The Vixen - Chapter 9

As the evening progressed, Tanya went on drinking at the fastest rate. Anupam kept handing her beer bottles, and it seemed like she was gulping them down. The more she drank, the more uninhibited she behaved. Her laughing threshold seemed to have reduced to almost nothing, and she laughed at the drop of a hat.

Somehow, even though it was a fun evening, and Anoop kept them entertained with the hilarious stories from his childhood, Nandini couldn’t enjoy, owing to the way Tanya seemed to be behaving. Gargi seemed too caught up with Rishabh and Nandini was not sure whether she shared the same sentiment.

As Anupriti and family joined the elders group, they called Rishabh, Gargi and Anupam for finalising the décor and some last minute changes in catering. That left just Nandini, Tanya, Nimish and Anoop in the patio.

Nandini saw the way Tanya’s demeanour completely changed the moment Anupam left. She turned completely to face Anoop, her dress riding above her crossed thigh so that her thigh was blatantly visible. She turned her back towards Nandini and Nimish, as if they didn’t exist. Even Anoop seemed to sense it and he seemed uncomfortable for a moment.

“So, tell me Anoop, do you have a girl friend?” she asked him in a slurred voice that screamed flirtation.

Nandini cleared her throat, hoping to remind Tanya that she had audience. But Tanya ignored her and continued unabashaedly staring at Anoop, swaying slightly.

Anoop cleared his throat too.

“Well, not at the moment,” he replied, looking over at Nandini.

Nandini nodded at him, letting him know she understood his predicament. He didn’t want to sound rude, but at the same time he was finding Tanya’s behaviour extremely awkward.

“I don’t believe that. A handsome and intelligent guy like you, and no girl friend? Not true,” Tanya purred.

Nimish shifted in his seat. Nandini suddenly became aware of her younger brother’s presence and wondered whether she should ask him to go inside. Should she leave too?

Anoop stayed silent, and still, his body rigid.

The air screamed of awkwardness and tension. But not for Tanya.

“Wow, look at your muscles. Do you work out regularly?” she asked, lifting her hand to place on Anoop’s arm. Anoop shifted and avoided her touch, but continued being polite.

“Yes, I go to the gym. Two hours every day,” he said, trying to avert his eyes from Tanya and towards Nandini.

Nandini had absolutely no idea what to do. It seemed like she and her brother were encroaching on the personal space of lovers. Only difference was, Tanya and Anoop were not lovers. And she couldn’t abandon Anoop. So inspite of how humiliating it felt to witness this freak show, she stayed put.

“I can see that. I love guys with bulging muscles. And yours seem to be tearing at your sleeves,” Tanya hiccoughed and began laughing.

No one at the table found it funny.

Disgusted with her behaviour, Nimish got up and left.

Anoop looked at Nandini, and his eyes pleaded with her not to leave him. She nodded. And hoped that the others, especially Anupam would return soon.

“So tell me, what kind of girls do you like,” Tanya continued.

Anoop again cleared his throat.

“I like intelligent girls,” he said, and Nandini almost laughed. She would have, had the situation not been so bloody tense.

“Wow, that’s sexy,” Tanya said, swaying closer to him.

Anoop had had it. He abruptly got up.

“I -I- excuse me,” he said and went inside.

Nandini was staring at Tanya daggers drawn. But Tanya never even acknowledged her presence, she just took another big gulp of the beer bottle in her hand, banged it back on the table, got up and left inside.

Nandini took a few seconds to calm herself before she got up and went to the living room.

Everyone in there was gathered around the central carpet, pouring over what seemed to be photographs of décor and lists of menu. No one noticed her. she looked around. Nimish sat on a chair. Looking tense. But she could neither see Anoop nor Tanya.

She walked over to Nimish and asked him if he had seen Anoop.

He went to the toilet, Nimish replied.

Before she could ask him if he had seen Tanya, a loud scream reverberated across the house.

Everyone was startled, and Anupam, Rishabh, Gargi, and Nandini rushed towards the source of the scream.

They found Anoop standing outside the wash room, his hands wet, and a shocked expression on his face.

Tanya sat down huddled across from him, holding her top which seemed to have been torn at the front buttons. Her eyes looked blood red and it had been her scream.

In an instant, Anupam was beside her, wrapping his arms around her protectively as she began hysterically crying into his arms.

“I-I didn’t do anything,” Anoop mumbled, visibly horrified.

Anupam looked up, his face rigid, jaw set, angry like Nandini had never seen him before.

“He…he…he pounced on me, and….,” Tanya said, pointing towards Anoop and began crying again.

Anupam looked up at Anoop.

“Get. Out. of. My. House. Now.” He said, teeth clenched.

Before Anoop could say anything, Rishabh came to his defense.

“Mind your words Anupam. He is my guest, and he would never do this,” he said, his fists clenched.

Gargi stood looking from Anupam to Anoop and back, dumb founded, completely at loss for words.

Nandini couldn’t tolerate this nonsense anymore.

“She’s lying,” she said, looking at Anupam. “I saw the way she was flirting with Anoop, drunk and trying to touch him,” she said.

“Nandini, were you here when this happened?” Anupam asked, his voice still brimming with a cold anger.

“Anupam you weren’t there when she was flirting with..”

"Were you here? Did you see?" Anupam asked, his pitch higher.

Nandini wanted to snap at him but she controlled her self.

"Anupam.." Gargi tried, moving forwards, towards Anupam.

"Gargi, you stay out of this," Anupam hisse.

Gargi stepped back.

There was pindrop silence, only interrupted by Tanya's hysterical sobs.

“GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE. ALL OF YOU,” Anupam screamed all of a sudden.

By then, the elders too had gathered around. Shalini aunty came and picked up Tanya, and escorted her to her room.

Puri uncle went on to calm Anupam. But Anupam was in no mood to listen.

“This man molested my fiancée. I wont tolerate this nonsense,” he screamed at his father.

“Anupam, relax. We don’t know for sure…” Puri uncle tried to say.

“So you think Tanya is lying? That she tore her clothes herself and is crying foul?” he asked.

“That is exactly what happened,” Nandini said. She felt so angry that she could feel her entire body trembling.

But before Anupam could say anything, it was Rishabh who spoke.

“We are leaving Gargi. The wedding is off,” and with that, the Ahuja family, with a visibly shaken Anoop, stormed off.

Nandini’s family followed suit. No one tried to stop anyone. Nandini exchanged a glance with Gargi before she left, and could see her cheeks turning into waterfalls of tears.

Nandini couldn’t sleep that night.

Tanya had destroyed everything. Gargi was heartbroken. Anupam was angry, convinced that Tanya was right. He had become blind in her love and couldn’t see the truth. Somebody needed to show it to him.

She messaged Gargi to see if she was alright. But of course there was no way Gargi could be alright after what happened. She had not even seen her messages.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. Nandini looked up. It was Nimish. He too looked wide awake even though it was well past midnight.

“Can’t sleep?” Nandini asked him, sitting up in her bed.

He shrugged and came and sat down at her foot end.

“What was all that?” he asked.

“I don’t know why Tanya is doing all of this. But I know Anoop didn’t do it,” she said.

Nimish looked down at his feet, probably contemplating how to say whatever he wanted to say.

“Something more happened today,” he said finally, “And I am feeling guilty. Would all of this have been prevented if I had told someone immediately what happened?” he asked, his voice weak with emotions.

“What happened Nimish?” Nandini asked.

“When we all were sitting outside, I mean the four of us, and Tanya was bantering shamelessly, you remember I abruptly got up and left?” he asked.

“Yes,” Nandini replied.

“Even as she was flirting with Anoop, Tanya slid her leg from under the table and had began moving it up my calf. That is why I got up and left,” he said.

It took a moment for Nandini to grasp what he was saying.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. What had Anupam gotten himself into? What was he doing to their family?

“I should have told Anupam right away, right?” Nimish asked.

“No…no Nimish. Don’t you see, Anupam has become blind in her love. He cant see anything beyond her. even if you had told him he wouldn’t have believed you. take it from me,” Nandini said, squeezing Nimish’s hand.

“And now I am scared to think what would have happened had it been you instead of Anoop in the washroom? She would have done the same to you,” Nandini exclaimed, her heart racing at the realisation.

But Nimish shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“Why do you say that?” Nandini asked.

“I don’t know what her intentions were for me. But I have a feeling Anoop was her specific target for what she did tonight. I have a feeling that she was hell bent on breaking Gargi’s alliance, any which way, and she did just that,” Nimish said.