The next few
days, Samaira repeatedly contacted Rohan and spoke to him. She appeared to
sound mature at some times, and then coquettish at others. Rohan too enjoyed
their light-hearted banter as they exchanged notes about what was currently
happening in their lives. Of course, Samaira’s life was far too colorful and
his was far too humdrum. He wondered about whether his narration bored Samaira,
but she was always attentive and eager. She regaled him with anecdotes from her
shooting sessions and even mimicked her co-stars and directors. As their hearty
laughs echoed down the lines, they felt very close. It was as if they were
having a one-to-one, direct conversation, in person.
But when these calls lasted for
long hours at night, Amisha would have a vague sense of foreboding. Initially,
she had been pleased that Samaira had established such excellent rapport with
her husband, whom she had never even met, before he went to Mumbai. But she
gradually began resenting the long-distance calls that lasted for quite some
time. As it was, she herself never got a chance to interact with Rohan, till
late at night, as they would both be busy with their respective schedules. She
usually looked forward to those precious moments of quiet and relaxation. But
these days, he had gifted away those moments, rather hours, to her sister. She
often wondered whether she had committed a blunder by getting those two
acquainted!
She felt torn between the love for her
younger sister and the love for her husband. Both were equally dear to her and
both seemed to be oblivious to her own plight! What could she do? She knew that
things could get out of hand if she let the growing affinity between them; unchecked.
Rohan was however, unaffected by the calls,
seemingly, as he continued to be as attentive as ever, to his wife, as well. He
would enquire about her day, in-between Samaira’s calls, apprise her of
important chores to be attended to, etc. Yet Amisha felt as if he was trying
hard to keep both Samaira and herself happy. How long would this difficult
situation last, she wondered. She even wondered whether she should warn her
sister to keep away from her hubby. She knew that she could never do that, as
she genuinely loved her sister and wanted her to be happy. She seemed to have
found a friend and confidante in Rohan. Amisha wanted to maintain the
status-quo as she didn’t have any complaints against her hubby, otherwise.
He was an ideal husband. She told
herself to stop being jealous and insecure and get on with her life as usual.
Sometimes though, she would feel very restless and uneasy, when Rohan spoke in
intimate tones to Samaira. At those times, he conveniently acted as if Amisha
wasn’t there at all, in that room! It was as if Amisha was an outsider. After
the call ended, when he would talk to her, full of concern about her (Amisha),
she’d feel as if he was trying too hard to be the conscientious husband!
Was he fooling her? What was brewing
between Samaira and Rohan? A budding romance or something deeper…? Did Rohan
and Samaira have a fling or a full-fledged affair? How could she find out? Whom
could she question? If she questioned either of the two, they’d know that she
was suspecting them. She didn’t want to fall in their esteem. But the only
thing that truly bothered her was the fact that if Rohan ever chose the
beautiful Samaira over her, her life would be finished. She had to do something
and do it soon!
To be continued....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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