Obsessive Flames of Love

On the way to the parking lot.

Digging through his pockets, he ruthlessly tore out his phone and dialed Maahir.

“Boss!”

“Get the details of Riaan Varma,” Rudra ordered curtly.

Maahir pondered, “this is the first time I hear that name.” He squinted, “who the hell he’d be to offend Mr. Chauhan?” A puzzled expression settled on his face.

“Who’s he?”

“Tanvi’s ex,” Rudra growled.

Understanding dawned on Maahir. “Oh! Okay. I’ll find everything.”

…

Inside his house

Rudra tossed his mobile aside furiously and dropped onto the couch. The updates about Tanvi’s condition were becoming worse and the helplessness in him was driving him insane.

Slipped into his pajamas, he strode to the Gym room enclosed by glasses touching the roof-top, painted in beige with a polished marble floor.

He grabbed heavy dumbells and began lifting them, hoping it’d divert his focus from Tanvi. Unfortunately, she’s not the one to be taken away from his mind that easily.

The uneasiness in him was making him restless, and the rage within him keep on pacifying, to the point that he couldn’t take it anymore.

His muscles tightened, “this isn’t going to calm me down.” Rudra decided. With that, his obsidian-amber eyes rolled across the room and stopped at the hanging boxing bag.

Strode towards it in a swift move, he wore the boxing gloves and started punching the sandbag with full force, assuming it as Riaan. The power behind each stroke keep on increasing, but it hadn’t soothed his enraged nerves.

Reluctantly, he reached the wine cellar and grabbed a decade’s-old red wine. He guzzled each peg at such a speed that his throat began burning, but he’s not willing to stop.

…

Tanvi’s mind sagged beneath the weight of Riaan’s betrayal. She just couldn’t process this. “I can’t take this pain anymore.” She told herself. Deciding to drink until she could forget her very real feelings for a not so real man. Tanvi headed over to ‘Kyro’.

She stepped onto the bar, the banging music welcomed her. Seated at a corner table, she called a bartender. “Get me tequila shots.”

“Okay, mam. Anything else?”

Tanvi shook her head, “Just Vodka!”

Placed two shots on the table, he said, “Enjoy your drinks, mam.”

Tanvi glanced at them and gulped them in the very instant when the bartender’s eyes popped out. “It’s raw, mam!” He emphasized.

“Get me more.” She yelled when the deafening sounds made her hearing numb while the alcohol started kicking into her nerves.

Sat on the chair, she’s sipping the alcohol while her thoughts drifted away to the events that happened on the same day. The envisions of Erica, concluding her case as ‘he used and tricked you.’ came to her mind, and it pricked her heart.

She felt a thousand needles stabbed straight into her heart, and her eyes turned moist. With the effect of alcohol, all the pain that she buried for many hours burst out as tears oozed out freely, spilling down her chin.

Doesn’t matter how much time passed by, her pain hadn’t reduced even the tiniest bit. Instead, her emotions heightened with the influence of alcohol.

Her soul felt empty, and the void echoed inside of her. She felt like a lifeless shell. “Why is this happening to me? What did I do to end up like this? Why am I betrayed again and again?” She questioned herself.

The introspection caused her more pain than she already had. Tears burst forth like water from a dam, dropping down her cheeks and drenched her top. The passers-by looked at her and pitied her, though they didn’t know the reason.

Drops splashed across the table, onto her vodka glass, but it didn’t bother her. “No matter how hard I cry, nothing inside me feels better,” and Tanvi feared it the most.

She felt suffocated. The passing squatting in her chest left get unable to breathe. It felt like her entire world crashed, and she was all alone.

“Why do the people whom I trust most end up walking away from me? First Dhruv, now Riaan.”

“Dhruv, that name makes me feel more depressed than I already am.” Flashes of Dhruv appeared in her mind’s eye, times when they were happy, the disgusting things he did, the pain he engraved in her nerves.

Shaking her head, Tanvi did her best to clear the memories from her thoughts, but they sucked fast. “It’s been 6 years since we broke up. I thought I moved on but it seems all the wounds I thought healed, were still not patched up.”

Sitting there, empty glasses scattered in front of her, she felt the pain of that first long-ago abandonment as keenly as the day it happened. Not even the burn of the Whisky could numb the old hurt.

His words become true, ‘no man will be with you if you’re like this!!’ Those words, a vice around her heart, squeezing every ounce of pain it could manage. She felt defeated.

“No matter how hard I tried, I still ended up like this. Alone.”

“They treated me like I’m nothing. How can they leave me like that, after giving my all to them? Am I that bad? Am I so unfit for love? Don’t I deserve anyone’s love?”

Falling deeper into the pit of depression, Tanvi hung her head low over the empty glasses, inhaling the sharp scent of residual alcohol. Her torn and tattered heart beat painfully in her chest.

…

Soon. At midnight.

Rudra’s men stand from a safe distance and were observing her every movement. Gazing at her, “she’s crying her heart out from hours. Yet, her tears weren’t getting stopped or dried.” One of the men pitied her.

“I think it’s best to inform Boss.”

“Yes, yes. He’ll take care of her.”

With that, they dialed Rudra.

Sat on the marble-floor, Rudra leaned himself onto the wall. He’s still sipping his wine in an attempt to calm himself.

The peace in the house got disturbed when his ringtone began echoing. Reluctantly, he stood up and reached the living room with faltering steps.

Listening to the tune clearly while racking his messy hair, realization dawned upon him, and he lifted the call almost at the last ring.

“Boss!!! Ms. Tanvi is still in the bar. She’s been drinking non-stop for the last 3hrs.”

Hearing it, his gaze darkened. “What’s the name of the bar??” Rudra demanded. His expression became stoic, his tone ice cold.

Sensing the change in his voice, his man alarmed. “He seems angry.” They panicked when their foreheads creased. Gathered their courage, they managed to say ‘Kyro’ without pissing him off.

“Kyro?” Rudra asked in a gruff tone.

With that, they felt shrills down their spine hearing the authoritative tone. “Yes, Boss.”

“Take care of her. I’ll handle the rest.”

…

The intoxication in him vanished by knowing how she’s hurting herself with alcohol. Checked the time, 01:00 AM. His lips pressed into a thin line and dialed Maahir.

“Boss!” Maahir spoke drowsily.

“I want the chairman of Kyro to contact me, asap!” Rudra commanded.

Maahir stunned by the tone, “why he’s this serious at this time?” Rubbed his eyes, “Kyro? Did they offend him?” He pondered and said, “Okay.”

In a few minutes, a call from an unknown number lit up his screen. “Hi, sir!! I’m Diego. The owner of Kyro.”

“Hm.” He’s trying to keep his temper at bay.

“You wanted me to contact you?”

“Yep.”

Diego’s body trembled with fear by the confirmation. “Sir, Did I offend you by any means??” He managed to ask.

“Shut down the bar immediately.” Rudra asserted in a growling tone.

Diego’s eyes narrowed, “But sir, there’re customers here. How can I do that?”

“Did you know with whom you’re talking?” Rudra’s voice caught Diego when he realized the inner question.

“I… don’t want to displease you, sir.” Diego instantly corrected himself.

“Is it?” A mocking smile lingered across his lips.

“Y… yes, sir.” Diego’s brows scrunched up and he nervously swallowed hard.

“Then do what I say.”

“Okay. I’ll do that, asap.” Diego nodded reluctantly.

“Mm-hmm. I’ll pay for your loss tonight.”

“Thank you so much, sir.”

…