Jeet caressed her face in the photograph. Feeling dizzy he stumbled back to his cube..  yester night's expedition was enough tiring physically, but what just happened here for the last hour was enough to attack his emotions, sending them to all coma..

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The room was filled with steam... Shona was lying in the bathtub with closed eyes, leaning back... Jeetu was about to advance but... a head leaped up from the tub.. a guy.. he was all below the water till now.. he again dropped his head on her chest....

"Shonaaaaa....!!!!!".. Jeet screamed.. startling everyone in the surrounding.. He found himself in his office, at his table... was he dreaming..?? why?? He had always wanted themselves to be like this..!! but today a reality stuck him..!! what he imagined in the broad day light was nothing but a nightmare... but a reality... His Shona was somebody else's.. probably they had practiced all sorts of fantasies and gratification.. he felt puking..!!!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

"You are back so so..on.. what's wrong??" Jeet's mother could already read her son's face... Though he tried lying about being tired, but a mother can always get the things out of stomach like anything...

"I saw her ma.. she came here.. at the police station"... Jeet almost broke down... a tear rolled down the lady's cheek...!! She patted him, chipping some consolations.. which her brain told would never come true, but her heart yet hoped to be real..!!

Jeet locked his room from inside and dashed under the bed... feeling the floor, where his Shona used to lie with him.. making all the secret plans, right from playing pranks.. to convincing parents for school trips... this was little castle.. where he had promised in heart to give his every drop of himself to her.. and had taken her words that she would do the same...

This 'under the bed' had witnessed so many things... a cry Jeet, Shona trying to make her laugh... it had heard so many plans about how Shona wanted to get married... and her dream man.. how Jeetu used to tick off every criteria.. he had everything she wanted.. just one thing.. he wasn't as good as Shona in academics..

His eyes started showering like anything... he curled himself, lying.. his mind had tracked again to the happy days... their excurtion to the Jaldapara Sanctuary..  which their school had organised just three months before their board exams... a trip to refresh the kids.. a beautiful way of giving farewell...

It was the last day of their trip.. the teachers had allowed them to set a little bonfire in the garden of the lodge..and now... only the students were sitting scattered in groups...  the friends' circle they belonged, discussed various things.. from their next plans.. to career.. to love life.. or the adolescence period they were going through.. a like a untold rule.. this topic gained the utmost curiosity.. excitement.. thrill down everyone's spine... A guy said how eagerly he was waiting to have a girl friend who would allow him anything... another had already experienced.. another said he wanted to have it with the hottest girl they had ever seen.. one said.. he will wait for a true love to come.. and another having very high morals said he would have it only with his wife.. even the girls kept their choices... but Jeetu experienced a very different thing that day... whenever.. his friends said... 'girl friend... wife.. true love.. hottest girl..' his heart and mind screamed 'Shona..'... but when Sanghomitra started with... "a guy who will do this... do that..." and for the first time.. Jeet got irked..  to him, pain of some other guy touching his Shona was much more than the pleasure he would get by touching her... he felt disgusted at the thought, that Shona getting vulnerable and desperate with someone else.. is flowing in passion with someone else....

Late at night, when they were backing towards their room, Jeetu had dragged her to the parking lot.. he kissed her deep... Shona knew this was wrong.. but held herself back from shouting.. she just smiled through her tears.. he touched her... he actually touched her..!!! Shona's grip firmed this time... Jeetu was already out of his senses... he dropped baby kisses on her neck.. crawling down to her assets.. "these are only mine... dare you allow anyone else to touch them... kiss them..." he growled and continued.. "I will never allow any girl to print her nails on my arms.." he pecked his arms where she had dug her nails.. then he crushed her into a hug.. and the words came out almost instantly.. "I can't even think of us separated... I will die.."

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The door opened... Jeet's mother came with a food tray.. she pulled her baby out from beneath the bed... "Ma... will she never forgive me..???" he sobbed... his mother closed her eyes in dismay.. you have destroyed her dreams.. her faith on you.. this time I too cant say what will happen!!! God.. if they have met each other... please make it happen for good.. She prayed...!!!