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Does this make you happy??😉
Impt: I will be a little busy till the end of this month. So, updates will be a little slower.
Pls bear with me.
P.S Some of you asked me if this is same as the movie Mujhse dosti karoge. Guys, Yes! It is a sequel to the movie. I had clearly mentioned in the Prologue. Do check it.
13.So This Is How The World Felt Like...
Fall came and turned everything into golden and red and brown. Tress shed their leaves and the chill set in. She walked along the sidewalk, pulling her cardigan close to her body. The temperature had dropped a couple of Fahrenheit and the cold was slowly seeping in. The warm cocoon of her house was not a very good place to keep her locked in. She needed air. And hence, she had walked out, lost in her thoughts. She was done with her internship, she was done with the last week of her 10th floor assignment and more than anything else, it had been a relief. The events of the previous two weeks were still afresh in her mind.
A loud honk of a car distracted her and she looked up, not knowing where she was, until she looked out for a sign board that read out Central Park, Manhattan. She had planned to engross herself in buying necessities for her house but then, she had lost herself in her own thoughts and walked along wherever the sidewalk took her. Her last week on the tenth floor wasn't very happening. She sat with Joe, finished her work, submitted her reports and got home. The place had suddenly started to close in on her, choke her, and make her breathless. She didn't find doing reports and studying case files interesting anymore. But she had to make it. she had to get her portfolio stronger and she had stayed. Her boss remained so distant, like she had never known him at all. Sighing, she just walked into the park, hoping to burn away her boring evening in nothing.
She woke up with a throbbing head and felt the lights hurt her eyes. She had been sick for a couple of days and the fever made her weak. She looked around and found Maan stepping into her room. He knelt down in front of her and checked her temperature with the back of his palm.
"How are you doing kiddo?" he asked with a soft smile.
"Better Bhai. But my head hurts." She replied hoarsely.
He helped her sit and arranged the pillow on her back, "Just rest and don't stress about anything okay?"
"Umm. How was your day?"
He sighed, "Yeah. It was okay. Not very happening. Dadima is organizing a diwali party next week."
Her eyes widened in surprise, "Wow Diwali party?"
"Yeah. So, if you want to enjoy, you better get well soon."
She nodded smiling and leaned into her brother's warm embrace. He was so protective of her, she knew now. He was protective of everyone in the family. More than anyone else, he had been the most worried person when she had fallen ill a few days later when she had come back home from Geet's place. He had asked her the reasons of her disappearance and she had not spoken a word about it. Usually he would have coaxed it out of her but she was surprised when he gave her space. She recalled his words vividly, "Tell me when you feel like it Kiddo."
Sometimes she thought she knew her brother so well but then at times like this, she felt she never knew him at all. Kabir was more open to her in terms of emotions, maybe because they had been closer in age but she knew the person who loved her most in the family was her eldest brother.
"Do you want to eat something?" he asked after a while.
"No." she spoke after a minute of silence, "Bhai?"
"Hmm?"
She pulled away from him and looked at his serious face glued on his cell phone, tapping away something, "Was Geet in the office this week?"
The name of that woman brought the night of their encounter at her flat, making him think of things that he didn't want to. Even in office, he had kept away from her, that liar!
"Why do you ask?"
"Umm... she hasn't been taking my calls these days. I haven't been to college all thanks to flu and I am worried about her."
"She must be busy..."
"..but she hasn't even come to visit me and..."
His phone rang, stopping further discussions and he walked away, answering it. Ana sighed and called Geet again to know if she was doing okay, especially after she had opened up to her but she remained unavailable.
She walked down the pebbled pathway, amidst the yellow leaves carpeting her way and the trees swaying in the gentle cold breeze. People were few at this time of the evening. There were a few mothers with their kids playing along the pond. She looked around and sat by a wooden bench on the sides, looking at the playful children and smiled softly. What has life come to? She watched a kid run and fall down. His mother immediately picked him up in her arms and cuddled him so lovingly that he even forgot that he was hurt and that he had intended to cry. For some reasons, it reminded her of her father. Had he been there, she could have just run to him and cried in his arms. Had he been there, she wouldn't have been here or seen this day when people just accused her without any reason. Had he been there, she would never have gotten hurt like this. Had he been there, he would have protected her from everything, like the child's mother in front of her. a layer of tears formed in her eyes...so this is how the world felt like when you are alone! She thought back to her last week in office and recalled how Kabir had tried to apologize for no fault of his.
"Hey Geet." He gave her a weak smile when he saw her in the cafeteria.
"Hi." She replied softly and picked her food.
He matched her steps.
"So, this is your last week I guess..."
She sat down in the corner most seat, "yeah.."
He sat down in front of her and looked at her forlorn face. It suddenly seemed that she had lost all her glow, all her charm and chirpiness.
"Geet... Am really sorry for that night." He spoke, after a long silence.
She stopped eating her food and looked up, "what?"
"I'm sorry. I know Ana had been out on her own and you were really trying to protect her...but..." he couldn't continue further and hung his head, "Sorry. Please don't close yourself from us like this.."
Her eyes, he saw, had softened and she kept her spoon down, "You don't have to be sorry Kabir. It was not your fault."
"But you were hurt...i know you are angry on Bhai, on me..."
"I am not angry." She interjected, "I am not angry at anyone Kabir. Its okay.."
He was surprised to see her so and felt even guiltier, "Geet...listen.."
"No. You listen Kabir. Trust me when I say am not angry. I mean it. But I need time. Can you give me that much? I know I was at fault.."
"No you weren't..." he fought back.
"Thats what you think..."she sighed and continued, "I just need a break from everything. I need some time alone!"
Kabir sighed with the memory and watched Ana call Geet once again. They were done with the dinner and the week had been slow. Ana was recovering but he worried more about Geet. Was she really following what his brother had said?
"Arrghhh what is wrong with her?" Ana screamed and threw the phone away.
"What's the matter?"
She slumped beside Kabir and made a face, "She is behaving weird. She goes
home early from college, doesn't speak much and now that I am trying to invite her to the diwali party, that idiot is not picking up the call. Its been over a week she has been like that and I am pretty sure there is something bothering her but she is not telling me!"
Kabir thought for a while, "Is she the same in college?"
"Umm..yeah. pretty normal but she talks less and stays to herself."
Kabir felt terrible. Geet was shutting herself away from them.
"I just don't know how to reach out to her."Ana held her head in distress, "Bro. Tell me. what do I do?"
Kabir watched her sister and then recalled Geet's words...may be Ana could bring her back. He turned to Ana and breathed in sharply.
"I know why is she doing like that!"
"What?"
"Yeah. Its because Maan Bhai had asked her to stay away from you and me."
Ana was taken by surprise "and why would Maan Bhai do that Kabir? What is going on and why do I not know anything?"
He shook his head and looked at Ana guiltily, "You remember the night you had been away without informing anyone, that night Bhai and I had been to her place to look for you."
"You did?",Ana gasped.
Kabir nodded and narrated the entire incident to her, making her extremely angry.
"What in the world were you two thinking?"she screamed, "You don't know anything and how could you...arrghh where is Maan Bhai?"
"In his study!"
She held Kabir's hands and dragged him to Maan's study.
He heard the ruckus and looked up from his file, "hey kiddo...what's wrong?"
She walked to his table and slammed her hands on it, "what did you do with Geet Bhai?"
He looked at his sister and then at Kabir, totally clueless, "what did I do to her?"
"Didn't you ask her to stay away from me?" Ana narrowed her brows, definitely upset.
He glanced at Kabir and then back at Ana, "Yeah. She is not a very good influence Ana. Keep distance."
Ana left a deep breath that she had been holding in her, "and why do you think I would do that Bhai? That night, I went off on my own. I had not informed Geet but still she lied to you because of me and how could you just go and say things to her like that?"
Maan had never seen his sister this angry. He kept the file and stood up, "But she lied.."
Ana threw her hands in the air, out of frustration, "You don't know anything Bhai...you don't know anything about her. You shouldn't have said that."
It irked Maan that his sister was supporting some outsider instead of her own brothers.
"Then tell me why I shouldn't have done that?" he snapped.
Ana looked at both of her brothers who looked at her expectantly. She was definitely angry on the way they treated her and they had to apologize to her.
"I will tell only when you will apologize to Geet."
"What?? No. Am not doing that." Maan cringed at the thought of that.
"Fine then. I won't tell you who made me cry!"
That chit!
Maan and Kabir both looked at her with wide eyes. Their sister has come to know the rules of the game.
Kabir quickly added, "I apologized to her that day itself. Its Maan Bhai's turn."
"You Idiot..." Maan scowled, "Backing out..."
"Will you or Will you not?" Ana tapped her foot restlessly.
Maan wanted to decline the offer but he was angry at the one who hurt his sister. And if this was the way, he knew he had no other choice.
"Fine...", he raised up his hands in defeat, "I will talk to her."
Ana grinned, "Good. Now you can't back out okay?"
**************
She walked amidst the fairy lights decorated on the sides, red, pink, orange, yellow...ready to welcome Halloween. She dipped her hands in the pockets of her chesterfield coat and pulled it closer to do away with the cold. The temperature was dropping and winter was just around the corner. She stood in front of a house and looked up. It was beautifully decorated with jack-o-lanterns with candles lighted inside them and fairy lights decorating the whole house. Entire New York had gone into a festive mood but she was alone. It didn't hurt as much as the thought of Diwali did, which was the next day. Everything around was lighted up, just like it was always, back home but it wasn't Diwali in New York. She sighed and slowly walked ahead. If she had been back home, she would have been with Pooja, decorating the entire house with earthen lamps, like they did every year. If times were better, she would have celebrated diwali with Raj, teasing him, laughing with him, just like they did when they were kids. If she had been back home, she would have demanded sweets from her father...Where was her "home"?
She halted her thoughts right there because she didn't want to cry. She gulped down the knot in her throat and walked faster to reach home. Tiny lights passed by her in the wink of an eye. She had been getting calls from Ana, inviting her to their Diwali party. She had declined saying she had visitors from London. So, Ana had resorted to dadima who tried to coax her into coming but she couldn't win. She had turned her phone off and decided to take a walk. But when did peace come to restless minds?
She could see her apartment at a distance. The dusk was slowly ebbing away, giving way to the dark. She hurried her steps and then froze contrarily, a few steps away from the entrance. It was a moment between the dusk and the nightfall, when the sky was dark but not yet dark, the moment between the passage of time when life halted to take a look of its doing and he was that moment, standing right in front of her in the middle of dusk and nightfall.
It suddenly seemed that everything had turned quiet and they stood face to face, staring at each other blankly. He was in a gray trench coat, standing right in front of her apartment, waiting for her. he watched her half and prepared himself to speak out his mind. He knew he had been wrong and he knew well that he had to make things better.
She wondered if he was here to give her another piece of his mind and waited for him to speak up. The cold wind blew away the dried leaves from their feet and they rustled in its wake, probably the only sound between them. But when silence prevailed, she decided to walk away; avoid him and be on her weary way. She had nothing to say to him.
Taking her cue, she just walked past him...just a step ahead.
"Geet.."
She stilled.
She froze on her feet, hearing him call her with her first name, for the first time.
Her heart thudded with an unknown anticipation.
Would he scold her again?
Would he be rude to her again?
Would he hurt her again?
"I'm sorry."
She almost lost her footing. She turned back and found him facing her too. the wind rustled her hair, just like the leaves and she pushed them away.
Dark black eyes met the soft brown ones, with no emotions on the face to give away their feeling. And they remained so, for a while, letting the moment sink in. The moment passed and dusk merged into night. But their moment prevailed, to pass only at the time of their choosing.
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>>How about I be a little nice and leave you with a precap?😉
"Miss Handa get in the car."
"I am not going. End of Discussion."
"Do you realize that I am yet to send your performance report to your college?"
He stressed on the word "your" and smirked seeing her gasp. Colour faded away from her cheeks and she looked at him angrily.
Prev: Chapter 12
Next: Chapter 14
>>How about I be a little nice and leave you with a precap?😉
"Miss Handa get in the car."
"I am not going. End of Discussion."
"Do you realize that I am yet to send your performance report to your college?"
He stressed on the word "your" and smirked seeing her gasp. Colour faded away from her cheeks and she looked at him angrily.
Prev: Chapter 12
Next: Chapter 14
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