▪ Her & Him ▪
As Rudra entered his office, he noticed that the office was being decorated by the interns and staff. There was a joy and merry around him which he half-expected. Some people were more interested in love affairs of others than their own crumbling lives. Everyone wished him but their faces showed that they expected answers too.
Keeping his office bag on the table, he sat down and opened his Office account and was checking for an important mail which he had to receive yesterday! Sending an important reminder to a company from where he had got an offer to join, he resumed his work. He was planning to leave Snap N Shots provided that somethings were going against what he wanted.
He was cool enough to go on with his work after a few minutes. Jotting down a few points, he hummed as he heard a few knocks on the glass. He heard the villains voice in his life who was set to trouble him," Yes or No?"
Rudra remained mum to it while when his question repeated again about the Yes or a No, he got agitated and replied," It's none of your business."
"Alright! Good looks, attitude, rich lifestyle and everything! But why would anyone not accept her? " Rudra groaned at his statement and said,
"I said a 'yes'. Are you happy now? " Rudra asked as he pressed the backspace to delete everything he had been writing.
~~~
Maya was feeling all aloof. It had been two days since she saw him. She was discharged yesterday and insteas of Rudra, Ritwik had dropped her back since she had given a few days off to her driver who had to attend an important function. As expected, media houses attacked her like a swarm of bees and she couldn't help but get agitated by the type of questions and stuff! Yesterday night, her anger and frustration had peeked to an extent where she had called MJ right away at an impulse to hurl bad words but her calls were left unanswered.
Twisting and turning on the bed, she left bad. More than her physical exhaution due to the continuous intake of medicines, she felt emotionally drained off. She didn't say anything wrong. Even if drugs had made her confess something, it was something she had tried to hide long back when she knew her feelings.
She wasn't going to be 'sad', she told herself which was entirely a lie! But she needed a closure immediately.. The journal in which Maya used to write her feelings and activities was lying on the bed with lots of tissues in which something or the other was scribbled.
Pressing the middle button of the phone which lay on the bed, she sighed as she saw that it was already 11:18 am.. She didn't even feel like getting up. Keeping her left hand underneath her head laying down on her stomach, she twisted and turned her heads, thinking and contemplating before she dialled Rudra's number. Her first call went unanswered but the second call was declined abduptly!
Getting up, she hugged her knees to the chest.
Her eyes went to her shabbily written comments and thoughts! It was after a long time that she had been surrounded by a few diaries and tissues all over! It was a sight she loved but now, she didn't know if she loved it because of the thoughts boiling inside her.
She was diverted away from her thoughts when the bell rang! Groaning and cursing the person on the door, she got up from the bed when the bell rang continuously for two- three times without any stop. Tying her hair which was sprawled across her shoulder into a messy bun, she popped a crystal mint into her mouth for a fresh breath before splashing a few fistful of water onto her face.
Stepping downstairs, she peeped through the hole and her eyes widened seeing the unexpected guests. Giving a tight lipped smile, she welcomed them inside. It was Arjun and Mallika.
"Coffee?" She asked in a tired voice while melting the mint menthanol in her mouth while Mallika said," We need to talk."
Arjun remarked in a stark belief," It looks like you woke up now! It's already half past eleven."
Maya just hummed as she looked around the house! It had changed in these three years. She had removed photo frames of them, television and so many things and stuffed with a whole set of books.
Maya gestured them to sit while Arjun took a seat on the opposite couch while while Mallika sat next to Arjun. Maya tried for a casual conversation with a forced teasing smile,"So how is your married life going?"
"It's good! Very happy and you can read right?" Arjun replied casually while keeping his hand around Mallika's shoulder while they smiled ear-to-ear but Arjun continued," Yours isn't great and.."
"I will go get you a coffee! Even I need one desperately!" She stopped them and got up from there but Mallika said," Arjun, you make coffee today and you (to Maya) are not going to enter!"
She warned Maya at the end and Arjun nodded before he went to the kitchen where he and Maya had spent a lot of memories. As Mallika kept a hand on Maya's shoulder, Maya wrapped her hands around Mallika's waist tightly. She closed her eyes tightly but didn't cry out as she felt Mallika rubbing her hair and wrapped her arms around her head.
"Did you talk to him after that?" Mallika asked as she retorted from the hold and sat next to her. Maya replied leaning forward," No! He declined my calls! "
There was a silence soon and Maya said," I'll just... co... come.."
Getting up, she rolled her black sleeves upwards and then washed her face in the basin which could be accessed by anyone. Wiping her face with a towel, she turned back to get a coffee from Arjun.
Muttering a 'thank you', she took the cup of coffee and sipped it gratefully only to burn her tongue. Maybe, the hiss was necessary to divert her! Arjun and Mallika sat on either sides of Maya.
"Guys, don't give me that look! I am fine!" She said irritatedly as she blew the hot coffee and drank..
"Maya, do you want to talk about it?" Mallika asked rubbing her shoulder while she just looked into her coffee. Arjun nudged her shoulder from the other side and said," Come let's go for a drive like the old times! "
"I am not feeling well. You guys go!" She said while Mallika said," Either you come with us or we will leave forever!"
She didn't want to dump the connection they had patched up and it wouldn't be good for her either as her guilt of her past would take her over. Walking down the stairs slowly, she remembered how shs stuffed the scrambled tissues into her drawer without throwing them. Wrapping her head with a scarf and taking the shades from her bag, she gripped it within her palms before she sat down in the passenger seat. As Arjun and Mallika sat on the driver and passenger seats respectively, Maya played with her locket. It was a love shaped locket.
Reaching the park which had new memories of Mallika and Arjun and old memories of Maya and Arjun, he asked everyone to get out. They walked for sometime until Maya sat on the bench.
Maya just circled her arms around Mallika's and Mallika asked," Do you want to speak about it?"
Maya shook her head in negative and straightened herself. Looking around, she said," Guys, just go home yaar! Your stares are making me feel like I have lost something very grave and I am very depressed!"
"Aren't you Maya?" Arjun asked sternly while Maya just got up. Rubbing her face, she said," Maybe, I don't have a destiny to live with Rudra!"
"Maya, when have you started giving up like this? Seriously Maya? Even when you are depressed, you held your head high! What happened now?" Arjun asked while Maya said,
"He just changed me! If I was stoic before, I am strong but I can't... I have more emotions now and it's just... I don't know.. I feel so helpless.. I found love again but.. he just slipped! I have never had any wishes to get married but these four months have changed me. ..." She trailed her voice expressing her feelings yet she didn't cry..
"You love him right?" Mallika asked her and she said," I just can't ... his presence and the atmosphere he creates... I love him!"
Arjun grinned and held her shoulders as he said," You love him! But life won't give you an easy way. Earn it from him. Even he might be confused now but it's time for you to take an upper hand and even let him also realize everything..."
She pondered on Arjun's words.. It was true! But it was false at the same time," No, Arjun! Rudra.. I love him like anything.. I tried to hide it but MJ.. It all just came out. I don't want our relationship to end on a divorce! I.."
She felt so frustrated as she was in two worlds now where she had to fight with the need for Rudra' care and love and not forcing him on the other hand. She needed to fight for it.. She needed Rudra as much as much as her cup of black coffee at times..
She was broken out of her thoughts by Mallika's teasing tone," By the way, I heard that you shared kisses. How was it?"
Maya's lips broke into a grin and her cheeks were tainted with a deep red colour. She couldn't help but grin more as she thought of the moments where they were together.
"Aw! Maya is blushing! Arjun! Just capture it man!" She just swatted her hands as she kept on thinking of their moments. But on a hard note, she needed to take a decision.
~~~
Rudra didn't know what had got into him as he had walked into a bar with frustration and anger! He couldn't concentrate on what he was doing. All was because of that.. I hate her... I hate her for messing up with me.. His phone was switched off to get some peace. As he sipped his vodka, he heard her voice," Rudra, what is this?"
He turned back and saw Maya walking upto him angrily taking the glass away from his hand. Feeling a snap of fingers in front of his eyes which still lingered on her, he saw that he mistook it! It was Rishi..
Rubbing his eyes, he saw Rishi settling hus bills and felt himself being dragged out with him protesting against the move. He saw Ritwik standing there worriedly with his phone in his hands. Ritwik was quite angry and even Rishi wasn't less as his nose flared.
As Rudra scrolled through his phone, he heard Ritwik's question to which he groaned! Didn't anyone have anything else to ask! Why was his affair, talk of the town? He hated it!
"Why do I have to tell you guys over and over again? She is just my friend and not anything else. Whose fault is it if she saw me as a life-partner?"
Rudra asked him angrily in a slurred tone and looked outside the window..
Ritwik asked angrily," Then why did you go to pacify her? I mean who would run into the trouble especially when you are a person who only interacts to people whom you know?"
"She is my crush!" Rudra retorted while Ritwik asked as he rolled his sleeves," Don't you dare forget that you called her in a drunk state whining that you missed her when she was in Manali?"
Ritwik continued when Rudra didn't speak," Haven't you said that her presence makes you complete? What about the kisses you gave her to pacify her?"
"I kiss my mom and for her also, I was pacifying her and just..."
"Oh! For any girl, you will kiss and pacify her. Wow! Not bad!" Rishi remarked sarcastically..
"Rudra, who will do these much for a girl? Rishi, you don't know what all he did! He bought her books, accompanied her to beaches, spend time together and even bunked office for her! Can you believe it?"
"Seriously?" Rishi asked with wide eyes as Rudra's phone rang. It was Maya's call. He declined the call.
"Look, all three kisses, hugs and pacification was all the part of my interview....."
"Oh! So you used her emotions and everything for your dream job? Wow! You have degraded Rudra!" Ritwik clapped.
"I didn't mean that! I felt like pacifying her because she has become a part of my life now. Without her presence, I feel incomplete!"
Rudra confessed and looked at Ritwik who exchanged Glances with Rishi.
As Ritwik's phone rang with Maya's number, he questioned Rudra," Look! You confessed that you are incomplete without her! Then what is the problem with Maya? Is it because of her past? Is it because she had been raped?"
"Its because I love her dammit!" Rudra literally shouted. He spoke in a broken voice," I am scared to be with her! I am scared that I may.."
He stopped as he felt his phone ringing with his dad's number.
~~~
As Rudra opened the front door in the next morning, he took the newspaper and was about to go back inside when he noticed something at the side. He noticed some red roses on the bonnet with a small letter.
He understood the sender and opened the paper to find a newspaper report with a few underlined words and letters here and there.. Being curious on what it was about, he wanted to know what it was about..
Taking a tissue paper, he wrote neatly all the letters and words in the same order and read the letter which read as,
"I am hard headed and so are you in accepting your feelings. If you conceal your feelings, I am not going to leave you. You have my swear and I am not going to leave you behind because you are my reason to live!
With lots of Love..
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top