Next day…
“What happened? Why are you in a hurry? Isn’t your college start at 9.00 am?” Urmila kept asking Arnav the same question again and again. But Arnav simply said that he had to give his previous year's note to some junior. But his mother couldn’t understand why he had to go to college so early that too to give his notes to a junior. She again asked,
“Is that junior a boy or a girl?”
“What mama? Does that even matter?”
“Of course matter. Tell me she is a girl na?”
Arnav knew that if he told her the junior was none other than Ayesha, his mother wouldn’t let him go. So he lied.
“Mama, he is a boy. And why are you asking such questions? Please stop or I will be late.”
“I have seen for the first time that a senior is getting too concerned for a junior.”
Arnav hugged his mother and bid her goodbye.
He then rode his bike to a park near the Khandagiri caves.
On the last night…..
It was about 12.25 am. Arnav got a missed call on his phone. Arnav had just gone to sleep and he was half asleep and half awake. As soon as he got the call he woke up and saw a missed call notification from Ayesha. He redialed her. She picked up immediately.
“Hello…” Arnav told in a husky voice.
“Hi… Are you asleep?” From the other side, a sweet voice spoke.
“Umm.. no. Actually, I have just come to bed. Tell me. What happened?”
“Umm.. I think it is a bit more to ask. But I will not be going to college tomorrow. So…”
“So… What? If you insist, then I can deliver the notes at your place.”
“No no.. Don’t worry. You can give me notes on your way to college. But you have to come earlier.”
“ok... So where should we meet?”
“Near the Khandagiri park. At 7.30 am.”
“Ok. Anything else?”
“No nothing. That’s a lot for me. Thank you very much. I can’t think of any words to thank you.”
“No mention and about the thanks.... Umm… keep it for later.”
“Ohk. Good night. Bye-bye.”
“Good night. Gnsdtc.” And both laughed at the same time and hung their phones
In the present time…
Arnav was riding his bike in the slow and cool breeze of winter. I was a chill morning. The fog had started to fed up but it was floating like clouds in some places. Arnav was in his jacket but the zip of his jacket was open. So it was capturing all the chill air and freezing his internals. But he was enjoying it. As you know, nature lover. Soon, he arrived at the destination location. He made his bike stand near the entrance gate of the park and went inside the park. As it was morning, there were a few groups of people doing different kinds of exercises while some were doing morning walks. Arnav was scanning the whole place to spot Ayesha, but all in vain. So he called her. She picked up the call and just said one word in a hurry, “I am coming. Please wait a minute.” and hung the call. Arnav didn’t even get a chance to speak a word. Now he couldn’t do anything but wait. So he walked into the green grass of the park, sat on the ground and started playing chess on his iPhone.
It had been 15 minutes till he had dialed Ayesha. But still, there was no sign of her. So he dialed her again. This time she didn’t pick up the call. So he redialed. But again, there was no answer. He got tensed. He dialed for the third time, but he heard the computer saying, “The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off.” It was the moment when he started to panic. Different types of ill thoughts kept occurring in mind. But he wanted to avoid all. He couldn’t think of anything to do. So he called Ritu.
“Hello” nervously and out of breath, Arnav said to her. “Is Ayesha with you?”
“No, she told me that she was going to take notes from you.”
“I know. But she has not arrived here yet. I had called her. She said she would be here in a few minutes. It had been 20 mins but still, there is no sign of her. I called her again but she didn’t pick up and now the phone is saying switched off.”
“What????” She almost panicked.
“Yes. I think she is in some problems. Could you please tell me your address? I am at Khandagiri park. I will trace down the path and search for her.”
“OK.. But she hadn’t taken the scooty.”
“What?? But why?”
“She said..” She was going to say something but Arnav cut her in the middle.
“Leave it. Tell me the address. And is she coming in an auto?”
“No. She was walking there. It is only one and a half kilometers away from here.”
“Oh my God!!! I hope she is alright.”
“I am also coming.”
“Ohk. Thank you. But be careful.” Arnav hung up the phone. While talking he had already come out of the park and had started his bike.
Ritu had shared her location on WhatsApp. He rode slowly along the path. He was searching carefully both sides of the road. Shopkeepers had started to open their shops. But there was not much traffic and people on the road. After going a few hundred meters, he noticed a girl was sitting on the footpath. Not sitting. Actually, she was searching for something in the narrow drain that was running along the road. When he arrived near that girl, a deep satisfaction came to his heart. “Finally I found you. Are you ok?” Yes, the girl is none other than Ayesha. She turned her face towards him. But didn’t say anything and turned back towards the drainage. She was holding a stick and finding something in the drain water. But Arnav understood what she was doing. He thought she was playing or something like that. He called her. But she told her “Wait. Can’t you see I am doing a necessary work?” Arnav was now angry. He held her hand and turned her towards him.
“What?” Ayesha said in annoyance.
Arnav was holding her wrist tightly. He spoke “Do you even care what will go on others when someone doesn’t pick up the calls and then the phone goes switched off? Do you even care how much I have panicked? Do you even care what thoughts were stabbing my mind again and again? Tell me.”
Ayesha was now silent and her eyes met his. His eyes were a little red. He was not crying. It was due to the mixture of anger, tension and seriousness. She forgot that something very important to her was underwater. Both were silent, only their eyes were talking. Ayesha could read all the emotions on his face. He was concerned. He was tensed. By this time, Ritu had arrived there. She came near them and turned her towards her. Ayesha and Arnav both came into their senses. Arnav loosened his grip and left her hand. He was holding it a way too tight and it had left finger marks on her wrist. Arnav noticed it and immediately felt sorry. He said sorry in a down voice. He was going to say something but he was cut in middle by Ritu.
“Hey are you ok? And where is your phone? Is it stolen?”
“No. Actually it is right under there.” She pointed out towards the drainage.
Arnav bent down over the drainage and saw that a phone was lying under the drainage water.
“Actually while coming, I found a puppy was trapped in the drain. It was trying really hard to get out but he couldn’t. So, I put my phone near the edge of the drain and helped him get out of the drainage. I manage to rescue him with help of the stick. But he jumped on my phone and it dropped into the water. I can see you calling but I could not get my phone. After a few minutes, when Arnav called me it switched off.”
Arnav now understood everything. He took a polythene laying on the road and put his left hands inside it. He folded his sleeves up to his elbow and put his hand in the drainage and took out the phone. Ayesha was busy talking with Ritu and she had idea that Arnav had took out her phone from drainage. He called her. Both Ayesha and Ritu looked towards him only to see that he was holding her phone with a plastic bag in his hand. Both were surprised because no one had ever expected that he could go to that extent and put his hand in drain water. He always looked neat and clean and didn’t like any kind of dirt.
Ayesha asked him, “Did you really put your arms in that water? Are you alright?”
“Yes” Arnav told while putting her phone on the ground. “Is there any problem?”
“No, we thought you are a clean freak person and like these kind of things. And besides that you are going to college and this really smells.”
“No problem I would go to Sahil place and take a bath. And about your phone, it is more important. And…” Arnav paused for a second and said in a guilty voice, “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was so angry and tensed and I was out of my mind. Please don’t be mad. I know it hurts. I will buy you ice packs and lotion. I am really really sorry.”
Ritu replied, “She should thank you. You took out phone. Why are you begging sorry?”
“Actually, her wrist. I just held it a way too tight. And I feel so sorry. I am sorry.”
Ritu checked Ayesha’s wrist. There were finger marks around it. A little red. The red marks had already started vanishing, but it was hurting her but it was hurting him more.
“Don’t be sorry. She was always that careless. I would have slapped her hard. Who keeps her phone near the drain? That puppy taught her a good lesson. And the marks are nothing. It will vanish within few hours.And you don’t have a spare phone. What will you do?” Ritu was giving a death look towards Ayesha.
Arnav nodded but it was hurting him and neither he could express it nor hide it because he himself didn’t know what was happening. He asked Ayesha to pour water on his hand so that he could clean his hands. Ayesha did the same. She took the bottle from his bag and gave soured the water. After cleaning his hand he gave his notes to Ayesha.
“Ohh. I almost forget about it.” Ayesha said.
“But I didn’t.”
“Thank you very much. You are doing a lot for me.”
“No thank no sorry policy bhul gaye kya?”
“Nhin nhin yaad hey.”
“Han ek aur baat. I have an extra phone. You can use it. I will give it to you this evening.”
“No I can’t accept it. It is too much. I will mange something.”
“NO yo have to accept. Besides it has no use. It is just lying in my drawer.”
“What will your parents think?”
“My parents don’t know about it. It is a private phone. I bought it hiding from them. And now I have no use of it. So you can keep it as long as you need.”
“But…..”
“No but but.. I am giving you. So please don’t deny.”
Ayesha simply nodded and Arnav gave a winning smile. He called Sahil and told him that he would be there in 10 minutes.
“Ohk guys. Bye. I have to go. Bye bye. See you in the park in the evening. Take care and buy a polythene to carry your phone. Bye.”
*********************************************
Note. Love is not defined. It is like water. It is life. It can take any shape according to your heart. So don’t compare your love with others. The most important thing is trust, care and respect. So live long and love long guys.
