"You got to be kidding me, right? That guy literally could give his life for you." Her face glowered in anger.
"Do you know what I am feeling to do right now couldn't resist asking? It took her nearly one minute to digest my word's before replying.
"You think I am?" I managed to say overcoming the pain and guilt I was feeling.
"So what? Honestly, I don't care who she is but I definitely want to give you a tight slap just to give you a reality check that you are just ranting about the same thing again and again instead of moving on."
Her voice was bursting out with disappointment.
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry." I kept on repeating them again and again.
"You know what? Sorry to say but you actually don't deserve him, his love, his affection. You can't love anyone. You are nothing but selfish." Her harsh words pinched me like a knife each time.
"No, pleasssse, I'm not selfish. I was not myself, Neha. Shriya's words about my mom overpowered my senses. I was overwhelmed by my rage. The only thing floating in my mind was hatred, anger." I took her palms in mine in desperation.
"Just stop justifying yourself when you shouldn't. More than the horrible tale of Shriya being your half-sister, 'YOU'- my best friend playing with someone's feeling terrifies me more. I feel like I don't know you. This is not the Anu I know." She cringed.
I had no energy left to speak up. I was numb.
"Now what?" Neha asked me vigorously.
"I will confess everything to him. I don't know what he will do after that but I just can't take all this anymore. And then I will just go back to Kolkata."
"Yeah, of course, what is left for you to do other than just escape." Her sarcastic words pierced through my heart. This was new to me. Neha my best friend was being such bitter to me.
"I'm sorry but neither I can support you this time nor I can intrude."
She left not before closing the door in front of me with a thud. I was just left there vulnerable, guilty, alone with my sins.
*****
The alarm cried out letting me know that it was time to wake up though I merely slept last night. Neha ignored me the whole time. Even I don't have the guts to confront her. She hates me now. But more than that I panicked at the thought of Arjun's reaction after knowing the truth.
As I passed across the kitchen my eyes fall on Dadi and a stint of fear rose in me again. What if Dadi gets to know about my deed? She will be so disappointed.
"Anu" her affectionate voice took me out of my thoughts. But the next moment I noticed concern laced on her face.
"Are you ok?" I couldn't help but ask her.
"Yeah, of course, I'm just a little stressed. But you are looking dry." She held my cheeks sending me a feeling of comfort in all this mess.
"It's nothing, just work pressure."
"Are you going anywhere?" She asked me.
"Yeah, there's something important I need to do."
"It's Sunday, na?"
"Hmmm. But there is an emergency."
"Ok, will you have lunch at home?"
"Yeah."
Once I bid her goodbye, I took my scooty. But I was nervous. The whole time I was having some stormy feelings on my way to Arjun's place. How would I tell him all this? How much hatred is going to rain over me and I should be prepared to accept them.
I entered with ease. The main door was not locked. I exchanged a gaze with the security uncle but his eyes assured me to enter.
But he didn't seem to wake up yet. It was weird. The silence was eating me up. It was more like welcoming a storm.
I tried to call out his name but I merely could speak. My throat went dry. I felt unsettled. I made my way upstairs toward his bedroom. But the more it was coming close to me I was losing my strength. Anxiety took over me.
And with a step inside his room, my eyes fall on his pure, innocent sleepy face. But as I got close the uneasiness came to my notice. He was shivering. It was just a matter of a second before my hand touched his face. His body was almost burning.
For a moment I felt like it was my sins that were troubling him. They're right at that moment, it was not just Arjun but I was also trembling due to the sudden tension aroused in me. He was not okay and I needed to do something. I called Kaka and asked him to call the doctor.
"But I don't have the number of the doctor. Maybe it will be on his mobile."
I looked for his phone and found it in the living room.
No! Password. Now what can be his password?
Arjun, no! Ananya? No!
After two attempts failed I took some time to think. I don't know where the idea came to me from. I pressed again.
Aranya? Yes!
A gust of deep emotions engulfed me again. I dialed his family doctor.
Till he comes I took a bowl of cold water and a soft cotton and walked into his room. It broke my heart to see him like this, lying down in his bed, pale, weak. I rushed my action and placed the water-dripped cloth on his forehead. He was not in his senses. Fever consumed all his strength. Tears fell drop by drop from my hazy eyes filling me with more guilt and grievance.
The doctor came to check on him. As he was about to leave he stopped for a moment turning towards me.
"Thanks, doctor."
"You must be very special." He exclaimed ignoring my gratitude.
"Your presence in Arjun's most conservative place says it all, my lady. Well, you two will look good I think. I wish you find happiness with each other. Goodbye."
I stood there dumbfounded for some seconds. I am, special!
It was almost evening when some movement was seen in his position.
Third man's p.o.v.
Arjun slowly opened his eyes. His body felt quite heavy and stiffened. A laziness spread over his body. As soon as he managed to look at his surroundings he got stuck at two sharp concerned eyes shooting at him like he was some kind of experiment. It didn't take him to recognize the owner of them.
"Hi," Arjun managed to let out a tiring yet charming smile. He had no choice but to feel a pair of intense gaze swept over him, those eyes, he has been longing for them a long time.
"Thank God you are up finally. You must be hungry. I am going to bring hot soup for you. You will feel better." Ananya bent up to go but felt a loose grip on her wrist making her look back at the questioning eyes.
"For how long I..."
"Almost 8 hours 30 minutes if I count since I came here."
Ananya tried to read his facial expression.
Had he forgotten about the last night?
"You were here, the whole time?" He asked with a warm sincere facial expression.
"Since the morning. But you don't need to thank me for that." She tried to comfort him.
"I was not going to thank you actually." He said with a bright smile and teasing tone making her look confused.
"Or even if I do I might have other ways to thank, you know." He smirked not breaking the eye contact. He slowly picked up her hand and touched his hot lips on the back of her palm. Ananya could feel tension arising around them. She almost felt weak at the wet warm touch. And in a rush, her betrayal shoved up in front of her eyes.
She got up breaking their eye contact.
"I have to go to the kitchen." With that, she rushed to the door before getting paused at his voice.
"I haven't forgotten anything about our fighting last time but right now I have you in the most positive way and I don't wanna waste our moments that I hardly get."
Ananya could sense a flash of allegations and admiration both staining over his words making her guilty and caught up with her emotions.
Each time passes he was making it more difficult for her to get things lead properly. While resting her both arms on the kitchen bar her mind was drifting from whether to say or not to.
She took the soup bowl upstairs, into Arjun's room.
"Hey, I have brought soup. It will make you feel better." She put the bowl on the side table.
"It's not needed you know. You are here, that's enough." He conceded with hesitation.
"I think a 'thank you' would have been sufficed," she shrugged with a calming smile.
He nodded and started eating. An awkward silence fell between them.
"Well," she cleared her throat. "I think I should go now."
"What if I fall sick again?" He asked teasingly.
"Is it a trick to make me stay?" She teased back. God, what's wrong with her? It's not the time for teasing. But they came out of her mouth automatically.
"Are you telling me that I need to fall sick to get your undivided attention every time?"
This time Ananya can feel a sharp edge under his playful accusation but couldn't find a word to answer back.
"Goodbye. We shall talk later. First, recover, please take the medicines. It's better to inform your father and I shall tell Kaka too," she declared abruptly.
"That's not needed. Dad will worry unnecessarily. Kaka will be enough."
"Ok, bye then."
"Bye, I can't wait to see you again." he nodded this time while kissing the back of her palm once again with a warm smile.
While on the way back home she realized she has failed again to talk to Arjun. But it seemed best to her, for now, in this situation. Her one lie has already caused too much for him. Both of them needed time to face one more because she knew this one is gonna send both of them to the edge of their relationship or maybe end it forever. Maybe that's for the best. Arjun deserves more after all, not a broken, twisted mess like her.
With wary steps, she entered her room.
"So you talked to him?" A demanding voice made her jump out in panic.
"God! You scared me." She turned to see Neha's cold stare directed towards her with her hands folded over her chest.
She just lowered her head like a child who just caught up while doing some mischievous thing.
"I am taking your silence as a 'no'."
Her disappointing voice didn't help her to feel any less guilty.
"I-I couldn't. I tried but you know he got sick and very sick and was not in a position to hear me. It would have just made things worse than already it is. I just want things to get settled a bit. Let Arjun recover and I will confess everything. But this is just not the right time."
She rambled in a desperate tone.
"Sick? What happened to him?"
"He caught the fever."
"And you were with him the whole day?" She asked raising her left brow.
"Yeah, I couldn't have just left him."
"Hmm? Are you sure you feel nothing for him? You are looking concerned for him."
"What? No.."
"And it's not a bad thing you know", Neha concluded in a firm tone.
"You don't know what you are talking about? And.."
"And even if it is, Arjun deserves better," Ananya mumbled.
"Wow, how soon you realized!" Neha mocked.
Ananya felt like she has been stabbed. She felt lost in the sea of all the overwhelming emotions creeping up in her mind. Suddenly she felt the urge to run away from all of this, far away where neither she can hurt anyone nor can be hurt by anyone. If only that place existed!
Without giving any reply she turned on her heels and stepped into the bathroom.
She needs sometimes alone away from everything.
*****
Her gut feeling was telling her that she is being watched. Debjani steps down the stairs after giving her routine puja in the temple when a tall figure came into her view sideways. A very familiar figure she never thought she would see again. And for a second out of shock, her mind seemed to lose its balance leading to loose her physical balance. But a pair of hands immediately came to her rescue steading her.
As their eyes met both of them felt the shifting in air to a very tense overwhelmed excited and dramatic one. Her world seemed to crumble down for a moment. A twitch in her left chest.
"Long time, Mom."
Well, this was unexpected.