Keshav's POV:

I was sweating in bed. For some reason, I had a scratchy throat from morning and had to return home early from work because of a damn headache. The heat wasn't helping at all.

"Bhaiya aapke paas itne angrezi kitabe kyu hai?" Saarang asked. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by my books. Even though I adored the kid, he always made a mess of my room.

(Bhaiya, why do you have so many English books with you?)

"Agar tumhe padhna nahi hai toh kamre se jao," I muttered, "Sar dard kar raha hai." I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to sleep with my forehand over my eyes.

(If you don't want to read, then go out of the room. My head is aching.)

There was a knock on the door, and I assumed it was Sanjana. She had probably brought hot water to ease my throat.

"Agar Didi hai toh darvaza khol do," I muttered.

Saarang opened the door, and I heard his chirpy voice asking her to come in, but there was silence on the other end. When I peeked at her, my heart dropped. It wasn't Sanjana, but Payal.

"A-aap... A-aap yaha?!" I sat up immediately. She was flustered as well because I was shirtless. Payal turned, mumbling an apology, and I scrambled to put on my shirt.

(Y-you... It was y-you?!)

I didn't care if Sanjana saw me like that. But Payal was an entirely different story. What the hell was she even doing here?

"Darvaza kholne ke liye mana kiya tha na?!" I hissed at Saarang, who narrowed his eyes at me, "Par aapne toh Didi ke liye kholne ko kaha tha... Aur yeh Payal Didi hai." The troublemaker smiled. I badly wanted to kick him out of my room.

(Didn't I tell you not to open the door?!)

(But you said I should open it if it's Didi... And this is Payal Didi.)

"Aap... Ab m-mud sakte hai..." I mumbled. She turned to face me again, the flush in her cheeks still prominent. Did she have no inhibitions either? Being a married woman and barging into a bachelor's den. It was highly inappropriate.

(I- er... I'm decent now...)

"Thakurain Ji bacho ke saath vyast thi... Isliye unse puchkar aa gayi aapko pani dene ke liye. Isme davai bhi hai... Aapka bukhar kam ho jaega. Phirse maafi chahti hu..." She said softly and made a pathetic attempt at fixing her veil.

(Thakurain Ji is busy with the children... So I came here after asking her to bring you water. There's medicine in it as well... Your fever will go down. I'm sorry again...)

"Shukriya," I replied and took the glass. Payal nearly flinched when our fingers brushed. If she was so terrified, then why would she wander alone here?

My fever was only getting worse because of her.

She let her eyes roam over my room quietly, while I tried to study her features. The first time I noticed her was when she bumped into me in the kitchen. Honestly, the way she had glared back then terrified me... And since then, I couldn't think of anyone but her. Every time she walked into a room, I watched her from afar. Every time she passed by me on Jagdish's bike, it felt like something was clawing at my heart.

When I found her at the railway station two years back, it looked like she was about to run away from home. She had been crying, and she looked all alone. That was the first time I talked with her properly. And since then, she's been trying to get close to me quietly. But whenever I try to reciprocate, she runs away.

If my math was right, Payal was about twenty by now. Three years younger than me. It was quite surprising that she didn't have any kids with that bastard, and I didn't know why it felt like a relief as well.

"Yeh saari kitabe... Aapki hai...?" She asked in surprise, staring at my unkempt stack of books in every corner of the room.

(All these books... Are they yours...?)

I rubbed the back of my head, "Uh... Saari nahi. Inme se bahut saare Bhairav Bhaiya ke the..."

(Uh... Not all of them. Some belonged to Bhairav Bhaiya...)

She hummed. I noticed how she slowly got lost admiring a dusty book on my table, and she flipped through its pages.

What was I doing?

This was probably the first and last time in my life that a girl would be in my room like this.

I emptied the glass of hot water quickly and handed it to Saarang, "Jaakar rasoi mei rakhkar aao."

(Go keep this in the kitchen.)

"Par-"

(But-)

I pushed him outside the room before he could protest anymore. Payal clutched her pallu a little tighter when she realised that we were alone now. The last thing I wanted was for her to get scared of me. But unlike my brothers, I hadn't even held hands with a woman yet. It wasn't because I was scared of physical intimacy, but I just didn't find any appeal in it if there was no emotional intimacy involved. So in short, I couldn't fool around with women for the sake of having fun. I wanted a connection first.

I wondered if my brothers would laugh at me, but I didn't care anymore.

"A-apke paas... Itne angrezi kitabe hai..." She said nervously. I realised that she was trying to ease the tension.

(Y-you have... quite a lot of English books...)

"Haan... Angrezi kitabe pasand hai mujhe," I smiled, "Aapko angrezi padhna aata hai?"

(Yes... I like English books. Do you know how to read English?)

"Sirf kuch shabd jaanti hu..." She blushed, looking away and back at the books. I stood beside her quietly and watched her flip through the pages.

(Only a few words...)

Just a little closer, and I'd be able to smell her. But when I took that step, Payal cleared her throat, "M-mujha ab jaana go... Aapko pareshan karne ke liye maafi chahta hu. Aapka tabiyat ka khayal rakhiye."

(I- I think... I should go. I'm sorry for disturbing you. Please take care of your health.)

No. I couldn't let her leave like that. Fuck, I shouldn't have moved closer. That probably frightened her. I'd give anything to make her stay with me longer.

"Rukiye... Ek minute," I went through my books desperately as she paused and stared at me. "Ah, mil gaya. Aap yeh kitab rakh lijiye. Bachpan mei Bhaiya ne diya tha..." I smiled. 'The Jungle Book' was a classic and the first book that my oldest brother had gotten for me. I had adored it very much.

(Please wait... One minute.)

(Ah, found it. You can keep this book. Bhaiya gave me this book when I was young...)

Payal gasped, refusing it immediately, "Aapke Bhaiya ne aapko di thi... Mai kaise...?"

(This was given to you by your brother... How can I...?)

"Uske baare mei socho mat," I pushed the book towards her, "Aapko bhi yeh kitab bahut pasand aayegi."

(Don't worry about that. You'll also like the story very much.)

She sighed and took it finally before mumbling, "Mai padhne ke baad zaroor lautaungi."

(I'll definitely return it after reading.)

She smiled at me. Damn, she smiled, and I smiled back like an idiot without knowing what to say.

"Shukriya..." She blushed and hurried out of the door.

(Thank you...)

I was so screwed. She smiled in that strange way, and now it was all I could think about. Jagdish, that lucky bastard... It should have been me instead.

The room was suddenly empty, and all that was left were traces of her warm scent. I grabbed a random book and banged my head against it.

She was married, for god's sake.

Since I read so many Western books and watched films, true love was something I strongly believed in.

But now it felt forbidden. What the hell was I doing?

It would ruin the girl's reputation, and mine as well. Was I an idiot?