Entwined

Chapter Six

One of the master's men knocked on the door and informed Ashvath that Sandy had called for them, and soon, Bhairav Master himself would come to visit them. Once the raid issue was sorted, they could all go their separate ways.

As the guy left, Shivaali, who had been lying beneath the sheet, sat up, and Ashvath filled her in.

"So, Master is coming here?" Shivaali asked, her voice filled with slight fear, yet amusement and curiosity.

"Yes."

"Great, Ashvath! We need to thank him for helping us" Shivaali said enthusiastically, making Ashvath roll his eyes.

"There's going to be a crowd of people around him who've locked you up. Make sure to thank them as well" Ashvath scoffed, which prompted Shivaali to get to her feet and move towards him.

"You won't leave me, right?" Shivaali asked, wrapping her arms around Ashvath's bicep while he looked down at her.

Ashvath didn't answer her question. Instead, he said, "Change your clothes, the saree must be dry by now."

A smile touched Shivaali's lips as she nodded and picked up her saree from the ground. Ashvath went into the washroom, and she quickly draped the saree as best as she could.

"Ashvath" Shivaali knocked on the washroom door with her shoulder, her hands busy holding the saree in place.

"What?"

"You removed my saree right. Where are the safety pins?" Shivaali asked, leaning slightly against the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Ashvath walked out, pulling his t-shirt over his head.

"Do you really have to stress the fact that I undressed your saree?" Ashvath rolled his eyes, making Shivaali giggle.

"Alright, alright, just give me the pins quickly, Ashvath" she said, walking toward the bed.

Ashvath handed her the safety pins, and Shivaali began securing her saree. Within a couple of minutes, she was almost done, adjusting her pleats.

"When we go outside, don't look at anyone or talk unnecessarily. Only answer if you're spoken to. I'll keep talking in a flow, just follow my lead" Ashvath instructed her, but she was too focused on fixing her saree pleats.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Forget the saree for a second—"

"I heard you, Ashvath! And for the record, because you undressed my saree—"

"If you mention that again, I'll pull it off myself, you just watch!" Ashvath said, rolling his eyes as she giggled again.

"Alright, alright, I won't mention it" Shivaali teased, then added, "Here, hold this."

Shivaali extended the pallu of her saree toward Ashvath, who glared at her. Noticing it, she quickly added, "Don't scold me, Ashvath! I just need you to hold it so I can pin it properly."

"Do you really need to stand like this?" Ashvath scoffed.

"Irrespective of how I stand, your eyes will always be on me, so what's the problem?" Shivaali shrugged, and shaking his head, Ashvath held the saree pleat while staring at the wall behind her as she arranged and pinned it.

"Do you have any more tasks left for me to do?" Ashvath asked sarcastically.

"For now, this is enough. The rest, we'll handle later, Ashvatheyy" Shivaali winked suggestively.

"You'll never change" Ashvath said, rolling his eyes, making her giggle again.

"Oh, come on, Ashvath, it's not like—"

Before she could finish, a knock interrupted them. Both of them became alert, and Ashvath walked toward the door. He opened it, spoke to the person on the other side, then closed it and told her that they needed to go out now.

Shivaali hid behind Ashvath as soon as the shutter after the door was lifted.

"Don't be scared, come on" Ashvath whispered, sensing her tension.

Shivaali didn't respond but clutched his t-shirt and moved along with him, still hiding behind him.

"They locked us up, how can I not be scared?" Shivaali whispered to Ashvath, pressing herself closer to his back.

"That's why I'm here with you, isn't it?"

That calmed Shivaali down a little, and she peeked out from behind him to see the people outside the shutter. She spotted Sandy and recognized him immediately. Her grip on Ashvath tightened as she hid herself behind him again.

"Ashvath, look at those men, those brothers are the ones who captured me" Shivaali whispered.

"The men who captured you is brothers for you? Seems like you're turning everyone into brothers" Ashvath scoffed, then added, "Don't be scared. Bhairav Master is here. Your dear brothers won't touch you."

"The master is here?" Shivaali's ears perked up at the mention of Bhairav, and she asked, "Where is he?"

"There, those two men in their 50s standing over there, one of them—"

But Shivaali didn't wait for Ashvath to finish. She marched straight towards the two men in their 40s.

"Hey, stop!" Ashvath whispered worriedly, but Shivaali kept walking forward.

Bhairav looked at the girl walking toward him, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion before he recognized her.

"Are you Bhairav Master?" Shivaali asked, standing a few meters away from him, her voice filled with innocence, hesitation, curiosity, and a hint of fear that amused Bhairav. His lips curved into a small, genuine smile.

"Yes, that's me" Bhairav replied gently, and in the next moment, he was engulfed in a hug by Shivaali, making everyone, including Ashvath and the master, gasp.

"Thank you so much, Pa!" Shivaali squealed, pulling back and looking straight at Bhairav with a smile that touched his heart.

"I've always wanted to meet you, Paa. Thank you so much for keeping me and him safe." Shivaali continued.

While everyone trained their eyes on Bhairav, waiting for his reaction, he looked at Shivaali with a small gasp before a fond smile grew on his lips. Her lips mirrored the same smile as Master patted her head affectionately.

"It's alright, let it be." Master said and then looked at Ashvath. "You've got a good one there, AK."

"He did nothing, I'm the one who tightly held onto him all these years." Shivaali said, speaking without a filter. She fell silent with a pout when Ashvath shot her a glare, signaling her to stay quiet.

"Why are you glaring her?" Master shook his head at Ashvath before turning to Shivaali. "He's always like that, with a serious face. Don't mind him. Tell me, what's your name, dear?"

"Shivaali, Paa." Shivaali replied with a bright smile and added, "And he's not always serious. Sometimes, he gets a bit tense, but it's just out of love."

"Alright. So, Madam, you won't let him down anywhere, huh?" Bhairav chuckled, noticing her attire. "Why aren't you wearing any earrings or bangles? A girl getting ready for her wedding should have all of this on, right?"

"Thank God you brought that up, Paa! This brother and that brother and that one, they took all my jewelry!" Shivaali replied mockingly, glaring at Sandy and the others.

"Boys, return this girl's jewelry. I'll tell Bala to pay for our guy's mother's treatment." Bhairav told Sandy before turning to Bala. "Son, for this girl—"

"This girl? No, call me Shivaali, Paa" Shivaali interrupted, making Bhairav smile. Ashvath quickly walked towards her.

"Alright, Shivaali, okay?" Bhairav asked, amused, as Shivaali nodded. Then, he turned to Bala. "Ask our jeweller to make jewels according to her liking. Make sure she gets the jewelry she needs. Everything should be ready for the wedding."

"Master, there's no need for all this. We don't want anything." Ashvath interjected, wrapping his arm around Shivaali, who looked up at him.

"How can that be? Didn't I say I would arrange your wedding? I might not be able to make it grand because of all the trouble our rowdy bunch caused, but I can't leave this girl without proper jewelry now, can I?" Bhairav said, sternly.

"Master, there's really no need for this. Just ask them to return my mother's jewelry, and that will be enough." Shivaali said earnestly.

"Why are you both speaking as if my words have no value?" Bhairav said in a firm tone, which silenced them. "AK, come with me."

Ashvath instructed Shivaali to stay with Bala and followed Bhairav. Meanwhile, Shivaali struck up a conversation with Bala, which is when Sandy and his group approached her.

"Hey, why are you getting us in trouble now?" Raju asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can think whatever you want." Shivaali retorted, like a kitten trying to act tough, which made Raju, Bala, and Mano laugh while Sandy stared at her intently before narrowing his gaze.

"Look here, that—" Mano started, but Shivaali cut him off.

"Look at me! My wrists are sore from being tied up! How could you do this to me, brother?" Shivaali exclaimed dramatically.

The men were taken aback when Shivaali addressed Mano as "brother." Even Sandy, who had been looking away, turned to face her.

"Brother?" Mano asked, surprised.

"Yes! You tied me up so tightly. Do you know how much that hurt? Please don't do it again, brother," Shivaali said, turning to Bala. "Brother, I feel like drinking a chilled soft drink. Could you get me one?"

The men were both amused and surprised by how easily she interacted with them. They couldn't help but chat with her. Finally, Sandy, who had been silent, spoke up.

"Sorry. It was a matter of life and death. We had no choice but to tie you up and take your jewelry." Sandy apologized genuinely.

Shivaali blinked at Sandy twice before giving him a small smile and nodding.

"Please don't do it again, brother. I was really scared." Shivaali said before turning back to Mano, asking him about the police raid.

Sandy watched her words with amusement.

'This serious-faced AK got a good girl like this? Hope their lives turn out well' Sandy thought, shaking his head and silently listening to Shivaali as she and the others laughed and talked.

When Master and Ashvath returned, Ashvath's jaw was clenched, and he looked visibly disturbed. Master kept talking to him as they walked toward the group. Ashvath noticed the men around Shivaali and quickly wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"Bala, show them the box" Bhairav said.

"Sure, Uncle" Bala said, retrieving a small jewel box from his bag.

Bala opened the box, revealing a mangalyam (traditional wedding pendant) inside. Ashvath and Shivaali's breath hitched as they saw the pendant. They glanced at each other, then back at the pendant, and finally at Bhairav.

"How is it? I selected it myself. Once the raid issue is settled, we'll have a small wedding" Bhairav said, while Ashvath swallowed nervously, his eyes fixed on the mangalyam. Bhairav's words from earlier echoed in his mind.

Ashvath and Shivaali had joked and laughed about the situation before, but seeing the mangalyam pendant made the gravity of the situation dawn on them. Their hearts thudded in unison as they exchanged glances.

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Thank you for reading,

Nan ~