A New Vibarth FF (Chapt 5 (continue),Sept 2 pg8) - Page 3

Complete Chapter 2

He hadn't planned on keeping her out this long. Actually, come to think of it he hadn't really planned very far. In the heat of his emotions, all he had planned was to take her with him. He didn't know how to make everything right again. He didn't even know where to start. However, as unplanned as this night was, it turned out that it was need for the both of them. He needed to be reminded that she had loved him as much he loved her. There were moments that it didn't seem possible that she felt the same way, especially considering that she had seemed beyond his reach. And she needed to be reminded that she wasn't the only one in this relationship. He needed her to know that he would do anything to make sure that he was right by her side, even if it seemed out of his hands,.

He knew he wasn't very talkative and that it sometime didn't work in his favour. And even though he couldn't find the words to tell her so, he hoped that she knew.

He looked over to her.

She was staring at the sky. He would have thought that she was again miles away, but her constantly rubbing small circles in the palm of his hand told him that she wasn't. She just seemed to be relaxing. But they had already taken too much time. They needed to return.

"Vibha, we should get goi..."

"You know, I still don't know you"

"Huh?"

Parth was confused as to her train of thought, but more afraid of where she was heading with it. Was she trying to distance herself again?

"You know more about me than I do about you. You know what I used to do in school. You know my likes and dislikes. But, I don't know what you like or don't. Do you even like chocolate?"

"Sometimes, it depends."

"That doesn't even make sense. How can someone not like chocolate and what do you mean it depends?"

Vibha had always had two sides to her. She played the role of a teacher, one that seemed to have way too many responsibilities and was always desperately trying to prove herself. And to the core, she was the childish and light-hearted girl that was beside him now. So he expected her teasing, and her aimless conversations. But this seemed way too normal. Parth pulled her hand to have her slide closer to him and held her hand to his chest.

"This isn't about my like or dislike of chocolate. What is this really about?"

He heard her take a sharp breath and felt her grab his shirt.

"I am afraid that I may not get another chance to ask you these questions"

"What do you mean?"

"It already seems we had to steal this time. I don't know how much more time we will get and am afraid I won't get another chance to ask you"

He began gently running his hands over her hair trying to sooth her and hoping that she wouldn't break into tears. They both had cried enough.

"All of my time, it belongs to you. I am not going to let anyone steal it away. I found a way today and will find one tomorrow and the days after that. You know after a year, this dilemma will be over, but I still won't let that year go just like that. You will get time to ask me all the questions you can think off, although knowing you I pray you won't ask them all in one go."

She smiled.

"Maybe I will ask you all those questions in one go. Just to see how long it takes before you get tired of answering"

Parth jumped of the jeep. He picked her up and carried her to the passenger's side before getting in himself. The entire ride was spent in silence again. As Parth drew closer to her house, the pounding in her chest increased. They had managed to escape for a few hours, but now the reality seemed to be crashing around her. The worries that she had placed in the back of her mind, were now forefront and seeping into everything.

Parth parked in front of her building and got out to help her out. But she made no notion of getting out and instead sat with her arms crossed.

"How am I supposed to get back home?"

"The way we came. Up the pipe"

Vibha turned to glare at him.

"Parth! It was different climbing down, but going up? Couldn't you bring a ladder or something?"

"I hadn't planned this. What do you propose?"

"You climb up the pipe first and then pull me up"

Parth sighed. She had turned a normal man into a circus monkey. He started to climb while Vibha disinterestedly started playing with her phone. When Parth was half way up the pipe, he heard commotion coming from the ground. He looked down to see dadi coming out and talking to Vibha.

Then it clicked. She had just tricked him. Here he was half way up a stupid pipe and she had just messaged her dadi to come down to get her. He spotted her smirking as she headed inside, leaving him still hanging on the pipe. He shook his head as he climbed back down. When it came to her and her mischief, he would have to take each step with great caution.

As he was driving off, he spotted her standing in the balcony watching him leave. He hated watching her grow blurry in the rear view mirror, but at least he would get to see her tomorrow.

Vibha had watched him drive away until she could no longer make out his jeep. Still afraid that as he disappeared from her sight, he would also do so from her life. But she settled the pounding in her chest by continuously reminding herself of the promises he had made to her. And she would keep reminding herself of those words until the next time she saw him. Whenever that would be.

Parth had driven straight and fast again. He wanted to catch as much sleep as he could before he would drive back. He entered his room and crashed right after setting his alarm of three hours later. Though, he woke before the alarm even went off and rushed to get ready.

"Ma, I am heading out"

"Wait! Have some breakfast"

He wanted to avoid her husband as much as he could. But it didn't seem like today that was possible. So he unwillingly took a seat at the table and half-heartedly ate what little food he could digest. 

"Go directly to the shop. You are working while you are staying here"

Parth looked up from his food and found the man in question staring right at him. His stare may have frightened him before, but now it just seemed to anger him. So he left his food and stood up the leave.

"No, I am not"

"You have to earn your keep if you are going to continue to stay under my roof"

"You don't pay me remember!"

Parth didn't know how he managed to control his voice, but he could feel that control leaving.

"I let you stay here!"

He raised his hand and though Parth could have stopped him, he let him hit him. Then Parth grabbed his stepdad's collar and backed him into the wall.

"This is my father's house. That store you pride yourself on was bought by my father's insurance money. Nothing here belongs to you."

But before Parth could continue, his mother pushed him off and slapped him. He stood shocked. Her slap had hurt more than his stepdad's. He could feel his eyes beginning to sting.

"Yeah, this right here, this is right"

He spat the words at her. He didn't understand how someone could have such blurred definition of right and wrong. And he didn't wait for her to respond. He turned to leave, but before he back at his stepdad.

"Next time, I dare you to hit me"

Parth was driving back to see Vibha. He had forgotten to get her cell number and didn't even know if she was expecting him this early. But he really wanted to see her as soon as he could. He could still feel the sting on his cheek and in his eyes. There was so much in his life that he didn't understand. At times, it felt unfair to bring her into his life, especially after this morning. She didn't deserve his type of life, she deserved better.

As badly as he had wanted to see her, he observed that he had unintentionally slowed down his speed. Maybe if he arrived a little later then the redness in his eyes and cheek would disappear. He could hide the events of this morning from her and allow himself to forget about them himself. As he drove a little slower, he kept replaying every word said by each of them, trying to find a way to calm the storm raging within. He hoped that by the time he stood in front of her house, his mood would be better.

 Vibha had been awake for the past two hours and slept only a few hours. She had been trying to recall every word of last night in detail. He had said that he would find a way and find time to spend together. He had said that, but had he mentioned that he would be coming today as well? If so, then had he mentioned when he would be coming?

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't recall him mentioning a time. It frustrated her that she had no clue when they would meet again and hadn't even bothered to ask him last night. But it made her even angrier at herself for finding the time to ask him if he liked chocolate. She knew that she shouldn't expect him to be here so soon, especially considering she had been checking her balcony every 15 minutes for the first hour. He had after all left this morning and taken a four drive back. It would take him that much longer to get here, that is if he was even planning on coming.

She groaned into her pillow. Everything seemed to frustrate her, especially the waiting. She had tried distracting herself by having breakfast with her family, then doing countless chores. She had even organizes her books at least ten times, and the last time by the number of pages each book had. Still, nothing seemed to pass the time. It wasn't even ten in the morning and already she was out of ways to distract herself. She had decided. She wasn't leaving her room today. Or else, no one would be able save the outside world from her mood.

Dadi, aware of her granddaughter's mood, had wisely chosen to stay out of her room. She had always been able to protect and help her granddaughter with all her troubles and a lot of the time she had been the only one that Vibha had shared her problems with. But even she knew to stay out of Vibha's way, as there was no telling what the girl would do. Dadi didn't even dare open Vibha's door after she heard the groaning and frustrated sighs coming from her room.  Dadi decided to make herself scarce and went to the balcony to enjoy her morning tea. But as she gazed at the view, she almost dropped her cup in shock.

Parth had reached her building relatively early in the morning. The streets had been abuzz with shopkeepers opening for the day, milkmen and postmen running their daily errands and kids awaiting their school buses. He had always pitied people that had to be up even before the sun, but now it seemed his pity was a waste. There was something serene about the mornings. It was like for a few hours, the streets were rid of the days rush and the Indian summer heat. The city was instead covered with light morning fog and coolness was present in the air. He finally felt the events of this morning leave him. But another problem stood in front of him, in the form of a large storey building.

Last night, he was able to sneak in without alerting her parents. But today was different. He had been looking at her balcony for the past hour and she still hadn't come out. He could climb through the balcony again, but he was pretty sure that was not the way she wanted to him to meet her parents. So instead, he just sat in his jeep waiting to catch sight of her. He figured that since he was parked right in front her building, that when she came down she would spot. So he just had to wait until she came down. In the meantime, he figured there was no harm in closing his eyes for a few moments.

If Dadi hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed. The only sign that Parth hadn't slept here all night was his change of clothes. But he must have only had a few hours of sleep and was catching up on it now. Here he was waiting of her granddaughter and there she was demolishing her room awaiting him. Dadi shook her head as she cautiously headed towards her granddaughter's room.

"Vibha beta"

"Kya hai Dadi?"

Dadi flinched slightly, but remained at the entrance of her room.

"You haven't been out all morning. Why don't you go to the market? Or meet some friends"

"Mood nahi hai"

"Vibha! Understand, na! Go to the market"

Dadi would have told her clearly, if it weren't for her parents sitting in the living room and listening to every word.

"Dadi, please na, mood nahi hai"

God, her frustrating granddaughter. She would have to be slightly stricter.

"Vibha! Go!"

Vibha was startled at the tone her dadi had taken. She had enough of her grandmother's scolding in the past to know that she shouldn't test her patience any longer. So frustrated she picked up her bag and stormed out of the house.

Vibha was already in a bad mood, and now she would have to deal with being pushed around in the crowd. As she stepped out of her building, she stopped in her tracks. She knew that black jeep and she knew the sleeping form even better. But how was the possible? How long had he been waiting? It must have been a while, since he had actually fallen asleep.

As she walked toward him, she took in his entire form. He was sporting a black button shirt with light jeans. Even in the colors of their clothes they differed. Here she was in an uplifting yellow salwar and he was sporting a dark black. His head was tilted to the side with a few of his hair strands covering his eyes. She gently rubbed her hand along the side of his face, but he only stirred and didn't actually wake up. He felt a little cool to her touch, as if he had been outside for a while.

All her frustration and bad mood vanished. She smiled. He had been waiting for her and she had been waiting for him. She would have continue to run her fingers through his hair as he slept, but she started becoming aware of the looks they were receiving from onlookers.

"Parth"

"Hmmm"

He still hadn't opened his eyes, but somehow had managed to place his hand over her hand that was on his chest. She gently shook him and then only did he begin to open his eyes. He looked up at her with confusion, as if he didn't know where he was and how she was here. He may have opened his eyes, but he wasn't completely awake yet. He looked a little adorable as he was waking up, but she would never tell him that.

He finally smiled and she knew he was fully awake now.

"Hi"

She liked his voice right after he woke up. It had a little gravel and softness to it that was normally lacking.

"Hi! When did you get here?"

Parth just shrugged in response. He hadn't really noticed the time, but it had been early. He didn't want her to know how little sleep he had actually gotten. He got out from his jeep and was about to hug her when he notice where they were. It was probably best not to hug her in front of her house, where her parents could see them. So instead he went around the jeep and opened the passenger door for her.

"I am here now. What did you want to do today?"

He brought the jeep to life and was about to start to drive when she threw a bag into his lap. He looked up at her in confusion.

"I have to go to the market"

"Chores! I hate chores"

He banged his head against his seat and pouted in disappointed. Vibha let out a chuckle.

"It's only a small chore. And then we have the rest of the day"

Parth smiled as he drove them to the market. He had always hated the market. There were always too many vendors and too many people. There never seemed to be enough room to even more around, let alone shop properly. But for some reason, doing such a mundane and tedious chore with Vibha excited him. They had been in the market for the past hour despite her claiming it wouldn't take that long. He refused to let her hand go the entire time as she guided them through the rush of the crowd. And now he held the bag of already purchased vegetables and watched her arguing with yet another vendor. She seemed to take extreme pleasure in fighting over a few rupees, but it seemed endearing to him. In school she had always seemed constrained, as if constantly afraid of making a wrong move. And now here she was passionately fighting over a few rupees. He liked it when she fought.

"Parth, does this taste fresh?"

Before Parth could acknowledge what she had said, she had already stuffed half a tomato in his mouth. After he got over the shock, he tried to chew.

"Well?"

He tried answering, but his mouth was still too full. He just glared at her while trying to chew faster. Finally giving up, he just swallowed what was remaining.

"I don't know. Tomato taste like tomato"

Vibha shook her head and returned to her argument with the vendor.  If he allowed her to, then she would spend the rest of the day arguing with the vendor. But he wanted some time alone.

"Vibha, let's go."

"But he is trying to get me to overpay"

Parth glared at the vendor and the vendor stuffed more tomatoes in a hurry. Vibha smiled triumphantly as she let Parth grab her and the bag and lead them back to the jeep. Parth collapsed in his seat and tried to catch his breath again.

"I never knew how dangerous it was to go shopping with you. Even the vendors seem afraid of you"

"Hmm...good, now maybe now you know not to mess with me"

Parth gave her a small smile before driving them away to the spot they had gone yesterday. He led her to the tree in the clearing and made her sit against the trunk while he lay with his head on her lap. She continued to run her fingers through his hair while he stayed still with his eyes closed. His even breathing had told her that he had already fallen asleep.

Since the morning, she knew something was wrong. The redness in his eyes wasn't just because of the little sleep he had gotten. He had been too quiet in the morning, even for him. Plus she hadn't missed the hint of moisture in his eyes after he woke up and before he realized she was in front of him. But, his mood had gotten better as the day went. She wanted to know what was bothering him, but didn't want to risk making his mood worse again. So, she just let him catch up on some rest before she asked him.

Since she had first seen him, he had always seemed rude and strict. He didn't like to talk much or smile. But the few words he had said made a world of difference. And the few times he did smile, it made her feel special to be the reason behind them. As she ran her fingers across his restful face, it dawned on her that this was who he was. By some miracle, despite the struggles in his life, the innocence in him had remained untarnished. As strict as he seemed, he was sensitive enough to shed tears and concern for strangers, even if it had just been a film.

He began to stir and slowly started to wake up. He squinted his eyes as he looked up at her. And then began rubbing his eyes to rid himself of the remaining sleep. She smiled at his childlike innocence.

"Parth"

"Hmm"

"You feel better now? Rested?"

He nodded his head, but made no move to get up from her lap. Instead, he grabbed her hand and held it to his chest.

"How long was I sleep?"

"Not long"

The sun was now shining full and bright.  He knew she was omitting the truth, but he didn't question it. She probably could see that he needed the rest and so she had allowed him to sleep this late.

"I wasn't sure you were going to come today"

He looked up at her in confusion. Hadn't he mentioned that he was going to come see her today?

"Why?"

"I just... you just mentioned coming to see me. We never really discussed when."

She looked away in embarrassment. She didn't exactly know the rules or steps in being in a relationship. She didn't know how much was too much. She didn't want to seem too demanding or overly attached, but at the same time she wanted to see him as much as she could.

Parth reached up to brush her cheek and she turned back to look at him again.

"Everyday.  I told you, you have all the right over all my time. Yes, I may need to go back after each day, but I will be back every morning.  You may not believe that now, but I will keep proving it to you."

Dammit. He didn't say much, but when he did he was always able to stir something in her. Even now, she avoided his gaze so that he couldn't see the effect he had on her with merely words. She took a few moments until she knew that her eyes wouldn't betray and then look down at him again. He had been watching her the entire time. She was pretty sure he had seen her eyes water up, but thankfully he didn't bring it up. He just smiled and kissed her hand before holding it back against his chest again.

"Parth"

"Hmmm"

He had closed his eyes again, but wasn't about to fall asleep. He had enough sleep, but he needed rest. His entire body was in a state of relaxation, which he had been desperately missing since he had left her yesterday.

"Will you tell me what was bothering you this morning?"

She felt his body tense under her touch and his breath hitch slightly. But his eyes were still closed. He took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes to look at her.  Her question had initially shocked him. He didn't know how she managed to know something had been bothering, but she had. He didn't feel hesitancy in sharing anything with her, but he was afraid of her reaction. As much as he knew her, she was still at times unpredictable. He just wanted to prolong her knowing about that part of his life and hopefully keeping her away from it. But he guessed if he expected her to share his problems with him, then he would have to learn do the same for her.

"First promise you won't cry or stress"

"Hey! It isn't like I like crying. I can't control it"

"I suppose that's true. But for every tear, I get a kiss"

Vibha looked away to hide the redness and warmth that spread across her face.

"Parth!"

"That is the deal. Take it or leave it"

"Fine! For ever tear that falls and I get to decide where to kiss you."

"Deal"