Imagine this hallway in a darker and scarier version.

Started Typing On - 27/11/2018 - Finished Typing On - 29/11/2018

Chapter 28- Ghost House

"Hey Ya Hiriye Sehra Bandh Ke Mai Toh Aaya Re                       
Hey Ya Dolee Barat Bhee Sath Me Mai Toh Laya Re"

(I've come bringing with me a wedding palanquin and a procession.O Heer! I have come wearing the sehra.)

Jaanvi sings loudly--enjoying the moment unlike her sulking husband--and dances, if that's possible, in her seat. She leans forward and increases the radio volume on purpose to annoy the already grumpy Kiaan.

Normally she wouldn't sing in front of others apart from her father and Aditi. They were the only two people she could trust with her life. With Kiaan it's the opposite, she can't even trust him with her food. As Jaanvi believes.

But she's singing in front of him.

her volume increases

even louder, in a very terrible voice, the motivation behind singing awfully was to drive Kiaan nuts.

And it was working.

Slowly and slowly the speed of the car increased, earning a glare from him the same time. Looing frightened was the last thing she wanted to show through her face, Jaanvi couldn't give him the satisfaction.

Getting her act together she continued singing this time using the side window as a drum. She gave him her brightest smile moving around the seat.

"Ab Toh No Hota Hai Ek Roz Intezaar Soni.Aaj Nahi Toh Kal Hai Tujhko Toh Bas Meri Honi Re.Tenu Leke Main Javanga, Dil Deke Main Javanga (x2)"

(Now, I can't wait for even a single day more, my love.
Either today or tomorrow, You are going to be mine.
I'm going to take You away and I'm going to give You my heart)

How can she act so normal after flirting with that man? A man who was not me. NOT ME. I REPEAT, NOT ME. 

He is dead serious while his wife is busy singing happily. Her voice describes, gives the feeling of someone whose won a lottery and is a millionaire now and not someone who's enjoying pissing their spouse off.  As much as he tries to concentrate on driving safely, he can't help but glance at her glowing face under the moonlight. His body radiates anger and hers vibrates in enjoyment, almost in pride, like she's achieved something big. Something out of her reach. 

If only he could read all the possible scenarios running in her head, afraid to die from his hand.

  What's the sentence of murdering someone in India? Isn't it fourteen years? Or life long. Does it matter? I mean, I'd still be dead. Wait. He's not an Indian citizen so does that mean his sentence will be less or more because of his American background? Does that even work? If I die, no, if I get murdered can I request a torturous death for him? He loves the water, I wonder how he'd feel dying because of the lack of oxgen. Oxygen? Right. Yeah. 

"Jaanvi stop" She hears his furious voice. When is he not angry? As much as he tried to control his anger, his wife's face keeps triggering him. She shouldn't behave so normal after walking inside the club late at night acting so oblivious of him. 

"Don't like the song?" She questions innocently, fluttering her eyelashes at him, face tilted, everything about her expression screams evil. Kiaan doesn't like it one bit. 

This is one of her exceptional qualities, to behave the opposite of how she feels. To portray the role of 'I'm perfectly happy and normal' when she's not. Perhaps this is why her father never saw a trace of sadness behind those orbs. 

"Let me change the song then." She mumbles, hand reaches the radio system. 

"Unfortunately I can never listen to that song again." Her spotless and thick dark eyebrows arch. She senses the sarcasm and hidden insult. Stupid because she wants to hear it from his mouth to make sure she's right. 

"Credit goes to you!" He screams, eyes fixed on the road but attention on her. "Don't you dare play a song or sing! I don't want my ears to bleed to death." Kiaan passes the unthoughtful comment which Jaanvi definitely will remember for the rest of her life and bring it in an argument to make him feel like crap. 

But, again, that'll only work if this Hippopotamus has any space for remorse. Wait. If he's a hippopotamus and I'm a cat, what'll our kids be? Polar bears? Or bats? Presenting to the world, the only heiress of Ansh Ahuja's daughter, Jaanvi Ahuja Rajput's (I'm not dropping my surname for this foolish man. Never.) daughter batty and son polly. 

He watches her. Intensely from the corner of his eyes. She's chewing on her index finger, deeply in thought, the crease in her forehead justifies she's in the middle of a very important and intellectual thought. The sophisticated expression (if someone can master that) makes her look so mature and sorted and as if she's planning to change the world. If only poor Kiaan knew. 

Why did I start thinking about this? Not the children but polar bears and bats. That's such a racist thought unintentionally. The polar bear is white and bats are black, I mean, not necessarily but--

"Enlighten me with your holy presence, Goddess Jaanvi." Kiaan uses his theatrical voice of tone, a skill he learnt in drama class. Jaanvi flinches. She looks around herself. Puts her legs on the seat, sitting in a squat position and lifts her body up, peering in the back seat. "What're you doing?" Surprisingly his voice is panicky. 

Is she getting another zombie seizure? Why did I marry her?

"Oh, just casually learning how to surf. Gotta learn those skills to hit the beaches in America. See, I've got everything planned." She cheekily smiles him her fake smile. Her husband is still flabbergasted. So close to ringing his father-in-law for some experienced advice. 

Jaanvi crouches down and bends her body as if someone's pushing her down. Shrinking in size. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Am I getting a panic attack? Is she rubbing onto me? ALREADY? It's been only like, one? Two days!

"Jeez, calm down. I was comparing the height difference of Polar Bears and Bats. It didn't work but eh, I tried." She drops her hand and sits casually on the seat. 

This event has Kiaan seriously wonder, how does she not embarrass herself? Fucken retard. "Why're we talking about bears and bats?" He tries his luck. 

Jaanvi rolls her eyes at the window, gazing out at the dark roads. "Not bears but Polar Bears." She can really be a correcting bee sometimes. Kiaan obviously hated that. "Why're you so interested in my brain? What? You want to steal my innovative ideas?"

"Innovative my foot." To which, she actually lets her eyes linger at his feet. Quick peek but he notices. "Jaanvi, god, grow up."

She clicks her tongue. "Though I've learnt to accept my height and love it (self-love is an important thing, Mr) I wouldn't mind a few inches but I'm over eighteen. Can't grow." Her lips move so precisely as she looks out the window but glances at him once in a while to check his expression and make sure he's listening to her. 

"Will you ever show some of your fathers qualities?" 

"Don't bring my father into this," She warns pointing her index finger at him with rigid expressions. "At least respect him as your father's best friend if not your father-in-law."

He silently mutters an exasperated 'OH, MY GOD,' under his breath. "I'm praising him. But, again, one needs a brain to comprehend the difference between praise and a taunt. Forgot you lack in that department. Is there anything underneath your hair anyways?" He makes a curious yet nasty face to get under her skin. 

Jaanvi huffs in annoyance and scrunches her nose in distaste. His comments are crawling its way over her skin. "Actually I do," he quietly prays she's got a decent and realistic answer to this. "I have a skull." 

Then she thinks of something. Something interesting. To her. Because she flips her body to Kiaan and smiles big. Kiaan's creeped out by the attention he's getting. "I've noticed Skull's, underneath our hair, is so white. I saw Dadi's--"

"I don't want to know. No, thank you." She pouts. "I forgot I'm supposed to be mad at you! Now shut up and stop distracting me." He mutters angrily. 

"I'm distracting you?" She teases. "Of course I am. Jaanvi Ahuja always distracts Kiaan Rajput because he's an idiot."

He thinks for a while. Eyes staring right ahead. He takes a smooth left into a busy road. "I'm an idiot?" She nods. Then, as if to confirm verbally, she mumbles a clear 'yes,' "Then what does that make you? Marrying an idiot surely is a foolish move now, isn't it Mrs Rajput?" He smirks, raising his shoulders in a playful manner. 

There was a long silence. Jaanvi has her anger on the tip of her nose. Narrowing her eyes at him she stares at the dashboard, missing the music.

He asked me to not play songs and sing. He never mentioned anything related to annoying him.

A mischief smile marries on her lips as she eyes her heels. Not wasting any time, Jaanvi starts tapping her feet loudly. Kiaan can hear her and is aware of what she's trying to do. Observing her stunts he increases the speed. 

She's not the only one with temper issues. 

Coming to a corner, Kiaan takes a sharpe turn to the right and parks in front of a house. 

Jaanvi is too busy stomping her feet to recognise her surroundings. She can zone out so quickly, it's astonishing. Kiaan has gotten out of the car, slammed the door shut but his wife pays no heel. Her foot-tapping was interrupted by a vexed Kiaan.  

"Get out!" He yells. She glances to her left only to see his dark eyes glaring at her. 

For the first time after their marriage Jaanvi sees his eyes this dark. They're filled with anger. Frustration. She gulps down her fear, reminding herself her father won't spare him if he murders Jaanvi. Her feet automatically stop because of his voice. When she sees Kiaan parting his zipped lips to speak,  she hurriedly jumps out of the car, behaving like an ideal child. 

"W-Wher--" She gasps halfway into saying her sentence when her eyes fall on the house.  "Farmhouse." She whirls when she doesn't see him. He's locking the car and once he's done he starts stalking to her small figure.

"Cat caught your tongue? Stubborn cat?" He's smirking. Sinisterly. Like an immature teenage boy. Clearly he's enjoying her petrified expressions. It's very rare to witness a particular expression, especially fear, in Jaanvi's face for too long. 

He's definitely proud to be the reason behind it.

His mocking comment irks her. Immature. She wants to prove him wrong. So badly. This always happens. He says something, to get a reaction, and she gives it to him willingly without realizing what she's doing. She pleases him with her attitude without figuring it out. Perhaps, she surely is an idiot as Kiaan claims. 

 Standing right outside the house she looks over her shoulders. As if accepting a silent challenge.  "I'm not scared." She whispers this to herself. Kiaan watches her lips move, saying something, but he hears nothing. Probably another one of her 'mental talking sessions with herself,' God. Who have I married myself to? 

On the other hand, He won't kill me. Would he?

I'm sure he doesn't want to spend his whole life inside the jail. Or does he?

Kaan doesn't hate me that much to kill me. (Ear)

Spending a night in this house wouldn't hurt right? Unless if I find a ghost.

"Ghost!" She says. Swallowing her saliva she walks inside once Kiaan has unlocked the door. 

The last time she visited this place her best friend was with her. This time she was alone. With her crazy husband. The house has around five big bedrooms. A big living room with big bathrooms and kitchen. She hates big houses.

Why do they need five bedrooms? Then she remembers. Uhh, five members. Of course. Family planning went to a little extent in this family, didn't it? Three, three kids. God. Grown-up idiots. Except Dhruv. 

Jaanvi once again recalls something. Actually, nevermind. He's an idiot too. He hid  Kiaan's habit from me. I wish his future wife mixes salt in his tea. 

Her own house was big because of the joint family but her room is in the middle of Ansh's and Jai's. Every time she watched horror movies, she'd sleep with Jai or Rashi in fear of getting attacked by some witch.

"Too many," Kiaan whispered in her ear making her shiver in fear.

His wife can tolerate anything.

Just not ghosts.

Looking at her trembling body Kiaan laces his fingers with hers and steps further inside the house, not before closing the door behind him, of course. He's still anger but can't help and smile seeing her so afraid. 

For once. 

As she walks into the hallway, Jaanvi makes sure to look back every two seconds. The hallway's of any house creeps her out. It gives her a visual of horror movies. This halway is exactly the kind you'll use in scary movies. It's long and dark and never-ending

She's too afraid to ask her husband to switch the light on. What Jaanvi isn't afraid of is jumping because she's prepared herself to some thousand-year-old witch revealing herself to her. Aren't ghosts always looking for young souls? Young bodies? I'm too young! 

Kiaan gazes down at her. In the dark he can't properly make out her expressions but the outline of her trembling body and shaking chin suggests she's not liking this. He smiles goofily. God. I love this.

Her fingers grasp her mangalsutra. (A necklace Indian married women wear) She whispers "Jai hanuman gyan gun sagar" (A prayer you say when you're scared)

"jai hanuman gyan gun sagar"

"jai hanuman gyan gun sagar"

"jai hanuman gyan gun sagar"

All this time, Kiaan who was trying to control his laughter burst out laughing beside her. To Jaanvi's horror, his laughter made her flinch and afterwards jump. She curses him at least five times before hitting his forearm, angry. 

The whole way walking into the bedroom they remain quiet. His unexpected laughter had scared her. I hope the worse female spirts come in his dream and eat him alive. 

Jaanvi's hair is slightly pulled for attention and she screams. 

"Ahhhh"  Her eyes are shut tightly and she moves her body to the wall as an instant reaction to terror. She covers her face with her hands, too frightened to look at a witch or ghost wearing a classic Indian white saree with a candle lit up in her hand. 

It only looks good in movies. Jaanvi swears she'll never watch a horror movie again. 

She's shivering in fear and warm tears roll down her round cheeks.

Kiaan's genuinely amused to watch the all tough-looking Jaanvi crying like a baby. Just to enjoy the scene a little more he says, "I heard you've been a bad wife." He tries mimicking a witch's voice. 

The luck is in his favour because she's actually shaking. The dark long hallway is freaking her out that she's blocked her senses in a cage. 

All she thought was, I'm going to get possessed by this witch/spirit and die.

She shakes her head negatively instantly after hearing the strange voice.

Kiaan narrows his eyes at her. "You're lying." He mutters in a creepy tone. Drama class could be so useful, I never imagined. "I will punish you. You need to respect, no, you should respect and take good care of your husband. From what--"  he's interrupted by her historical sobs.

"P-please. G-go, i-I'm o-only t-twenty f-five t-to y-young t-to die. I-I can't die! L-least l-let me eat cakes b-before I-I die. A-and i-I'll bring my hu-husband along. H-he pr-promised t-to st-stay with me. B-but that's not t-the point! I-I do-don't w-want to die." She cries. Eyes remain shut.  s

"What the fuck? So if you're getting shot you'll drag me along with you? I never signed up for that." He loses the plot hearing her trembling words. WHAT?

"N-no, I'm so-sorr--" Her voice trails off upon paying close attention to what was said. Removing her hands from her red face, his wife opens her eyes slowly to see Kiaan's not so pleased face in front of her.

"N-no ghost?" She questions franticly looking around the hallway. He wanted to hit his head with a brick. It was quite obvious there isn't any ghost around but Jaanvi's too startled to think. He shakes his head negatively. Jaanvi's face beams into a bright joy. Kiaan can see the smile because he'd switched the light on a few minutes ago when she was busy crying. "I'm safe!"

His eyes fall on her dress and remember the reason why he brought her here in the first place. His face turns colder than before and retreats to shoot daggers at her.

"Not really." He reaches out for her arm and pulls her into his bedroom. There is no need to lock the door since they are alone yet he locks it with a loud thud. As if to make a point. She moves away from him. His well-built figure stalks towards her in rage, terrifying his wife.

"Why were you at the club?" He inquires not so nicely and stands only an inch away from her. His brown orbs keep a direct eye-contact, as if fishing for answers. 

"W-why w-were you t-there?" Her confidence level is decreasing second by second because of his intense gaze on her.

"I asked first! I don't want a question in return." Kiaan's reply is demanding. The eye contact still strong.  

"Th-there's a t-thing ca-called ladies f-first."

"JAANVI!" He shouts losing his temper. He wants a straightforward answer. Gripping her arm firmly he keeps staring into her eyes, demanding for the truth.

"I don't want you to drink, okay?!" She shouts showing the anger, annoyance, sadness and sudden confidence that builds inside her. "I hate alcoholics! J-just don't drink! Please. I came there to meet y--"

"Wearing this?" He eyes her knee-length dress.

"Why? Any problem? I saw other girls wearing a shorter dress then this at the club! Where YOU were." She snaps. "Don't you dare point a finger at my clothes." She warns, pointing her index finger at him. 

Thr problem isn't her dress for him. She can wear whatever she wants. It's her choice. The big problem for Kiaan was and is Jaanvi's presence at a club. She's never been to a club before--according to him--and he's concered because people aren't always kind. She may be independent but she's not capable enough to save herself from evil people. 

Of course, Kiaan being himself, will not directly admit he was and still is worried for her. So he chose to comment on her clothes, using it as a barrier to argue with her. 

Sighing in anger he responds with the same amount of aggression as her, "People get drunk there! All sorts of people come there Jaanvi! You can't just walk in there hoping to stop me from drinking. What if I wasn't there, then?" He can't bring himself to believe how irresponsible she can be.

She's my responsibility now. He wouldn't be able to look into his father-in-laws eyes if something had happened to her. 

"I wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for you." Her finger jabs into his chest, slightly pushing him back. Away from her. "Next time, you'd see worse, Mr Rajput. If I h-hate something, I get rid of it. As quickly as I can." Her tone's strong. It shows how angry she