Aakash stood by the table, gripping its edge tightly to stop the trembling in his hands.
“Did she force herself on you?” Meenakshi asked softly and her voice was barely above a whisper.
Aakash slowly shook his head.
“She wanted us to have sex… but I wasn’t ready for that. I wanted that to happen only after we were married. I tried to convince her but she threatened to break up with me if I didn’t agree.” he said and swallowed hard before continuing.
“She removed my shirt and my pant and then she started removing hers. I couldn’t even look at her. I swear, I didn’t feel aroused or the need to do it at that moment. Our parents trusted us and I couldn’t break that trust. I was also worried that she might get pregnant before we even completed our studies. I didn’t want to risk our future by giving in to a moment of weakness. So I stopped her when she tried to remove her clothes.” Aakash said and closed his eyes as the painful memory resurfaced.
Flashback:
“Aishu, we shouldn’t be doing this. Let’s wait until we are settled and get married,” Aakash said gently but Aishwarya pushed him away.
“Shut up, Aakash. My friends were right you are a useless man. We are done,” she snapped before storming out with her college bag.
Aakash stood there in shock.
” No, she is just angry. She didn’t really mean those words”, he tried to convince himself and also decided to give her some time to calm down.
The next day, Aakash arrived at college and immediately noticed something strange. Many of Aishwarya’s friends were looking at him with mocking smiles.
He was confused and felt uneasy and he searched for her around the campus. He finally spotted her in the canteen, talking with another boy.
“Aishu, please come with me. I need to talk to you,” Aakash said and tried to hold her hand but she jerked it away and walked out of the canteen with the boy without saying a word. Aakash thought she needed time and let her go.
After college hours, Aakash waited for her in the parking area. As usual, Aishwarya arrived with her group of friends.
“Aishu, let’s go home,” Aakash said, stepping forward. He tried to hold her hand again, but she pushed him away once more.
“Stop it, idiot. Don’t you understand? We are done.” She said and her voice was loud enough for everyone around to hear.
“You know what? Let me make it clear. My friends kept telling me that choosing you was a mistake. I defended you. I told them you were handsome and intelligent.” she said and then smirked.
“But they challenged me to test you. I did exactly what they told me to do and you proved that you are not even a real man. I can’t live like a saint for the rest of my life.” her words cut through him like a knife.
Aakash stood frozen, humiliation burned through him as everyone around watched the scene unfold.
“Aishu, stop it,” Aakash said, feeling ashamed. At the same time, anger began to rise within him and he clenched his teeth.
“Aishu, you should also tell them how small he is,” one of her friends mocked and Aakash felt a wave of humiliation wash over him.
“He couldn’t have done anything with something so useless and small, so he gave you all those stupid excuses. You should thank us for helping you realize that he isn’t even a real man.” another boy sneered.
“I pity the girl who ends up marrying him. Actually, Aakash, you better never marry at all. Don’t ruin some poor girl’s dreams.” another boy laughed cruelly and that was the last straw.
Aakash’s anger exploded and he punched the boy straight in the face. Before he could react further, Aishwarya stepped forward and pushed Aakash away, defending her friends.
” Stop it. Why are you getting so defensive when he is only telling the truth? she snapped.
She crossed her arms and looked at him with a mocking smile. “You should probably get yourself checked by a doctor. And stop coming near me unless you want the entire college to know who you really are and how small you are “, her voice dripped with ridicule.
Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, Aakash turned and stormed away.
Flashback Ends:
“From that day onward, her friends never stopped teasing me with vulgar comments. I couldn’t handle it. I completely shut myself off from everyone.” Aakash said quietly and his voice trembled.
” I was always a reserved person and the very few friends I had abandoned me after that. Some of them even joined her friends and started throwing vulgar comments at me. Varun was my school friend and I was afraid he might leave me like the others, so I never shared anything with him. I had no one to share my pain with. Appa was the only person who seemed worried about me but I was too ashamed to tell him about my problems. I spent countless nights without sleep. I couldn’t even stand near a girl anymore. My body would start shaking whenever I tried. The trauma just… took over. That is why I never wanted to get married. I already believed I wasn’t capable of being the man a woman deserves. But Appa forced me.”
He looked at Meenakshi with guilt-filled eyes.
“When I first saw you, you looked so innocent and I felt terrible thinking that I had ruined your life by marrying you. I decided that at the very least, I would treat you with the respect you deserve. The only reason I hid the truth was because I was afraid… afraid that you would look at me with disgust.” he said in broken voice.
“I feel ashamed.” he whispered and before he could say anything else, Meenakshi suddenly wrapped her arms around him.
Aakash froze. He had expected her to step away from him… to leave immediately… or at least to look at him with disgust.
Instead, she held him tightly and that completely surprised him.
“You don’t have to feel ashamed or guilty ” Meenakshi said softly.
” It’s that bitch and her friends who should be punished for what they did to you. They abused you, harassed you and body-shamed you. Those are crimes.” she said and then looked at him with compassion.
“You should have complained about them, but I can understand why you didn’t. They were blackmailing you. You have always been a gentleman, Aakash, so don’t blame yourself. You are nothing like they made you believe. You have suffered enough. Now it’s time for you to come out of that trauma.” she said.
“You deserve all the happiness in the world, Accountant Sir.” she said with a gentle smile.
Aakash let out a deep sigh of relief. For the first time, he pushed aside his fear and hugged her back.
Meenakshi felt the slight tremble in his body and gently patted his back. That simple gesture worked like magic, slowly calming him down.
“You are doing well, Accountant Sir, Let go of all that fear and shame from your heart and mind. You are pure and the kind of man every woman would want in her life.” she said softly.
“Let my words stay in your heart… ‘ you deserve every happiness in this world'” she said looking into his eyes.
Meenakshi then slowly pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from his cheeks with the end of her pallu and playfully pinched his cheek.
“You are such a baby. Now stop crying and help me put my things back in the cupboard.” she teased and opened the trolley.
“Meena… did you really plan to leave me?” Aakash asked, holding her wrist gently.
Meenakshi gave him a sheepish smile.
“Yes… and no. I wanted to know what was going on with you and your ex. But you wouldn’t open up unless I did something dramatic. So I packed my things and threatened to leave.” she admitted and paused before continuing.
“And honestly… I did want to leave because of the way your mother and sister treated me. They kept saying that you deserved that woman instead of me. But I’ll handle them. I just want you to know that I can handle anything as long as you are good to me.”
Before she could say anything else, Aakash suddenly hugged her again.
“Wow… my tiger ” Meenakshi teased and feeling embarrassed, Aakash quickly let go of her. He immediately opened the trolley and started arranging her clothes and belongings back into the cupboard.
“What happened while I was avoiding being at home?” he asked while folding her clothes.
“Nothing much, aunty and Lavanya spent their time praising that woman’s beauty. They really wished you had married her. They think you still love her and that you were avoiding home because of me.” Meenakshi replied casually.
Aakash turned to look at her. “My whole life would have been a nightmare if I had married such a vile woman,” he said, shaking his head.
“You know things aren’t over yet. They came here to invite our family to her wedding. Apparently, she is marrying your cousin in three weeks.” Meenakshi said leaning against the cupboard.
“From what I heard, her father met your uncle somewhere. They started talking about their children and eventually the alliance was fixed. You shouldn’t show your weakness in front of anyone. Show them how strong and happy you are.” She said looking at him seriously.
Then she raised an eyebrow playfully. “Wait… are you actually happy being married to me?”
Aakash chuckled. “Is that even a question, Mrs. Accountant Madam?” he replied.
Meenakshi couldn’t hide the blush that spread across her cheeks. Their conversation was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
“Everyone must be waiting for breakfast. I haven’t even stepped out of the room yet. They must be furious,” Meenakshi mumbled.
Aakash walked over and opened the door. Padma had expected Meenakshi to answer it. The moment she saw Aakash instead, the scowl on her face instantly disappeared.
“Aakash, where is she? Your father has to take his medicines and she hasn’t cooked breakfast yet. I would have done it myself but my knee pain won’t let me stand for long.” Padma said and held her knee dramatically, putting on an act.
Before Aakash could reply, Meenakshi walked past him and headed straight to the kitchen. Aakash followed her and saw her picking up onions and tomatoes to begin cooking. He quietly took over the cutting work while she focused on the rest.
“You should rest. Sunday is the only day you get a break.” Meenakshi said while adding spices into the mixer jar.
“And what about you? You don’t get to rest even on Sundays.” Aakash replied and quickly chopped the onions.
“Let’s finish cooking first. Later I’ll talk to Appa about hiring a maid. May be has forgotten ” Aakash passing the onions to her.
“Let’s talk about that in our room later,” she said softly and they cooked together in silence.
After finishing, Aakash arranged the plates on the dining table. Just then, Rajesh and Sharmi walked out of their room.
“Amma, today is Sharmi’s birthday,” Rajesh announced and Padma instantly pulled Sharmi into a hug and wished her warmly. Soon everyone followed and wished her before sitting down for breakfast.
“Sharmi must be missing her parents today. Let’s not make her feel that she would have had a better birthday if she were with them.” Padma said sympathetically.
“Let’s celebrate properly. Meenakshi, cook her favorite dishes for lunch. Rajesh, take her out for a movie and dinner in the evening.” Padma said and then asked her husband to bring sweets after breakfast.
“Amma, she likes biryani and for dinner we can have chapathi and butter chicken.” Rajesh said, nudging Sharmi playfully.
“Alright then. Biryani for lunch and chapathi with butter chicken for dinner. We shall buy a cake in the evening.” Padma agreed happily and pinched Sharmi’s cheek affectionately.
Aakash and Meenakshi then walked back into their room and he quietly shut the door behind them.
“That’s a lot of work. How about we order lunch from outside? You will get some rest and maybe we can cook dinner ourselves.” Aakash said but Meenakshi immediately shook her head, refusing the idea.
“Ordering lunch would cost more, so it’s better if I cook. It’s her birthday and let’s not spoil her day. Aunty was right, she must be missing her parents, so let’s at least do the little we can. Give money to Uncle so he can buy the chicken and the sweets Aunty asked for. And give Rajesh money to order the cake.” she said.
With that, she quickly tied her hair into a bun and walked out to begin the next round of cooking.
” You are too kind and selfless, Meena. I’m so lucky to have you as my wife”, Aakash thought to himself as he followed her out. He gave money to his father and then to Rajesh without saying anything.
Padma noticed that Aakash followed Meenakshi everywhere she went and facepalmed in irritation.
Aakash decided to help Meenakshi in the kitchen, while Sharmi felt overwhelmed by all the love and care being shown to her.
By evening, Padma gifted Sharmi a new saree and Rajesh bought a cake with the money Aakash had given him.
Sharmi cut the cake and fed Rajesh, Padma and Lavanya.
Padma then cut a few pieces and served them to her husband and Aakash. Aakash waited for a moment, expecting her to give a piece to Meenakshi as well. But Padma returned to the hall as if Meenakshi didn’t exist.
Aakash silently placed the cake on the counter and saw Meenakshi splashing water on her face, looking completely exhausted.
“I’m proud and happy that you are kind and caring to everyone. But I hate it when you don’t take care of yourself.” he said softly.
“Love others a little… and love yourself more.” he said looking at her seriously and Meenakshi chuckled at his words.
“I’m serious and I’m not going to delay finding a maid anymore. I’ll look for one myself.” he said and began rolling chapatis for dinner.
“No, we don’t need a maid. I’m fine doing the work. If we appoint a maid, I’ll probably become lazy with nothing to do.” Meenakshi said quickly while placing the cooked chapatis into the hot box
“So please drop this topic.”, She waved her hand dismissively.
Just then Padma entered the kitchen.
“Aakash, why are you doing this? Meenakshi, if you couldn’t manage, you could have called me. I would have cooked for Sharmi. Why trouble Aakash? Sunday is the only day he gets to rest.” she asked sharply and tried to take the ladle from his hand.
But Aakash refused to hand it over.
“You are right, Maa. Sunday is the only day I get to spend time with my wife. But she is in the kitchen all the time, so I thought it would be better if I helped her. That way we can at least spend some time together.” he said calmly.
Meenakshi mentally groaned, knowing he had just provoked another argument.
“Aunty, he is just joking. We are almost done. I’ll serve dinner in a few minutes.” Meenakshi said quickly and Padma walked away, gritting her teeth.
Once she left, Meenakshi turned to Aakash.
“Why do you keep provoking your mother? She wants to show that she cares for Sharmi, so let her. Stop interfering in the kitchen matters. I will come to you if I really can’t handle something. Now let’s have dinner.” she whispered and carried the casseroles outside.
Aakash pulled a chair for her to sit and everyone quietly served themselves. By the time everything was done, it was nearly ten at night.
Meenakshi finally returned to the bedroom with a tired sigh. She entered the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes.
After a long bath, she came out wearing clean clothes and stood before the mirror and combed her hair.
Aakash watched her silently. Her long hair fell beautifully over her shoulders and despite the exhaustion in her eyes, she looked incredibly beautiful.
A small smile appeared on his lips. But it disappeared when he saw her gulping a tablet.
“What tablet is that? What happened, Meena?” he asked, walking toward her.
Before she could reply, he saw the strip in her hand. It was a painkiller.
“A painkiller? Tell me what happened.” he asked worriedly.
“It’s nothing, my legs are just aching. I’ll be fine.” she said lightly and lay down on her side of the bed and pulled the sheet over herself.
She suddenly shrieked when Aakash touched her legs.
“What are you doing, Aakash? Let go of my legs, please ” she said and tried to remove his hands but Aakash held them gently yet firmly.
“I want to take care of you, Meena. You don’t want me to appoint a maid. You don’t want me to speak up for you. You don’t want me to help you in front of everyone. So at least let me take care of you here in our room.” he said softly and began pressing her feet slowly.
Meenakshi relaxed against the pillow and watched him massage her feet.
” Neenga romba nallavaru kanakku pulla ” ( You are a good man, Accountant Sir),” she said with a warm smile.
” Neenga romba romba nallavanga Mrs.kanakku pulla ” ( And you are too good, Mrs. Accountant Madam)” he replied, returning her smile.
*********************
A/N:
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