Abhi escorted her into his gated community. "Abhi, where are we going?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper. "To my place," he replied coolly. A whirlwind of emotions—surprise, a flicker of joy, and a wave of fear—washed over her. She silently prayed that no harm would come to Abhi because of her. But in this crazy situation, Abhi was her only knight in shining armour. So, she said nothing and simply walked beside him. He made a quick call, his voice low and business-like.
Soon, they stood before his front door. Tulasi's heart fluttered as she imagined a nameplate: 'Abhijit Krishna Tulasi Nilayam' (The Abode of Abhijit, Krishna, and Tulasi). It was a sweet, fleeting dream. Abhi told her to wait, unlocked the door, and disappeared inside for a moment before reappearing.
He opened the door wide open "Come in"
Tulasi, still bewildered by the surreal turn of events, stepped inside, leading with her right foot, as tradition dictated and took two steps before her jaw practically dropped to the floor. She looked around, her eyes wide as saucers. Abhi, catching her stunned expression, gave a small, sheepish grin. "Yeah, it's a bit of a post-party battleground," he confessed. "Total bachelor vibes. So, you know, adjust a little, Maid will come in the morning and clean everything. Okay? I'm honestly just craving my bed".
He waved a hand around, pointing to three bedrooms, claiming one for himself. "The other two are yours, doll. And this is the kitchen, the hall, and the balcony. It's your call. Bye!".
With that, he vanished into his room, shutting the door behind him.
Tulasi gazed around the "ghastly" bachelor haven. Takeaway boxes, empty bottles, and used glasses were everywhere. "This is a bachelor pad? Is this what bacheloradulting looks like?" she wondered. "It looks more like a post-apocalyptic disaster zone!" she thought. "Seriously, Abhi?" she thought. In this tricky situation, Abhi offering her shelter was already a huge deal; what more could she possibly say?.
But she kept mum, knowing that in this hot mess, Abhi offering her shelter was already a godsend. So, with a sigh, she opened the doors to the other bedrooms. They weren't as bad as the hall, but still pretty chaotic.
The kitchen, though?The kitchen? It was beyond words, a truly ghastly sight. Just stepping inside sent a shiver of fear down her spine; it was that bad. Everywhere she looked, there were angle glasses, liquor glasses, and trash "Oh. My. God. I'm gonna need an exorcist in here!" she mentally shrieked. Plates, glasses, and rubbish were piled high. "Nope, this won't do," she declared, grabbing a broom and getting to work.
Hours later, Abhi, emerging from his deep slumber, was bewildered by the sparkling transformation. "Whoa, what happened here? It's so clean!" he mused, calling out her name.
"Abhi!" came a sweet voice from the kitchen.
He peeked in, finding her meticulously scrubbing the cabinets. "Why are you doing all this? The maid comes, you know," he asked.
Tulasi, looking up, admitted, "Couldn't sleep, Abhi. What else was I gonna do, just sit around?". She stopped, washed her hands, and stood awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. Abhi, immediately understood; she was feeling incredibly uncomfortable in his wild bachelor pad. . "Look, Tulasi, it's a bachelor pad, okay? Just chill out," he tried to reassure her.
"Oh, it's alright, Abhi, thank you," she said, her voice gentle and sincere. "I'll talk to my friends. I'll leave after two or three days. "
"Why bother, Tulasi?"
" Why should I cause you trouble? I'll find a room and move out.".
"Do you have a guarantee that you will be safe there?" he asked, his voice firm, his eyes holding a profound concern. "There's no need. You stay here.". Tulasi looked at Abhi, seeing the unyielding seriousness in his eyes. It wasn't just authority; it was a protective impulse.
"But I don't want to be a burden to you", she whispered, her innocent heart worried.
"There's no burden, nothing at all," he assured her, a tender note in his voice. "I live alone, and there are still two empty bedrooms. They're yours now, princess. Feel right at home, this is your pad!" he declared.
"And for safety?", he turned to her, looking dead serious and anger from the previous night visible in his eyes,
"This is my place, Abhijit's house. Anyone who wants to get to you, they've got to get through me first!".
"Your safety is my top priority, okay? So don't even sweat it; just feel like this is your home, alright?" he reiterated. "Now, come on, let's get ready. Hospital time!".
"Oh, Abhi, not today," she pleaded, "I'm totally pooped. Can I get a little leave? The house still needs some sorting out"
"The maid will handle it, just come on!" he insisted.
"Please, Abhi, I'm genuinely beat," she begged.
"If you don't come, I'll be bored stiff, feel totally lost! Come on!" he tried to convince her. He looked at her, truly seeing her; she looked exhausted, she hadn't slept properly, her eyes swollen from crying. "Alright, fine," he conceded, then quickly got ready and headed to the hospital.
"The maid will bring your breakfast; eat up. I'll grab something at the canteen," he said, leaving earlier than usual. Just as he predicted, the hospital felt super boring without her. He was feeling lonely, and a thought crept in: "What is this girl doing to me? I need to be careful; she's totally taken over my brain!". his phone ring when a message popped up from Tulasi:
"Thinking of changing the furniture. Is that cool?".
He quickly typed back, "Your home, your wish.".
Suddenly, he remembered Tulasi holding onto him and crying. Shaken to the core this morning, how incredibly insecure she had felt. "I need to take care of Tulasi," he thought, a wave of tenderness washing over his tough exterior. "I need to protect her; she's such a sweet soul," he vowed.
"How would this innocent angel even survive out there alone?". From now on, he decided, his house was a "no-party zone" , and no other girls allowed. He wrapped up his hospital work an hour earlier than usual, practically sprinting home.
He opened his apartment door and froze. "Is this even my house anymore?!" he thought, utterly stunned.
Everything was different. It was his flat number, definitely his, but it felt like a completely new place. Even the shoe rack and door mat were replaced, little bells on the door. It was completely transformed, but in a good way – modern ,stylish, with traditional touches. "Her taste is actually pretty cool," he mused. She had changed the sofas, dining table, kitchen stove, and the beds in the two guest rooms. But his room? Untouched.
"Tulasi!" he called out, finding her on the balcony. He walked out to her, asking, "What are you up to out here?".
She had filled the balcony with so many plants, some flower pots, some regular ones. "Didn't you like the old furniture?" he asked. She didn't answer right away. "Why did you change everything, Tulasi?" he pressed.
She looked at him, suddenly serious. "I couldn't change you or this house, could I?" she retorted. "I heard you bring those… 'party girls' here, Is it True? All those girls you're your wild parties? Ugh! You have no idea the stuff I heard about you, Abhi!".
"Who told you all this?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Oh, now you'll go scold them, right? "
"Tell me, who told you?" he challenged.
"I'm not telling!" she declared.
"Then why did you change the furniture?" he asked.
"Look, I don't know what kind of messy stuff you've been up to, do I? Everywhere I looked, I just saw those… prostitutes! So I had to trash everything!" she explained.
"And the money for all this?"
" Oh, I have it."
" What? Your salary after all your 'donations', do you still have money to buy? "
"My dad's money!" she clarified.
"Oh, I bet it cost a fortune! Is Your dad's filthy rich and rolling in cash?" he teased. Tulasi shot him a fiery glare again at his disrespect towards to her father.
Her cheeks, a cute shade of crimson in anger, made Abhi chuckle adorably.
He took out his mobile saying," Tell me how much it cost you.I will transfer"
"No need. I trashed your old furniture so consider it as me replacing"
He protested, but she didn't bend.
"Here, I made some payasam(sweet)," she offered.
"You cook?!" he asked, genuinely surprised. "Did you even make dinner, then?".
"I'm too tired," she confessed. "Just an omelette, you'll have to adjust, okay?".
"Okay," he said aloud, but inwardly, he thought, "An omelette? This is a five-star feast! How many years has it been since I had homemade food?". He rushed to freshen up, and when he returned, Tulasi had dinner served. "Why aren't you eating? Why just fruits?" he asked.
"I did a small ritual today, Abhi, so just one meal," she explained.
He gave her a sharp, annoyed look "You'll never change, with your fasting and all," he muttered.
"I'm so tired, Abhi. Good night," she said, disappearing into her room and closing the door. For Abhi, this was all so new.
The next day, Abhi woke up to the sound of Tulasi's anklets jingling, filling the once-silent house. It was new, but he loved it. Sometimes, the silence reminded him how lonely he was, but not anymore. A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. "What are you making?" he asked.
"Abhi! You're up? Breakfast's ready. And from today, you're taking lunch with you," she said.
"What? No way, let's eat together at the hospital," he suggested.
"No, Abhi, no! We can't let anyone know we live together!" she insisted.
Abhi was pissed off. Why is she always avoiding him? He stormed into his room, got ready, and came out. They ate breakfast in tense silence. Later, as Abhi was reading the paper, Tulasi hurried past him. "Here's your lunch, Abhi, don't forget it! My cab's here, I'm leaving!".
"Tulasi, let's go together!" he called out.
"No, Abhi, no! No one should know we live together, please!" she pleaded, then shut the door and left.
Abhi was fuming. He drove to the hospital, annoyed. Tulasi, meanwhile, spent the entire day in a tornado of doubt. Should she tell her friends? What would they think? "They'll totally assume we're living in , right? They'll judge me! They think wrong of my character that I am staying with a man," she fretted. But then, she also felt like she was deceiving them.
That day, they returned home separately after work. Abhi walked in to find Tulasi offering him a plate of fruits, and dinner cooking in the kitchen. "What smells so good? What are you making?" he asked.
She told him.
"Do you know how to make chicken?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Then next time, make chicken, but make it extra spicy, okay?" he requested.
Tulasi looked at him, genuinely shocked, her eyes welling up with tears.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing, just the cooking," she murmured, wiping her eyes and getting back to work. Abhi was scrolling through his phone, sending emails, and couldn't help but think, "Man, I missed that adorable pouty face of her .". After dinner, Tulasi went to the balcony to get a towel for her bath. Abhi, with a mischievous, almost sadistic smirk, called out, "Got any milk, Tulasi?".
"Oh, yeah, I do! Want some now?" she asked, her voice sweet.
"Nah, not now. But... do you have a white saree?" he asked, his eyes gleaming.
"A white saree? I have one that's kind of cream-colored, is that okay? Why do you ask?" she questioned.
"Perfect! Go take your bath, put on that saree, and bring some milk to my room!" he ordered.
"Ok. But why saree?"
Abhi muttered under his breath, calling her a "blockhead". still wearing that same devilish smirk, he said, "I mean, we're already married, aren't we? We are living in the same house. You were super tired yesterday, so let's skip yesterday night. So Today's like our first night, right? So, wear that saree, bring the milk…". Before he could finish, the towel in Tulasi's hand whacked him across the face.
"If you keep talking like that, I'm gonna get seriously mad!" Tulasi's face was completely red.
"Pouty face!" Abhi roared with laughter.
Tulasi stormed into her room and slammed the door. Abhi picked up the towel she'd thrown, inhaled its scent. "Mmm, smells so good!" he thought.
A moment later, Tulasi opened her door again, snatched the towel, gave him a fierce glare, and walked away. Days passed like this. Abhi and Tulasi went to the hospital separately and came back separately.
One day, Tulasi left earlier than usual. An hour later, Abhi came downstairs to start to hospital in his vehicle, he is shocked to find Tulasi still wrestling with her phone. "What? Still here? "
"Cabs aren't booking at all!" she exclaimed.
"Come on, I'll take you in my car," Abhi offered.
"No way!" she insisted, still battling her phone.
"Seriously, just get in! It's a car, not even a bike, just get in!" he urged.
"I'm not getting in your car!" she declared.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Did you forget what you did in that car with those… prostitute?!" she shot back.
"What? Did they tell you that too?" he asked, surprised.
"Oh yeah, they told me everything about you, Abhi! Ugh, never mind!" she huffed and started walking.
"Who's even telling her all this stuff?!" Abhi wondered, looking seriously towards the watchman's cabin. "He's dead meat today!".
After the hospital, Abhi left early. Tulasi came home, but he wasn't there. She was used to it; Abhi sometimes went out after dinner and came back late. "Is he even going to have dinner tonight? Should I call and ask if he's coming?" she wondered, picking up her phone. Just then, Abhi arrived. "Tulasi, come on!" he called out.
"Where to?" she asked.
"I'll tell you!" he said, gently but firmly taking her to the parking lot. There, a brand-spanking-new car gleamed. "Wow, it's beautiful, Abhi! Whose is it?" she asked.
"It's mine. I changed my car!" he said.
"Now, will you get in this car?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
Tulasi felt a surge of happiness.
Tulasi, with a playful smile, asked, "And will you pick them up in this one too?".
"Ugh, no! Never! Only you!" he swore.
"Alright then!" she said, getting into the passenger seat.
Abhi sat in the driving seat. "How is it?" he asked.
"It's great! "
"Shall we go for a long drive?" he suggested, his eyes full of excitement.
Tulasi, "ever the traditionalist," suggested, "Let's go to the temple first, Abhi, and get a puja done!".
Abhi looked serious. "I hate temples and rituals," he said flatly.
Tulasi pleaded, "Oh, but Abhi, it's a new car, please!".
"Look, you can do whatever you want, but don't involve God in this. I don't like it! Shall we go out?" he asked.
Tulasi, wanting to cool him down, agreed. "Why does he hate God so much? What did God do to him?" she wondered. In the new car, Abhi took Tulasi for a long drive, then out for dinner, before heading home.
"From tomorrow, you're coming and going to the hospital with me in this car," Abhi stated.
"No, Abhi! ", Tulasi protested.
"No! Enough!Tulasi, if not today, then tomorrow everyone will know we're living in the same house. You just need to accept it. I don't like you taking cabs every day!" he said seriously.