Sonara Parvez! "

Sonara breathed heavily.

" That pervert wants to marry me now. Have me for life. "

" My....... Goood....ness.... " , Jai lost words. And stared at her with eyes widened.
" Has he lost it? How idiotic and desperate can someone be?

And what made you run away? You are an adult!! Who could marry you forcefully?
There are laws!!! "

Sonara faintly smiled.

" Laws.

I don't trust them .... Jai... " , she waited a moment. " ...sir.. "

" That was not needed.
But your trust in law is really needed.

No one can forcefully marry you.
What exactly did he say? " , Jai had gotten over the initial disgust.

Sonara took sometime.

" He provided a time of six days to say a yes. I had decided that neither would I give in, nor escape.

But my life hadn't been any bed of roses, Jai!

I've always seen, bad people easily takeover ! A hell lot easily!!

My trust in police was never that strong. My confidence decreased, when he said, he'll kidnap me from roads, harm my kid, have me giving into the marriage in the presence of police that were his father's friends...

I know, maybe everything was mere sham to weaken me. But I couldn't help but fall weak....

And also he said.... "

Sonara stopped.

Jai's face was stone firm now.
" Continue Sonara! " , he almost ordered.

" Jai, I will leave before your father returns. I can never be the cause of any misunderstanding between you and him. Had I known, Maya was your sister, I would have never..... "

" WHAT DID THAT SCOUNDREL SAY? " , Jai was not interested in any interludes it seemed.

" ....nothing much.

He just said, you would, by any cost come to save me from him, and then he would make sure that the news spreads like wildfire, that the highly orthodox Raghav Raichand's son is fighting to save a low class Muslim woman.

And then, hell will break loose. "

Jai Prakash Raichand, jumped up.

" He fooled you with a disgusting story. He could never have done, what he planned, for sure.

But now, bringing me into this, he'll definitely lose his life.

For disrespecting humans, for disrespecting women, for disrespecting the trust between a father and a child, for disrespecting law and order, and for disrespecting
.
.
.
my ability to even murder the hynae who throws his shitty eyes on.... Sonara Parvez! "

Before Sonara could react, Jai stormed out of the house.

Freezing her, completely.