"Husband, I love you!" Madhu confessed her love. They haven't said they love each other before.

"Me too, Biwi" He said with a gorgeous smile which made her heart thump against her chest. Then he took his two fingers close to his lips, kissed it & shoots it to Madhu making her heart skip a beat & her eyes go wide, scandalized. She looked around to see whether anyone had captured their moments & sighed in relief when no one was around them. Rk chuckled & walked into the hotel.

BOOM!!!

Hearing the loud noise of the explosion from the hotel lobby, the mike slipped from Madhu's hand and she fell down on the ground because of the shockwave spreading through her body & the pain in her ears. She was pretty close to the blasted place & she momentarily lost her hearing and she could only hear a ringing noise. People started scattering from the place as flames burst out of the building where the blast happened. Madhu slowly turned her head towards the hotel & right then another bomb exploded in the fourth floor, shattering the glass windows & a mushroom shaped cloud of smoke escaped through the window.

"Madhu, you okay?" Trishna, helped Madhu to stand up.

"Madhu, Madhu... look at me" Trishna tried to make Madhu face her but her eyes were transfixed on the hotel building. She stood rooted to the ground as if frozen, so immobile, shocked & scared.

"Rishab..." she finally uttered a word after several seconds & a sob escaped from her mouth.

"Madhu, don't worry, he will be fine." Trishna tried to reassure her friend & held her tight as she was ready to bolt down. Madhu was shuddering & shaking & her tears refused to stop.

"Trish... Trish... my Rishab... he just went in... oh God! No! I will die without him..." Madhu cried hysterically.

"Madhu, please." Trishna hugged her friend but she pushed & tried to run in to the building only to be stopped by the firefighters.

"Please, let me in... my husband is inside... I want to see him... please... please, I'm begging you..." She begged the rescuers as she tried to get off of their hold.

"Madam, please, calm down... the flame hasn't put down... so it's risky for you enter in... we will find your husband..."

"Madhu, please yaar... control yourself." Trishna took hold of Madhu & hugged her tightly.

"How could I, Trish? Only today we got married & I just told him I love him'... but now... why is this happening to me?" Madhu cried as she sank on the ground. "Rishaaab" she cried covering her face with her palm.

"Madhu..." Trishna, gently patted Madhu's head & she looked up at her friend who was staring at something behind her. Madhu turned her head following her gaze & found her husband being brought out in a stretcher.

"Rishab!" she stood on her feet like a zombie & rushed to his side. He was badly burned & bleeding.

"Rishab! Rishab! Can you hear me?" Madhu shouted and dashed her tears off her cheek & cleared her vision.

"Rishab, wake up!" Madhu said patting his cheek but he was unresponsive & his eyes were tightly shut.

"Rishab! Please wake up!"

"I'm already up. You wake up sleepy head!" Rk said entering their room & he stretched beside her & nuzzled her hair & kissed the back of her ear.

"Rishab, please... get up" Madhu said frantically shaking her husband's shoulders.

"C'mon! Let me kiss you, biwi" Rk towered her with his body & started planting gentle kisses covering every inch of her face.

"Rishab, I will die without you."

"What?" Rk exclaimed & at the same time felt wetness on his cheek so he stopped gracing her soft earlobe with his teeth & looked up to see his wife crying in her sleep & her hands & legs were withering.

"Shit! Madhu, wake up!" Rk stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Madhu... biwi..." he called her little louder to bring her out of her nightmare. Madhu slowly opened her eyes; she looked momentarily disorientated & stared at her husband's face impassively.

"You okay?" Rk asked her in concern as he gently brushed her tears aside. She didn't reply him, just brought her hand up & caressed his face gently. "the blast... the burns..."

"What blast? What burns?" Rk asked in confusion.

"Last night... the hotel building... exploded... um... you... Oh thank God! You are okay!" Madhu pulled him towards her & hugged him tight. Rk could hear her raising heart beat. She was sweating & shaking in fear. She must have had it pretty bad. Rk thoughts

"It's okay... it's okay... just a bad dream... forget it..." Rk soothed her as he spoke in a kitten soft voice.

"Dream?" Madhu asked as she sat up on the bed. It was so realistic that she couldn't believe it was a dream but she was glad it was just a dream.

"Yes" Rk nodded his head. "Did you kill me in your dream? With the way you were screaming, I guess I was dead in your dream." Rk said jokingly.

"Shut up" Madhu chided him & scooped up her hair & twisted it to a bun & hugged her propped up knees to come to terms.

"What happened last night?" Madhu asked him hoping he would shed some light. She was so lost & clueless. She couldn't remember anything after their love confession.

"Why you didn't tell me about this before marriage?"

"Tell about what?" Madhu turned and asked to him.

"That you have short term memory lose? And also you get night terrors?" Rk accused her rather asking her. Madhu sadly looked down not liking being teased.

Sighing Rk held her hand which was still shaking. "Relax, Madhu. I'm here. I'm fine." Rk tugged her hand & embraced her in his arms. Madhu softly sobbed making him snort in irritation.

"Stop crying. I hate tears." He scolded her.

"I'm sorry" Madhu said getting embarrassed of crying.

"What's wrong with you, Madhu?"

Madhu tilted her head up & looked at him, confused.

"Last night, why you didn't cover the news? Why you left the spot & returned home?"

Now she could vaguely remember the previous night's ordeal. She was shit scared for her husband & started panicking the moment he went into the hotel. Her mind was preoccupied & she just held the mike but couldn't utter a word so she asked her friend to report the channel & left the place. Once she returned home, she waited for any news from her husband & also kept turning the news channels but nothing helped to put her at ease. Then she went to bed but was just twisting & turning on the bed, constantly thinking what would happened to her husband in the hotel & also cursing herself for leaving him there & walking home unannounced.

"I'm sorry I left you there & came home without informing you."

"It's okay. I asked your friend Trishna & she told me you had gone home. In fact I actually felt better only when I came to know you were safe at home." Then he cupped her face with his palm & tenderly kissed her lips. "Madhu..."

"Hmm..."

"Remember one thing... my profession should not setback your growth. I have seen you many times on TV boldly firing questions at powerful politicians & businessmen making them think of their wrong doings. I should say I was so impressed with the way you talk like a firecracker... the risk you take to seek justice... the first time I saw you in train I adored you for your braveness & courage... but last night... I heard that it was your first time you put your foot back... & it upsets me that I was the reason behind it."

"No, Rishab... it has nothing to do with you... I was just tired... you know after our wedding... it was a long day... I was totally done in... I realized it was a bad idea to agree to report... so I... I just excused myself & came back home."

"Don't lie to me, biwi." He said giving her a chilling glare. She felt intimidated under his steely gaze. "I know how excited you were to cover the news but then you went weak the moment I made my way into the hotel...Don't succumb to your sentiments & emotional feelings for me & f**k your career." Rk said in a firm voice.

"Just tell me what happened inside the hotel?" Madhu couldn't hold her curiosity.

"I guess your dream would have been more thrilling than what I had experienced."

"What?"

"It was actually nothing. It was all bullshit!" Rk grumbled. "A f**king psychic college guy wrongfully confined the people in a room & threatened to kill them if we police didn't send his lover with him."

"Lover?"

"Yeah, the hotel owner's daughter is his lover so he created the scene in that hotel. It seems she was getting married tomorrow... a forceful marriage... so he wanted to stop the wedding & take that girl with him."

"Oh! So what you guys did?"

"We asked the girl what she wanted us to do, she said she loved him, and pleaded us not to harm him & also promised that she will talk to her lover & release the captives. She also asked for our help to stop the unwanted marriage & get them married."

"But you said there was some attack."

"People heard some gun firing... so reported to the police... apparently that guy had a licensed pistol. He only fired some free shots but didn't harm anyone, thankfully."

"Oh! Then what happened?"

"She kept her promise & I kept mine. They two are majors so they have the right to decide their lives... so I got that stupid girl married to that psycho boy once all the captives were taken out safely."

"Awww... you are so sweet!" Madhu pulled her husband's cheeks & pecked on his lips. "So they got married on the same day we got married."

"Nope! Technically they got married today as it happened after midnight & we got married yesterday"

"Didn't that girl's parents protest it?"

"Of course they did create a huge ruckus but we had it under control."

"I missed a lot of wonderful drama." Madhu sighed sadly & looked at Rk who was having a wolfish grin.

"What?"

"You didn't ask me what happened next?"

"What you did?" Madhu asked him horrified as she vaguely guessed what he could have done.

"I arrested that psycho & f**ked his suhaag raat for f**king mine" Rk smirked evilly. "He will be out of prison only after months... then he can enjoy with his new wife." Rk said grinning evilly & kissed his wife's hand.

"Why you did that, Rishab? What will happen to that girl, now? Her parents are already against her... what if they try to get her married to some other guy when her husband was in prison?"

"I did my job" Rk shrugged casually.

"You are ruthless. You are arrogant... You are evil!" Madhu shook her head & turned her face away from him, upset.

"Ahaan! I love the adjectives, biwi" Rk winked at her. Madhu watched him open mouthed.

"You are unbelievable"

"Don't worry... their marriage is recorded. Will soon get their marriage registered too, then no one can break their marriage... but only those two idiots will have the right to annul their marriage & that will happen only if they ever get some senses."

Madhu simply glared at him.

"I was so mad at that girl for falling in love with that sick bas***d & also marrying him. I tried my best to favour their parents but that girl was so stubborn." Rk dragged his fingers through his hair to restrain his fury.

"They love each other." Madhu stated matter-of-factly

"Oh yeah! That reminds me... what you said last night?" Rk asked changing the topic & also wanting to hear the three words again from his wife.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing?" Rk asked smirking. "Okay, cool! Go get ready. We are going home."

"Home?" Madhu asked confused. "We are at our home right?"

"Nope! This is my parents place. I have an apartment & we will be staying there. Just the two of us" Rk said running his nose over hers. "And there we can have our special night."

Hiding her blush, Madhu asked "Oh! Why you didn't tell me this before?"

"I thought you knew."

"How do I know? You never talked to me much before marriage. If I shamelessly call you, then also you will say I'm busy, Madhu... will call you later' but you had never called me." Madhu pouted.

"Look, Madhu... I'm not a typical coochie cooing lover boy... I don't know to woo my wife... rest assured I will be loyal to you." He said & kissed her forehead & in return she smiled at him.

... To be continued!!!

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