Page 41 of Substitute Bride

"This is not a small thing—you wouldn’t even understand it.

Look at yourself—you’re always angry. It feels like you carry a volcano inside your brain.

As soon as someone says something, you explode like a fireball.

But this man is different. Everyone who’s ever spoken to him says he talks very calmly.

The most important thing is that he talks to every employee in his office—and this is true. "

Vikrant smirks, hangs his shirt over his arm, walks up to Jhankar, and says,

"So your boss talks to you?"

"No… Mr. V can talk to me anytime."

"Mr. V… Mr. Vikrant Dhanraj…"

Jhankar suddenly looks at him, and he bursts out laughing as he starts to walk away. She quickly asks,

"Have you eaten?"

Vikrant, who was about to change his clothes, feels good hearing this question. He turns to look at her and replies:

"Yes."

"Medicines?"

"No… it's not needed."

Jhankar quickly takes the medicines and places them in his hand.

"Take the medicine quickly. There’s no need to do everything according to your wish. It’s not necessary to bear pain all the time. If we have medicine to ease the pain, then it's better to take it. Enduring pain unnecessarily doesn’t make anyone braver."

Vikrant continues to gaze at Jhankar because he finds her words comforting.

He puts the medicine in his mouth. Jhankar quickly hands him a glass of water and stands in front of him with an expression as if she herself has taken the medicine, and the bitterness is in her mouth.

Seeing her face like that, Vikrant starts laughing.

Jhankar quickly sits on the bed and pulls a duvet over herself to distract him.

But Vikrant continues laughing. When he goes inside to change his clothes, he notices that today, the closet is much better arranged than the other day.

He checks it thoroughly, hands in his pockets, with a smile constantly on his face. He quickly comes out and tells Jhankar:

"You should have rested. I told you to just rest. I know very well that I don’t like anyone coming into my room. So you must not have called the servants. Then why did you clean the closet?"

"I thought that if I left it even a little messy, you would start fighting with me again. So I did it."

"I haven’t fought with you in a long time—so why did you think that?"

"You can’t be trusted—you suddenly get worked up and start fighting."

"You also enjoy fighting with me. Why don’t you just admit it?"

As soon as Vikrant says this, both look at each other and hold their gaze for a while before he starts laughing loudly. Jhankar knows that Vikrant is still quite injured, so she tells him:

"You should rest. It’s quite late now."

Vikrant nods and immediately lies down in his place. There’s a lot of distance between the two, but today, perhaps, there’s no real distance between them.

~~~~

Jhankar is sitting with Sharda, narrating everything in great detail. Sharda listens happily, and Vikrant, sitting nearby, quietly listens to their conversation. Then Jhankar softly asks Sharda:

"How does he keep going back and forth in silent mode?"

"He’s been like this since childhood."

"Did he fall from your hands in childhood and get hurt somewhere? Did he lose a screw in his brain?"

"You try finding it—if you do, let me know too."

As soon as Sharda finishes, both burst out laughing.

Vikrant, who couldn’t hear the full conversation, still understands they’re talking about him.

He quietly watches them laughing. When they notice him looking, they immediately stop laughing and resume talking.

Just then, it starts raining outside, and Jhankar excitedly tells Sharda:

"I want to bathe in the rain."

Upon hearing her, Sharda glances at her, then at Vikrant, who is also watching her. She winks and says,

"What’s there to ask in this? Do whatever you want quickly."

As soon as Jhankar hears this, she smiles broadly, hugs Sharda, and says:

"My mother never allows me, you’re so nice. I’m going."

Jhankar quickly runs off, while Sharda smiles, glances at Vikrant, and says,

"She’s such a lively girl."

"Now you’ll see, when she comes back, she’ll wet everything… including my room… and then she’ll start sneezing over and over."

"I can’t refuse her now. Many people love the rain. Not like you, who’d rather stay locked up than enjoy the rain. If you want to stop her, go ahead and do it yourself."

"Do you think she’ll even listen to me?"

"How would I know what’s going on between the two of you—how much you listen to each other? I only know one thing—I’m not stopping her."

Vikrant immediately leaves Sharda’s room and heads to his own to prevent Jhankar from going out in the rain. But not finding her there, he starts looking around. When he can’t find her, he suddenly shouts:

"Arun! Rekha! Rani!"

Hearing his voice, everyone rushes over. Vikrant is still looking around, and as soon as they gather, he asks:

"Where has Jhankar gone? She came out, right?"

"Madam went to the terrace right after leaving Sharda Madam’s room."

As soon as he hears this, he heads rapidly toward the terrace.

But when he sees what’s in front of him, his steps freeze.

Jhankar is standing with her arms outstretched, smiling brightly, completely soaked in the rain.

Vikrant’s gaze lingers on her. Jhankar quickly glances at him and signals him to join her.

But he remains silent, just staring at her.

Then she runs toward him, grabs his hand, and pulls him into the rain.

As soon as he steps into the rain, Vikrant looks around and sees Jhankar enjoying herself. He tells her:

"Who gets wet in the rain like this? You’ll fall sick."

"And who gets sick just from bathing in the rain? We’ve been doing this since childhood. We get a little cold, sneeze a bit—but it’s worth it for the fun and the free shower."

As she says this, Jhankar spreads her arms again, lifts her face to the sky, and enjoys the falling drops.

Vikrant begins observing her intently. He too is now thoroughly soaked.

As he lifts his face, he feels the sharp touch of raindrops, just like her.

Jhankar watches him closely. He stands with his eyes closed and face lifted, and his expression draws all of Jhankar’s attention.

She stares at him quietly. Vikrant feels a strange peace.

Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks at her.

Jhankar is still gazing at him. The rain continues to fall, and they’re lost in a silent gaze when the loud thunder abruptly breaks the moment.

Jhankar quickly turns her back to him, enjoying the rain.

Vikrant stands silently beside her, trying to savor this experience—something he’s never done before.

But today, he plans to stay as long as she’s there, and he doesn’t mind at all.

Jhankar brushes her hair back, trying to erase this awkwardness from her mind.

She’s been feeling drawn to Vikrant for days, and it's only growing. The more she tries to ignore him, the more she notices him, and it’s frustrating her.

As the rain begins to slow, she turns to look at Vikrant, who’s still standing there.

Then, with her eyes lowered, she begins walking away.

Vikrant quietly follows. Both of them are completely soaked.

Because of the slippery marble floor, Jhankar suddenly slips.

Vikrant tries to catch her, but his slippers are soaked too, and he slips as well.

They both fall, then check each other to make sure they’re okay.

Once they realize neither is hurt, they burst into loud laughter.

Their laughter echoes throughout the house, and everyone who hears it stops and smiles involuntarily.

In the morning, when Vikrant sneezes hard, everyone's attention shifts to him, and they all try to suppress their laughter and continue their work quietly. Jhankar tries to catch a glimpse of Vikrant, who is visibly distressed due to the cold. Seeing Jhankar getting upset, Sharda scolds Vikrant.

“Tell me one simple thing: to date, you have not gone out in the rain. What was the need to show unnecessary courage just so I could also bathe in the rain? Now keep sneezing continuously.”

“I will call the doctor and get the medicine. This way, you won’t have to worry unnecessarily.”

Vikrant, seeing Sharda, lightly rubs his handkerchief on his nose and starts drinking his coffee quietly. Then Jhankar suddenly speaks to him.

“This is a minor cold. My mom makes a home remedy for it. I'll prepare it for you. You will not have any problems, and you will get well soon. There is no such issue. If you do not have any problem, I will make it.”

Vikrant unexpectedly catches sight of Jhankar, prompting Sharda to quickly inform her.

“Vikrant cannot tolerate bitter things at all, so he is not going to take the home remedy under any circumstances, as it is very bitter.”

Jhankar immediately looks at Vikrant because she had once fed him bitter gourd pudding, which he had eaten very comfortably. Now she feels very disturbed thinking about this, so Vikrant tells her,

“If your home remedy is effective, then please give it to me, because I also do not want to take any doctor's medicine under any condition.”

Jhankar gives a slight nod before heading to the kitchen but abruptly turns back and informs Vikrant,

“Properly taken with honey, it won’t taste bitter and will be comfortable. This is an excellent home remedy that will quickly cure your cold and won’t disturb your digestive system either.”

Jhankar glances at Sharda, who is smiling at her, prompting her to quickly move away. Sharda’s eyes go to Vikrant, who is smiling very slightly. When Sharda notices Vikrant smiling, she reciprocates the smile and tells him,