Tanha hoon Mein...

Tanha hai zindigi per aaj bhi saath chalte hai sabhi,
Maar gaya hai yeh Dil per zindigi toh ab bhi hai baki...
Mur ke peeche dekhu toh gunjti hai teri hasi,
Aur age badu toh rasta nazar ata hai khali...
Zindigi kya hai tu??? Zindigi kya hai tu???
Raaz hai tu yaa hai tu koi pehali??
Khusi jo tu deti hai mujhe, na raas hai woh mujhe atii...
Jeena chati hoon mein, bahon mein uske kho jana chahti hoon mein,
Lekin jab saach ka ehsaas hota hai, charo taraf tanhaiya pati hoon mein...

Na pyaar mein thi kami mere,
Na kamjor padi jab tum chor gaye mujhe,
Tute ish dil ko samhala tha maine,
Phirse jeene sikha tha dil ne...

Per kahi se phir jhoka hawa ka aya,
Saath apne yaad woh teri le aya...
Dil ko yeh eshaas hua, k kabhie na woh tujhe bhool paya...
         Har pal toh woh chup chup ke hai roya...

Kyun khuda ne kiye raastein alag hamarein,
Jab saath chalne ka khawab dikhaya tha ek waqt pe...
Kyun juda hue dil hamarein,
Jab saath darkhna sikhaya tha apne...
Aye khuda, kyun aaj bhi hai tanha hum, jab ke saath chalte hai sabhi...
Kyun aj bhi hai tanha hum, jab ke saath chalte hai sabhi,
Haan maar gaya hai dil, Per zindigi toh ab bhi hai baki...

27th of december, 2010... one of the most memorable day of my lyf...

AFTER BREAK-UP (PART-3)

Anchal took the phone and looked at Rohaan; she couldn’t realize how to express gratitude to her innocent brother, he was indeed very understanding and helpful. After Rohaan left the room, she was bewildered; should she call Sagnik for one more time and tell him everything? Or, should she avoid Sagnik and move on?  She couldn’t understand what to do; she then kept the cell phone aside and tried to concentrate on her studies. She could hardly concentrate, all she was thinking about Sagnik; finally she decided to give him a call.

“Hello”, Sagnik said.

“Hi, baby”, she sobbed.

“Pumpkin!!! Baby, where are you? Why aren’t you talking to me? Did I do something wrong?” he enquired.

“I’m so sorry”, she sobbed again.

“What is the matter?”

“Nothing…”

“Please tell me”, he requested. She couldn’t control her feelings any longer, she started crying hard; Sagnik was confounded for some time and then he started consoling her. He asked her the matter but she couldn’t reveal the entire matter to him. She told him that her parents were conscious of their relationship and they were indeed displeased about it. She didn’t let him know how she got tortured by her family; she didn’t even reveal that she got slapped by her father and he asked her not to continue her coaching classes. Sagnik realized that she was in total mess but he didn’t want to ask her hell lots of questions and prick her further. Hence he tried to comfort her and to some extent he succeeded; his talks made her smile once again and all her pain was drenched away. She thought of giving her luck one more chance, she believed that her God won’t let her down this time. All she could think of,was, giving her relationship one more chance and she decided that no matter what happens she would sail through every difficulty. For the next few months everything was going very smooth; her Nanny, her cousin elder sister and ofcourse Rohaan helped her throughout. They loved Sagnik and considered him to be absolutely perfect for Anchal. Not in her wildest dreams she thought that life was about to play its crooked game once again, Avisek got aware of the matter somehow and he was almost preparing his cruelest plan ever. Anchal’s account was hacked one more time and she was helpless, she couldn’t figure out her next step to protect her love from Avisek and his filthy plans.

“I don’t understand Nanny, what I shall do?” she said.

“Well, all I can say to have faith on God and have patience”, Nanny replied.

“Till how long I have to suffer so much? I don’t understand why Avisek hates me so much, why is he so jealous with me? I tried hard to please him but he still hates me so much…”

“No dear, don’t cry”, Nanny said and wiped away the tears.

 “He is my brother Nanny, my own brother; still he hates me so much. I don’t know what he wants from me?”

“Life is very mysterious; it plays its own games and even gives justice to everyone. It may ditch you most of the times but it will also give you the ultimate bliss. Don’t get disheartened sweetheart, I know you deserve happiness and maybe HE is planning something better for you.”

“All I’m afraid is if Dad tries to hurt Sagnik…”

“No, he won’t hurt him…”

“Nanny, he said he will kill him if he comes to know that I’m still talking to him. Avisek got aware of it and he will definitely let Dad know about it”, she sobbed hard.

“You don’t worry, I will talk to Avisek”, she said politely. Anchal tried to convince herself that everything would go fine but could never relax; she was getting anxious as the days went by. She was getting more and more depressed but she harbored no complaints, she spent sleepless nights thinking about the darkness approaching towards them but she never revealed a single word to Sagnik. Seeing Anchal so agitated and disturbed, her cousin rang up Sagnik without Anchal’s knowledge and confided into him the entire matter. Sagnik was shocked to hear that Anchal’s dad didn’t allow her anymore for the IIT coaching, he even slapped her unsympathetically. At first he got very pissed off but then he felt very guilty; he considered himself to be the only reason for her condition. Inspite of his guilt he felt happy because her love for him was so immense that after being tormented so much she still believed that their love would survive. She never let their love kneel down before the tough times and kept on smiling. Sagnik was determined that no matters what happens next, he would never let his love go away from him, he will never lose hope. Both of them used to converse more often, Sagnik never revealed to her that he was aware of everything. He often tried to make her laugh and live her life without worries where as Anchal, she too tried hard to suppress her anxiety infront of Sagnik and behaved as if she was enjoying every moment with him.True ,she did enjoy every moment with him, but with restlessness clung to her like her own shadow. They even went out for dates; Anchal’s cousin helped her while she went out with Sagnik, she started believing that finally happiness was bestowed in her destiny. They chatted till late into nights and everything was going very smooth.

……….

……….

……….

“When everything was going so good, then what went wrong?” Bidya poked in. Sagnik didn’t respond anything and looked away; his eyes were full of tears.

“I don’t know how to console people, I’m indeed a big time loser in this case”, she said.

“Same here”, Dipanita said.

“I’m absolutely fine”, he tried hard to smile. “I feel bad because I couldn’t help her, she suffered everything all alone. She is the best soul I have ever come across.”

“What went wrong?” Dipanita enquired.

“Many things, many issues we came across but then there was a time when I thought it would be better for her if we depart. Hence I asked her to meet me for the last time; it was our last date and I saw her for the last time; I bade her good-bye for the final time…”

……….

……….

……….

“You ok???” Aditi enquired.

“I don’t know”, Sagnik said.

“I know it’s hard to decide but still think twice before you take the final step”, she said.

“I know”, he said and then all of a sudden he broke down in tears. He hugged Aditi tightly and cried hard, he was never so disheartened previously; he was never so feeble before. He behaved like a kid, as if he lost his very first crayons while he was about to draw his perfect master piece. Aditi tried to console him but she knew well that her words could never ease his pain.

“Sagnik, stop crying dear, please”, she said. “Since the day we became best friends I have known that you are a very strong person and very brave. I know the situations are dismal but if you get weak then you can never convince Anchal and you got your exam semester approaching.”

“I know, I need to be strong, I know …. I need… to be… strong”, he murmured. Finally the day arrived, he was about to meet Anchal, he was totally broken from inside yet he was smiling. Anchal wasn’t mentally prepared about the ferocious winds approaching her love castle; she considered it to be like any other date. They went to the place where they started their relationship; Sagnik thought it would be better to end the relationship from where it had started. He was waiting for Anchal and his eyes were full of tears, the thought of not seeing her, not feeling her soft skin, not kissing her tender lips, perforated his soul. He thought loving her was so easy than to get away from her, but then he needed to be strong and he wiped away the tears which made their ways to his lips.

“Hi”, a sweet voice said. The voice was not of some unknown girl, she was the only girl of his life. He closed his eyes and felt the essence of her voice for and imprisoned it forever; he turned back and saw her, his eyes captured her picture and stored it forever. He smiled at her and she came towards him and hugged him tightly. There was not much public and hence she was desperate enough to hug him in the public place. He felt her touch and hugged her back, he couldn’t control himself anymore. Anchal looked at him and his eyes were wet, she could then feel the upcoming storm which was approaching silently.

“I love you Anchal”, he said. “But…”

“Tum thik ho?”

“I can’t continue this relationship Anchal”, he said and looked away. She kept quiet and was stunned for some time, she couldn’t believe her ears but when she saw him sobbing; she leaned her head on his shoulder and held his hand tight.

“I don’t know the reason why you said such thing but I know you love me a lot”, she sobbed. The moment she said that Sagnik hugged her tight and cried out loud, he couldn’t let her go. Both of them continued sobbing till they realized that they were in the park, Sagnik wiped away her tears and held her hand tight; this time he was looking directly into her eyes.

“Anchal, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone and I don’t know whether I will ever be able to love so much like te way I loved you but I want to end this relationship for your happiness. Anchal, the dreams which you have seen for yourself and the things you have planned for your future is more important than our love...”

“I want to be with you, you are the best part of my future”, she interrupted. He smiled at her and pressed her cheeks, then he said her that her cousin rang him up and said him everything. Anchal was shocked when she heard that Sagnik was aware of everything and no longer could she face him.

“You kept everything to yourself, you suffered everything all alone, you never let me know your pain and how can you expect that I will let you suffer when I know everything. Anchal I’m not telling you to get out of my life, I’m telling to give this relation a break for time being, atleast till you achieved your goals and if after that Destiny is with us, we will be with each-other.”

Anchal remained quiet and said nothing and tears kept rolling down her cheeks, Sagnik cupped her face and kissed her lips and then her fore head. “You are my angel Anchal, but I can’t let you suffer all alone”, he said.

“I know you love me more than I love you and I respect your decision. I will work hard and achieve my dreams and ofcourse I will wait till our Destiny unites us once again”, she said and kissed his fore-head.

“I love you Pumpkin”, he said and smiled. They conversed for some times, they shared their experiences with each other. Sagnik made her smile as he didn’t want her to cry and get feeble while they were about to depart. As usual Sagnik gave her the red rose but this time it was of plastic not the real-one, Anchal looked at him in surprise.

“You might be thinking why I gave you this instead of the real one; it’s because I don’t know when we are going to meet, infact whether we can ever be able to meet or not, so I want the rose to be perfect till the day we meet”, Sagnik said and a tear rolled down his cheeks.

“We will meet”, she replied. “I know, we will.”

Then they depart forever, both of them smiled at each-other to prove that they are strong enough to accept the fact with ease but in inside the pain of separation started boiling at its highest point. Sagnik returned home and took his cell phone and went through all her text, he checked her mails, her photographs and broke down in tears. For many days he locked himself in his room and he was least bothered about his approaching semester exams. His room-mates enquired about the matter but he could tell nothing, all he was lost in her thought. Anchal never called him after that day; she was indeed strong enough to endure everything silently. Infact she was in a war to win her love over her fate, but she forgot that few things we can’t change, they are destined to be snatched away. Semester exams were on and somehow Sagnik managed to concentrate in his studies, Anchal often came across his mind but he controlled himself each time he thought himself getting weak. Everything was somehow getting normal but then all of a sudden Sagnik found Anchal’s landline number flashing and it was late at night. For a moment he thought he was dreaming but then he pinched himself, he wasn’t dreaming. He was very happy to see her name flashing, he picked up the call but then he couldn’t speak at all. It wasn’t Anchal, it was her brother Avisek. He was literally abusing Sagnik for no reason from the moment he received the call. At first he was stunned and couldn’t relate what’s going on but later he heard some girl shrieking very badly. The girl was no one other than Anchal, Sagnik went pale and he couldn’t utter a word. He held the phone for a while and then the line got disconnected. He didn’t realize what happened, he again dialed her number. He got to talk to him as he wanted to know why Anchal was shrieking so badly. At first no one picked up the call but later Avisek received his call.

“Hello”, Sagnik said.

“How dare you to call here, you filthy bastard”, Avisek roared over the phone. Sagnik could still hear her screaming loudly, his anxiety level got increased. He was least bothered what Avisek was telling, all he cared about Anchal.

“I want to talk to Anchal, what happened to her?” he enquired.

“Don’t you dare pronounce her name, if you want to see her alive”, he said and disconnected the line. Sagnik stood perplexed and then broke down in tears, he dialed her number one more time but the phone didn’t ring. He couldn’t understand what to do? Whom to call and ask for help? What happened to Anchal? Why was she screaming so loud? He couldn’t tolerate his restlessness, the next day was his Semester exam and all he wanted to run away to Anchal’s place. He rang Aditi but she didn’t pick up his call as it was late at night, he give a call to all his friends but none picked up his call. His frustration was increasing as the time passed by, he kept trying her number but it was unreachable. After half an hour he collapsed as he couldn’t take the frustration any more. His roomies got terrified and soon called the doctor and was taken to the hospital. When he got his senses back he just wished everything to be a night mare but when he checked his call records he realized that everything that happened was real. Because of him Anchal was cruelly tortured by her family, she got to suffered so much. Her screams kept on echoing in his mind, her pain and her helplessness tormented Sagnik every moment. After a week or so he received a mail from Anchal’s cousin, she said him not to contact Anchal anyway if he wanted her to be alive. When Sagnik enquired about Anchal and the matter, he got no answer from her, infact she never replied to him.

………

……….

………….

“I don’t know what happened that day... I don’t know how she is... I don’t know whether she cracked her IIT or not, I got no clue whether she is dead or alive”, Sagnik stammered whereas Dipanita and Bidya, they were still stunned and their eyes were full of tears. Both of them went numb, they couldn’t utter a word.

“I am sure, she will be fine”, Bidya broke the silence after a long time. Sagnik looked at her and smiled; she then wiped away his tears. Dipanita was still quite unable to utter a single word, she couldn’t imagine how Anchal endured everything; she did respect Anchal’s patience and endurance but for then she could only pray for Anchal and hope that she was fine.

“She is very strong Sagnik, she isn’t that weak and I’m sure she is fighting till now”, Dipanita said. Three of them were so emotional that none can make other feel comfortable; Bidya’s cell rang and she excused herself.

“I’m so sorry, I hope you are okay”, Sagnik said.

“I think I should be the one telling this”, Dipanita said. He used to ask me the same way you asked me, whenever both of us were upset, he cared for me whether I was feeling better or not. Why you left me and walked away? Why?

“So, now it’s your turn to tell the story”, he said.

“Oh! Please, one story was enough for today and my destination will be arriving soon”, she smiled.

“This is cheating…”

“Well, I want to ask you one thing, will you ever be able to love anyone else?” she enquired.

“Why not??? Anchal is my past, my beautiful past, I never regret by loving her but that doesn’t mean I will not build my present and future. If we are destined for each-other we will be together but if not I will always welcome love in my life.”

“I don’t… know…”

“Listen dear, love might give us pain but we fall in love to experience happiness rather than to hold the pain. I do love Anchal and I know I can never love someone like I loved her but that doesn’t mean I can never be in love. I will be in love; it’s that I am waiting for the correct person.”

“Quite practical”, she giggled.

“One should be”, he smiled too. “I want to ask you something…”

“Go ahead”, she said.

“What do you expect from your ex? Answer truly”, he said.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“I mean I just want to hear ‘Thank you’, he always said that he was lucky enough to have me, I am his greatest support and many more but he never appreciated me and now when I am a stranger to him, I want him to appreciate me”, she said.

“I don’t know, are you really so good or I’m just dreaming.”

“You are dreaming”, she giggled. “You are a good soul hence you feel that everyone is as good as you.”

“So very funny”, he laughed.  “I have observed you since the time I have noticed you, I felt you are afraid of something. Afraid to fall in love, afraid to trust, afraid of giving life a chance; I don’t know the reason, all I want to say move on.”

“Okayyyyy, let’s see”, she smiled.

“I’m not telling you to forget your past or hate him or something else. I am telling you to carry your past but built your future”, he said. They then talked for a while and exchange their mail ids to stay in terms; the journey was indeed memorable for both. Then the train came to halt, before she got down she turned back to him and said, “I really had a wonderful experience with you, you are a very nice person. I never thought I would meet someone so good, all strangers are not bad.”

“Oh, so I think you are impressed, so can I have your number”, he winked at her.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you my number but I can promise you something. On my ex’s birthday I will definitely send him the book I was writing for him, no matter what happens and the very next mail I will send it to you. I will show you my story…”

“Really??? Oh, thank you so much”, he said excitingly. “I will be waiting for your mail.”

“One more thing, you are right, I am afraid of something. The something is that if I moved on in my life and years after I still see him struggling with his past and running behind darkness, will I be happy to see him like that, will I give justice to my soul-mate? I can’t love someone like I loved him…”

“I couldn’t get you…”

“Just think, you moved on with some-one and you find Anchal still waiting for you after years, suppose she never got out of her past …then… strange na??? I know I’m crack but I can’t change myself, anyways good-bye and have a safe journey”, she said and then she left. For a moment, Sagnik couldn’t get out of her words, he couldn’t understand what to say or how to react but whatever she said touched his heart. He later realized better not to think of the consequences as the thought itself started haunting him.

Months later, Sagnik received Dipanita’s mail, till then they never had a chat, Dipanita never showed up but she kept her promise. She mailed her the soft-copy of her book which she was writing for her ex. After a week Sagnik mailed her…

To my dearest stranger,

I am very angry, you never showed up. I thought you gave me some fake id and I really didn’t expect your mail. I read your book and completed it today itself, I must say you are a very good soul. I’m not buttering you but truly I felt that your love for him is immense. And the guy, I must say he is so honest and truthful, seriously, so transparent regarding feelings. He is also a lovely soul. Now coming to u, u really endured a lot, his frustration, his anger everything.. But I think he didn’t mean it literally or may b he meant it, I don’t know, but u, dear u bear a lot. After reading ur story I gt immobilized. I was recollecting ur story, each n evry momnts of urs.. wat I felt he is just afraid that he won't be able to love you as much as you love him..!! so perfectly you have arranged everything and I’m sure after reading this he can resist himself frm talking to u. don't be scared, he is a boy after all and you still are his best friend..! I thnk after reading the story he ought to realize how much u love him and if not then he is an idiot & definitely he will thank you. J

To be honest and frankly speaking, I am quite jealous of him. Don’t mind, it’s quite natural to get jealous. He does feel something for u, not love, not friendship something more than dat and one thing I must say he is afraid to lose you, I can bet that. Your story really moved me so much, I m really very impressed with your dedication and devotion and if I give any lecture to u den it will be an insult to ur feelings. So I wont insult u n ur feelings. N if I have to say anything then I would say ask him to open up little, share things and honestly you both deserve each other. GOD BLESSES YOU BOTH! Hope your endless waiting gets a reward. And I got good news for u; I am in love once again n guess the girl…???? Smitha (snail)… n plz pray that Anchal is fine and she too moved on because what you said last time the thought haunt me till now.. plz pray that she must moved on.. Take care and stay happy.

Love stranger.

After reading the mail, she smiled and recalled her meeting with the sweetest stranger she had ever met. She was very happy for Sagnik that he found his perfect partner and she did pray for Anchal to be sound and safe.

“I’m also committed Sagnik”, she thought. “But, Am I really committed???”

                                                                                                 The End…

AFTER BREAK-UP (PART-2)

“Alright alright, I don’t want to force you for anything”, Sagnik said.

“Thank you”, Dipanita replied.

“Well, in that case you please continue your story”, Bidya said to Sagnik.

“Oh yes”, he said and smiled.

……

……

……

“Wh..aa..at, ar..e y..ouu…”

“You??? Oh my God, you are mr. S? What were you talking about Anchal?” she enquired, totally astounded. Sagnik looked back to the text but till then his cell got discharged, he was totally confused.

Suddenly Smitha got a call; it was Aditi on the other side. At first she got no pluck to pick up the call hence she disconnected the line. Once again Aditi gave her a call and then finally she got to receive it.

“Hi”, Smitha said timidly.

“What’s wrong with you? Where were you? I was calling you since long.”

“Actually… umm…”

“Anyways, I wanted to say that I’m very happy”, Aditi said merrily.

“Why???” she pretended. So I guess there problem got solved, Sagnik and she got committed. I wish…

“We exchanged number yesterday night and we talked over the phone the whole night and it was awesome talking to him”, she did sound very happy.

“That’s sounds great. What about your date with Sagnik?”

“Date??? Sagnik??? I couldn’t get you”, she said.

“Today you were about to meet your internet guy, isn’t?”

“No, we are going to meet next Friday”, she said.

“What???”

For a moment Sagnik gazed at her and couldn’t think of composing any sentence, the weirdest thing had happened to him. The girl he couldn’t get out of his mind was standing infront of him, he almost forgot about Smitha’s text.

“Anchal??? But … Oh, my god”, he said.

“Mr. S???  You???” she was surprised too.

“Ms. A???  You???”

“Hold on a second, what did you just say?” she enquired.

“Well, I am freaked out myself, you are ms. A?” What did Smitha text? She said about Aditi…

“Well, you were talking about… Anchal, is that Anchal me or someone else?” she winked at him and he blushed. Later Sagnik said her everything, how he felt for Anchal and he even apologized; she got convinced too. Sagnik was very happy that his ‘Ms. A’ was none but Anchal herself but at the same time he was terrified about Smitha’s text. After their meeting got over, they decided to chat at night and ofcourse they exchanged their numbers. As soon as Sagnik reached home, he called back Smitha and enquired what the matter was?

“Hi”, she said.

“I couldn’t get your text regarding Aditi.”

“Oh, I heard that your meeting got cancelled, so excited about next Friday?”

“Cancelled?? Who told you??? I had my date with ‘ms. A’, infact I had an awesome day”, he said.

“What? But Aditi said your meeting got cancelled…”

“No, how did she come to know about my date?”

“Isn’t she your ‘ms. A’?”

“No, my ‘ms. A’ is my Anchal”, he giggled.

“Who is this Anchal?” Smitha enquired and then she told Sagnik the entire conversation with Aditi and her internet guy. For an instant, Sagnik couldn’t believe his ears, he then decided to give a call to Aditi and ask her the entire matter. He disconnected the line and rang Aditi and whereas Smitha, she was completely confounded after hearing Sagnik’s part of story.

“Hello, Aditi”, Sagnik said.

“Yup, say…”

“What’s the matter regarding the internet guy? I’m confused.”

“Who told you?”

“Lizard, ofcourse, she was almost crying”, he said and narrated the entire thing including his story, Anchal and ofcourse the date.

“What?? Oh, my God”, she laughed hard. “I can’t believe this…”

“Arrey, why are you laughing?”

“Sorry… sorry”, she giggled. “Actually I was imagining if what Smitha said is true, means you and me…”

“Shut up, Aditi”, Sagnik mocked. “Well, you never said about your internet guy…”

“I tried to confess, you remembered my birthday party and I wanted to say something…”

“Oh! Yes.”

“My internet guy was not from our locality, he is from Delhi and we never met each-other but we exchanged our photos”, she said.

“Aditi, I’m very happy. I met my ‘ms. A’ and she is my angel”, he blushed.

“Aww… our life is so very same isn’t it? I mean our love story is so much same”, she said innocently.

“Ya, ofcourse and that’s the reason we are best friends.”

They chatted for a while and then called Smitha and were talking in conference. They cleared every mess and laughed very hard, though it was difficult for Smitha to digest everything but she didn’t grumble at all. Everything was moving so smooth, Sagnik and Anchal started conversing over the telephone late into nights. Love was in the air, the innocent love just learnt to fly high. Both of them planned their first date, they were about to meet near the some Mandir. J

“I’m coming, just wait for few minutes, please”, Sagnik said.

“Ya, come soon”, Anchal replied. She waited nearly for forty-five minutes; Sagnik somehow reached the spot and he managed to bring sweets for her. When Sagnik was standing at the other side of the road, he saw Anchal wearing a red churidar and indeed she looked stunning.

“Hi, I’m sorry for being late”, he said.

“Ya, it’s ok”, she smiled.

“Let’s go.”

“Umm... actually I have a request to you”, she stammered.

“What? Are you okay?”

“Actaully, could you please maintain a distance from me, the people over here know me well”, she said.

“Oh, ya, whatever you say…” what, I can’t even hold your hand? This is not done!!

Then they hired a taxi and went to College Street, in the mean time Anchal gave Sagnik her pencil sketch which she had done of her own. She was an incredible sketcher and the sketch did impress Sagnik a lot. He was very happy to see the sketch and then he gave her some sweets which he brought from Gangurams but she refused to take them.

“I’m sorry, I can’t take them”, she apologized.

“Why?”

“I can’t take, that’s it”, she said and looked away. For a moment, Sagnik felt weird about her behavior but he didn’t say a word. He tried to be normal as he could sense something wrong with her. They reached College Street, the place was of huge rush generally; that day it was comparatively less. Sagnik took his camera and was busy taking pictures of the scenario where as Anchal was busy buying Bible or Gita kind of books. Sagnik then focused Anchal while she was busy gazing at the books; he kept on clicking till he realized that he got enough for the moment to be cherished. While Anchal wasn’t looking at him, he was busy looking at each girls that passed by and then he pretended that he didn’t notice them. After the work was done, Sagnik asked her to accompany him to the café but she hesitated like a sulky child.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sagnik enquired.

“Nothing”, she said and looked away.

“Please…”

Finally she agreed and they went to the nearby café and ordered noodles. Sagnik took out his personal diary and gave it to Anchal; she looked at him and smiled.

“I want you to write something about me”, he said.

“Well, good-points or bad ones”, she giggled.

“Your wish”, he winked at her. While she was busy writing, he once again clicked few pictures of her. When he showed his photography, Anchal was almost in tears, she was very much impressed with his works.

“You are the best photographer I have ever come across”, she said.

“Oh! Really, thank you so much sweet heart.”

“Please can we go somewhere else, I want to talk to you”, she requested.

“What’s wrong with the cafe?”

“Please…”

“Okay”, he said. They went out of the café and went to the nearby park and sat at the pool side. Sagnik looked at Anchal and she was very restless, he tried to make her laugh but he failed at it.

“How much do you love me?” Anchal enquired, she wasn’t looking at him.

“A lot”, he replied and held her hand for the first time. She looked at him and her eyes were full of tears.

“I want to give IIT”, she said.

“What? Oh…”

“But they won’t allow me to live my life”, she sobbed.

“Who???”

“My parents… my family they are very conservative and orthodox, they are very back-dated.”

“This is indeed sickening, what’s wrong if you want to pursue IIT.”

“My brother…”

“What???”

“He is jealous of me in every aspect, since we were small. I don’t know why is he so upset with me, I always tries to please him but he always wants me to get tortured.”

“Calm down sweetheart, stop crying”, he hugged her tightly.

“I’m afraid that he would tell mom and dad about our relationship”, she sobbed badly.

“Stop crying baby”, he said almost in tears.

“He came to know about us, he tracked my account. Though my youngest brother helped me a lot but I’m still afraid. He knew that today I was about to meet you…”

“Nothing will happen and if at all anything happens, you are not alone. I’m always by your side, forever.”

“You don’t know my family, they will kill me. For them their self-esteem and tradition is more valuable than their daughter’s life”, she said.

Ring!!!

“It’s Mom, ssshhhh”, she said and picked up the call. She talked for a while and then looked at him. She said that her mom sounded fretful and she got to depart instantaneously. She wiped away the tears and looked at him directly into his eyes and so did he, they kissed each-other. After a second or two, she hurried to the bus-stand but before she could go, Sagnik held her hand and pulled her towards himself.

“Please, take these sweets”, he requested. At first she hesitated a bit but then finally looking at his innocent expression she accepted her defeat. When Sagnik returned home, he looked at her pictures which he captured the whole day long and he lost himself in her memories. Her innocence attracted him more and at the same time he was worried about her. He didn’t know about their future but he made himself determined that no matter what happens he would never leave her alone. He would be her strength and support, he would never let her dishearten. Suddenly Sagnik’s cell beeped; it was Anchal’s text.

I shard dos sweets wid mom, dad n wid mah bros.. dey jus luvd it.. J

Wat about u, my luv?

I luv u, so naturally watevr u gft me, I’l luv dem.. J

I luv u so much mah angl, I wil nvr lev u my baby.

I’m so happy to hv u in mah lyf… :*

“You were with that guy, isn’t it?” the boy said.

“Oh, bhai… actually… I went to College Street to buy those books”, she stammered.

“Don’t lie, I got my eyes on you”, Avisek said sternly and then left. Anchal stood still, she was in trouble because she was sure that her brother would again do something wrong. She was getting herself mentally prepared for it, though it wasn’t a new thing for her; whenever she tried to be happy, her brother always created some nuisances and hurt her every time. All she was worried about Sagnik, he loved her crazily and this time he was also involved. The relation had to end someday because Anchal’s parents would never accept them but she never wanted it in a harsh way. She was completely devastated because Sagnik wasn’t the only reason, her boards were also about to knock the door and her dream of IIT would get shattered any moment. She worked so hard for her dreams but at that point of time, she could see only darkness. She never shared those stuffs with anyone; she was too lonely though she was surrounded by her loved ones. Things were going smooth on Sagnik’s side but what Anchal feared the most happened, her parents got aware of the relationship. Avisek told everything to her mother and her mother said the stuffs to her dad.

“Do you know this number?” Anchal’s father shouted her, showing her the mobile bill. She was terrified and looked helplessly at Avisek but he smiled.

“Papa, that’s my friend’s number”, Anchal’s younger brother, Rohaan said in her support. Anchal’s father looked at Rohaan in anger; the little boy swallowed a lump.

“No dad, Rohaan is lying, it’s his number, you call him back”, Avisek poked in.

“I think I should complain to police”, her dad said.

“Suniye ji, aap police mein complain karenge, kitni badnami hogi hamari”, Anchal’s mother said.

“Aapki beti ne kuch baki rakha kya?”

“No, papa, I’m sorry. I won’t do anything against you, I will listen to you, please don’t involve police”, she cried.

Slap! Slap!

Her father slapped her twice, blood oozed out from the corner’s of her lips. She looked helplessly but he showed no mercy.

“Aapko hum school pardne bheje the, yeh sab kya hai?”

“Papa, she started all these stuffs since the day you get her admitted in that coaching institute. She wanted to be an IITian so that she can run away with her guy”, Avisek added.

“No, papa, IIT is my dream, and Sagnik, he wasn’t involve in anyway”, she said.

“So, that’s his name”, her mother said. “You are so unabashed; there was no one like you in our family.”

“From today no coaching institute and no going out with friends, you only go to school and that to with the driver”; his father said unsympathetically and turned his back towards her.

“Please don’t do this papa, I want IIT more than anything in this world, don’t hurt me like this, I beg you.”

“Aapko pehle sochna chahiye tha…”

“Papa, please, I won’t talk to him…”

“Go to your room”, he shouted. She stood terrified, her dreams were shattered. She stood motionless and then she looked at her mother but she looked away. Rohaan held her hand and tried to comfort her.

“Papa asked you to go to your room, so go”, Avisek ordered.

“If any day I come to know that you spoke to that guy for one more time, I will kill him; I will not spare you even, you will be sent to our village and no more schooling for you after that…”

Her father sentenced the worst punishment; she ran back to her room and locked herself. She cried a lot, there were no-one with whom she could share her pain. She couldn’t contact Sagnik as she knew her father would do exactly what he had said; moreover she couldn’t hurt Sagnik for her foolishness.

“I shouldn’t have said him yes, I should have stayed alone. For the first time I felt so happy to be in his arms but…” she cried out loud and hugged her pillow. On the other side Sagnik called her cell-phone but it was switched off, he mailed her but she didn’t reply. He got worried but he could do nothing; he called Aditi for help but she too got no news of her. Anchal didn’t visit school for few days as she was afraid to face Sagnik and moreover she got to prepare for her IIT by herself. A week passed both Anchal and Sagnik were not in touch, and each day they missed each-other like anything. God didn’t show His mercy on their love, the wings of the young love was cut off before it could fly high.

“Di, you ok???” Rohaan asked naively.

“Yup”, she pretended to be very busy.

“Ap, chinta mat karo, mujhe pata hai Sagnik bhaiya apse bohut pyaar karte hai…”

She looked at her young brother, he was indeed so innocent. He was the only one in her family who loved her the most; he couldn’t bear his sister crying. She pulled her brother close and pressed his cheeks and tried hard to smile; a tear dropped from her left eye.

“Yeh chocolate main apke liye leke aya”, he said innocently and handed her the chocolate, she couldn’t control herself any longer and hugged him tightly.

“I love you Rohaan”, she said.

“I love you too didi”, he hugged her back. “Infact I bought something else for you…”

“What?” she asked. Rohaan managed to steal an old cell-phone which belonged to Avisek long time back but he didn't use the cell any longer.

“Nobody use this one and nobody cared for it, I used to play with this but now I think you need it more than myself”, he smiled. Anchal couldn’t believe her eyes; her brother bought her a cell-phone.

“Thank you”, she said and wiped out her tears.

“Di, Sagnik bhaiya bohut pareshan honge, you must call him”, he said. She looked at the cell-phone and she felt happy.

                                                            TO BE CONTINUED… J

Khusi aur Gham....

Ek taraf hai yaadien teri...
Toh dusre taraf ho tum...
Aane wale pal main hai khusiya meri...
Toh guzre pal main hai tere diye gham...
Sabke saath chalne per bhi hai akelepan ka ehsaas...
Tum toh do kadam chal na paye saath, phir bhi ho dil ke itne paas...
Kismat meri na jaane kya hai woh chahti...
Kabhie tumhe paas hai le aati toh kabhie dur hai woh le jaati...
Woh rista jo tha hamare beech mein,
Kya tha woh koi sapna??
Aj jab kuch baki hi nah raha,
phir dil kyun tumhe maane apna??
Kudh ko har pal samjhati hoon,
Naa saath hoge tum phir kabhie...
Woh pal jis main saath milke jiye the zindigi kabhie...
Kho gaye hai woh pal waqt ke phero mein kahi.!!!!



               20th OCTOBER... miss u....

After Break-up (part-1)

“I still love you”, she thought and closed her eyes. The cold breeze played with her curls and tickled her cheeks. She was lost in her thoughts and her past haunted her one more time. She could hardly control her emotions and then from nowhere a guy came and stood in-front of her.

“Hi, may I sit here if you don’t mind”, he smiled. She gave him a nod and looked away; his appearance didn’t matter to her. The guy kept on staring at her, as if he was trying to figure out something.

“I’m sorry but do you have anything to ask?” she enquired.

“No, no…”

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Well, I was just trying to figure out the reason behind your tears”, he said.

“Well I think that shouldn’t concern you”, she replied.

“Okay, okay, I was just trying…”

“Hi, I’m her friend Bidya”, the other girl said.

“Hi, I am Sagnik”, he smiled.

“She is Dipanita”, Bidya said. He looked at Dipanita but she looked away outside the window. The train was gaining its speed gradually.

“Nice to meet you both”, he smiled too.

“Actually she was missing her ex and…”

“Love”, he smiled. “Well I guessed that right…so, what is your story?”

“Why don’t you mind your own business?”

“Well, I just wanted to know your story, it’s is absolutely okay if you don’t want to share.”

“Why are you bothering me?”

“No, I didn’t mean to bother you”, he apologized.

“Well, don’t mind she is bit upset now-a-days, actually since a year or two”, Bidya mumbled.

“Well, Love is strange indeed, sometimes people try so hard to feel its essence and sometimes people go crazy to get out of its province”, he smiled.

“So, what’s your story?” Bidya quizzed.

“Well, I don’t have any story”, he said and looked away.

“Oh, c’mon, tell na”, Bidya pleaded. Dipanita looked at him and for the first time with much interest and wondered about what might be his love story.

“Well, I used to love her, actually I still feel something for my angel”, he smiled.

“Did she dump you?” Dipanita asked out of curiosity.

“No, we had a mutual break-up.”

“Mutual?” Both the girlies shouted at a time.

“Yes, my Ms. A”, he said and smiled.

………

………

………

………

“Dad, I don’t want to change my school”, the boy pleaded.

“But son, the school is good for your high secondary”, his dad replied.

“Still dad, I don’t want to take the transfer.”

“Don’t be a kid, don’t you trust me and moreover I’m sure you will like your new school”, his dad said and smiled. Finally the boy convinced himself and prepared himself for the new beginning. He was indeed a very nice person,loved to make friends; he was very practical towards life yet very emotional. He was quite nervous about his new school and people over there; he didn’t want to leave his old school as the school gave him the most striking memory ever.

Seachingmyself- I dnt wana go to d new skul…

Smileforever- y dnt u convince ur dad, I’m sure he will listen to u..

Searchingmyself- v discussd a lot bout it n I thnk he is r8 bt d thng is I will mis my old skul a lot.

Smileforever- u luv ur skul a lot, isn’t it?

Searchingmyslef- a lot.. J

Smileforever-well, I wish v both were in same skul..bt I don’t evn know hw u luk? Since a yr, u r stil mr. S to me…

Searchingmyself- n u r my Ms. A… hahaha.. J I still dnt blv dat I met one f d nicst n mst beautiful gal in d wrld, dat to through intrnet.

Smileforever- hw can u b so sure dat I’m beautiful and nicest soul.. u nvr seen me… J

Searchingmyself- still I feel very comfortd whnevr I talk to u. u r just my pumpkin.. J

Smileforever- don’t u feel lyk knowing me, seeing me aftr al v belng to same place…L

Searchingmyself- yes I do… sometimes I do feel, I wish I could c u, feel ur cheeks bt I’m afraid dat if after considering each other, v go apart… it would be painful, I dnt wana lose u…

Smileforever- I feel d same.. I dnt knw y I feel dat I’m falling for u day by day… oh no I cnt bliv I said dat…hehe..

Searchingmyself-  really?? I wish I could grab u in my arms..

Smileforever- *blush blush*… J

Searchingmyself- well its late at nite, I got to go, tomorw will b my 1^st day at my new skul… goodn8 my swt Ms. A.. :*

Smileforever- gudn8 mr. S.. :*

He lay down and closed his eyes and smiled, he was trying to imagine how would his ‘Ms. A’ would be? She was so perfect, so understanding and so appealing that without knowing her, he was getting into a strange feeling. The next day he went to his new school and the experience was good. He did miss the environment of his previous school but his new school too gave him the best pals he could ever imagine in his life. The entire group shared a different bond level with each-other. Sagnik’s jolly nature and good behavior attracted everyone towards himself, in-fact he was favorite of all including his teachers and of course principal. He was very happy in his life and the bond with his ‘Ms. A’ was getting stronger day by day.

“It’s my birthday, Sagnik please…”

“I know Aditi but then I will be busy tonight, try to understand”, he pleaded.

“Fine, no party then”, Aditi said disgustly.

“Areey, you are so willful na”, he smiled and pressed her cheeks. Aditi and Sagnik were best friends since Sagnik helped her during her eighth standard Math test.

“So, you are coming, yippee I win the match”, she said happily.

“Ya, you won the match”, he smiled too.

Sagnik never thought that Aditi’s birthday party would changed his world completely, he never thought that he would meet a girl who would attract him more than his ‘Ms. A’. He was about to eat his yummy chocolate cake but then suddenly his eyes fell upon a girl who was looking outside the window aimlessly. Though the party was rocking enough yet the beauty of the moon attracted her the most. He couldn’t stop himself from ogling at her, her beauty and her charisma attracted him in every way. He wondered how could a girl be so beautiful and appealing but all of a sudden his guilt knock him down. His commitment towards his ‘Ms. A’ couldn’t be so weak but then once again he was staring at her. All of a sudden there eyes met with each other but then he couldn't stop himself from staring.

“Hi, stupid”, Aditi said.

“Oh…”

“What? Are you okay?” she enquired looking at his restlessness.

“Ya, I’m fine. I just ...”

“Anyway, thank you for attending the party”, she said happily and he smiled. All of a sudden Sagnik saw the girl was approaching towards them. His body went numb when he saw her approaching; he tried hard to look away but he couldn’t.

“I’ll be leaving by now, it’s too late Aditi”, she said.

“Oh, thank you for attending the party Anchal”, Aditi replied.

“Happy Birthday to you, once again”, she smiled and then she left.

“Who is she?” Sagnik enquired as soon as she left.

“She is my junior and papa’s friend’s daughter”, she replied.

“Anchal…Anchal…” he thought.

“Well I want to tell you something”, Aditi said.

“What?”

“I wanted to confess the thing long ago but then I was not so sure about it”, she said and looked away.

“Sagnik, just help me out buddy”, a friend of his poked in.

“Sure”, he said and looked at Aditi and excused himself.

“I wanted to say that I’m in love with a guy but I don’t know his identity”, she mumbled the moment when he left her.

The next day when Sagnik went to school his eyes fell on Anchal, she was standing near the library and once again he was lost in her thought. He tried hard not to look at her but he couldn’t control his eyes, he ordered his mind not to think about her but she was already in his mind. His heart did feel guilty as ‘Ms. A’ popped out quite often yet he couldn’t stop himself from staring at Anchal. All of a sudden Smitha came and hugged him from back; Smitha was also among his best friend list.

“Hi, Lizard”, she shouted.

“You, idiot, you scared me… Stupid Snail…”

“Woo-ooo”, she laughed.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Well, nothing. Actually I want to know if you are free today, I want you to come along with me for marketing”, she winked at him.

“Well, actually I am bit busy today”, he said and once again his eyes were searching for Anchal.

“You changed a lot Lizard, before you used to listen to me but now-a-days you hardly care”, she said innocently.

“No, I am sorry sweet-heart, please don’t start crying. You know I hate tears especially when some gorgeous girls shed it”, he smiled and pressed her cheeks.

“Aww… why so??? Do you like me?” she asked innocently.

“Yes, I do, after all you are my very good friend”, he said.

“Well, Sagnik, I don’t know whether I should be telling you this or not but umm...mmm… umm… I’m crazily, extremely, truly, passionately in love with you”, she said and closed her eyes and then cupped her face. Sagnik was thunderstruck as he never expected that someday Smitha would propose him. Smitha was very cheerful, fun-loving and open-hearted girl; to be honest she was absolutely different in comparison to Sagnik in every aspect. For a moment he couldn’t realize what to say but then he mustered up courage and held her shoulder firmly.

“Look at me”, he said.

“No.”

“Cum’ on snail, look up, please.”

“What?”

“Well, I’m sorry. You are indeed a very good girl, infact one of the wonderful people I met and of course my very close friend.”

“Do you love me?” she enquired.

“No, I don’t but then it doesn’t mean that I don’t like you. I like you very much but I love someone else”, he said. I love Anchal. What? Am I crazy? I love my ‘Ms. A’. Oh! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

“Who is the girl?”

“I don’t know her identity. I met this girl umm… actually we are e-friends, basically”, he said.

“E-friends???”

“Yes, we didn’t disclose our identity and I’m very much into her and vice-versa.”

“You never said anything about her, am I the first one to know your secret?”

“Yes, but promise me you are not going to tell this to anyone”, he said firmly.

“Okay, but you should ask her name atleast”, she winked at him.

“I called her by ‘Ms. A’”, he blushed.

“Aww… and you are her…?”

“Oh! Mr. S”, he smiled.

“Okkk… weird love story but then cool, I’m happy for you”, she said.

“I’m sorry snail but…”

“Oh, cum’ on lizard, you know I will be fine”, she giggled.

“I know but still I’m sorry”, he said and tried hard to smile.

“Well, now I got to rush, see you soon”, she said and left. The moment she left, his eyes looked for Anchal; he slapped himself for behaving so foolish.

“What’s wrong with me? Why am I so much attracted to that girl? If ‘Ms. A’ comes to know about it, she will be hurt”, he murmured. He then decided that he should talk to ‘Ms. A’ regarding the feelings he had for Anchal and at the same time he would ask her to meet him so that he could make her understand his situations.

Searchingmyself- hi, I missd u a lot. I hope u were fyn..

Smileforever- ya ofcrse, m f9. U?

Searchingmyself- m f9 2. Well I wan to say sumthng to u, but promise me u wnt misundrstnd me, will trst me..

Smileforever- ofcrse, I trust u. wat is d mattr?

Searchingmyself- wel, I wan to meet u as sun as possible.. plzz..

Smileforever- y? wat’s wrng?

Searchingmyself- nothng wrng. Y? u dnt wana c me?

Smileforever- ofcrse I want to, u dnt knw hw badly I miss u.. bt y al f a suddn u want to meet me?

“How will I confess my feelings regarding Anchal? She will be shattered”, he thought and a tear rolled down his cheeks. But then he took a deep wheeze and decides to tell her everything and then leave the decision on her.

Smileforever- wat happn? U der?

Searchinmyself- yes, I’m der. Well recently I met a gal n my bst buddy’s bday and I cnt get dat gal out f my mnd. Bt I feel sumthng fr u too, trst me.. I want to prove dat… I luv u… bt..

Smileforever- oh! I shuld hv guess dat, I m sorriee.. bt if u luv her, u r fre to go coz I thnk sumday it has to end sumway or d othr.

Searchinmyself- plz dnt say al dos stuffs, I do feel sumthng for u bt den I cnt help it.. m feln vry guilty dat I hv cheatd u..

Smileforever- no u hvnt, its ok…

Searchingmyslef- plz meet me 1nce, plz..

Smileforever- bt its of no use, bettr v depart. I would 4gt evrythng sun dat I hd faln 4a guy whum I nvr met n I guess it wuld be easy.. bt if v meet, I would bcum weak.

Searchingmyself- no u jus cnt lev me lyk dis, I knw m wrng bt plz, gv me 1 chnce to xpln u. m nt lyn, I realy luv u.. plzz meet me.

Smileforever- ok, dis Friday at the park, near d station at 5pm… Bye.

After that she went offline and Sagnik cupped his face and sobbed all the night long. He was feeling very guilty of his deed but he felt something for ‘Ms. A’ and his feelings were indeed true. On the other hand Smitha was almost shattered as she was madly in love with Sagnik the very first day she met him. She was almost trying to convince her when Aditi rang her up and started crying over the phone. Smitha got worried what went wrong; she somehow managed herself and answered her call.

“What’s wrong with you?” Smitha enquired.

“I don’t know how to say this but I can’t take the pain anymore. I have never said the thing to any of my friends because I wasn’t sure about anything”, she continued sobbing.

“Why are you weeping? What’s the matter? Calm down sweetheart, take a deep breath and then tell me the matter.”

“Well, I met this guy on internet a year ago and we become very to close each-other, basically we had fallen for each other and now there were some problems and I can’t take it anymore”, she said and continued weeping.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I love him like I never loved anyone, I trusted him and…”

“Hold on, hold on a second. You love this internet guy whom you never met…”

“Yup, but now things are getting complicated and I’m worried that it won’t last”, she sobbed.

For an instance Smitha couldn’t relate her words as her mind thought of the story what Sagnik told her when she proposed him. Soon she realized that two of her very close friends were in love with each-other without their knowledge. She was totally devastated and stunned; she could hardly speak anything but then she somehow managed her tears and comforted her.

“Thank you Smitha, for always being there but I got one more request”, Aditi said.

“What?”

“Don’t share this thing with anyone not even Sagnik…”

“Why? He is your close friend, umm…more like a best friend, then why not?”

“Well, I know but I’m not sure about the relationship and once it is official I, myself would let him know”, she said.

“Okay, your wish”, she replied.

“Infact I was about to meet the internet guy on Friday, till then don’t disclose the matter”, she pleaded.

“Ya, I won’t”, she said and a tear skipped from the corner of her right eye. It was indeed very difficult for her to absorb the veracity and control her emotions. She disconnected the phone and buried herself in the pillow and cried her heart loud, later without her knowledge she fall asleep. The next day when Sagnik went to school he was indeed upset for what happen the previous night, his guiltiness was increasing every moment. All of a sudden his eyes met with Anchal, she was sitting at a distance from him. She came towards him and sat beside him, once again he couldn’t stop himself from staring at her. Her eyes were full of innocence and so attractive; her lips were pink and glossy; her skin wasn’t that fair yet she looked so pleasant, he just lost himself in her eyes.

“You are… crying???”

“No, I ju..s..st… nothing..g”, Sagnik stammered. He never thought she would approach him, it was indeed unexpected.

“What about the tear?” she pointed towards his eyes which were seemed to be restless.

“I’m fine, girl-friend problem”, he said but then he thought, was that necessary for him to discuss the matter with her as she herself was the problem.

“Oh! Well I too had some problem and yesterday I was crying a lot as I couldn’t endure the pain but then I realized I should have faith on my love”, she said and smiled.

“I do have faith on her but no more on myself, I am not worth her.”

“Who are you to decide? Let her decide whether u deserve her or not.”

“You are very good”, he said and smiled. She is committed, but why am I feeling so bad. Shut up!

“I know”, she giggled. They talked for a while and then she excused herself. He smiled and all of a sudden his guilt vanished somewhere. He determined himself that on meeting ‘Ms. A’ he would let her know everything and then would let her decide the rest. He realized that his feelings for her were true but on other hand he did feel something for Anchal.

“Hi”, Smitha said. Sagnik look around and saw her smiling at her. Smitha was ignoring Sagnik after she proposed him though she never let Sagnik realized about it; but she couldn’t make her silly heart understand any longer and went straight upto him.

“Oh! Hi…”

“Crying???”

“No, why???”

“Your eyes were swollen and they are red too, so don’t lie”, she said.

“Actually I’m restless, I was about to meet ‘Ms. A’ this Friday”, he said and looked away.

“Great”, she said and tried hard to smile. Finally they are about to meet, I should control myself. He isn’t mine, he belongs to Aditi.

“How are you?” he enquired.

“I’m fine, but why I am getting a feeling that you aren’t happy”, she said.

“Actually I had an issue with ‘Ms. A’ and everything is so messed up and I don’t know what will I say when I’ll meet her”, he hung his head.

“Everything will be fine”, she said. He seemed to be so restless, shall I tell him that Aditi is the girl he was about to meet. His ‘Ms. A’ is no one but his best friend… uff!! CONTROL…

Finally on Friday Sagnik got ready and he was indeed very restless. He couldn’t sleep the whole night, he was waiting for her to come online but she didn’t show up. He was freaking out every moment; she was indeed very special to him. He reached the park beforehand; he didn’t want her to keep waiting for him. He sat under the tree and was thinking about her, how was he going to face her? Would she give him one more chance? What if she refused to continue the friendship? All sort of questions were bubbling in his mind and he was convincing himself throughout. All of a sudden his cell started ringing but before he could receive, the call was a missed call. He looked at the screen it was Smitha’s call and he couldn’t even call back as his cell phone was about to get discharged.

“Hi”, a familiar voice said. He was about to turn back but before he could, she spoke once again. “Don’t face me please, let us discuss first. I’m petrified.”

“Okay, I won’t face you but I am really sorry. Well how did you recognize me?” he enquired.

“I don’t know, I just saw a guy sitting alone and I thought it to be you”, she answered.

“Pumpkin, listen, all I want to say is I really feel something for you. When we used to chat, I felt very blessed, I never meant to hurt your feelings; my feelings for you are indeed true. But then a couple of weeks ago I went to my friend’s birthday party and I met this girl, her name is Anchal. She was looking outside the window and I couldn’t stop myself from goggling at her, she isn’t that attractive but I saw your reflection in her and hence…”

A text message flashed on his mobile and it was Smitha again, after reading the text he was thunderstruck.

I’m sorrie, but I got to tell u, ur ms. A s no1 oder dan Aditi. I know I shuld hv told u earlier but she reqstd me not to disclose it 2u… n c herself gt no knowledge dat u r her internet guy. I want both of u to b happy, jus slove al ur probs n stay hapy, all d best. U r lucky enough to gt ur best frnd as ur gf.. m sorrie.

He couldn’t believe his eyes, his heart beat got increased and his mouth got dried. Since a year he was chatting with his best friend and he couldn’t even guess that it was Aditi.  Not in his wildest dreams he thought that Aditi would be his ‘Ms. A’. He went all impatient and turned around and his eyes popped-out.

“Aditi”, he said. The moment she turned back, he shouted, “You???”

……

……

Ring!

“I’m sorry guys, I got to take up the call”, Bidya said and excused herself.

“Oh, my God, what was the feeling when you saw her infront of you… I mean what was her reaction, did she forgive you? What about Smitha, Anchal?” Dipanita enquired and her excitement got no limits. He just smiled and looked outside the window.

“What will you expect?”

“She might have cried, poor girl. Well I won’t blame you for anything truly; I completely agree that a person can love two persons at a time. I know it’s weird but I think so, because I have seen someone like that”, she said and a tear rolled down her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t cry. Well till she returned, you tell me about your story”, Sagnik requested.

“My story???”

“Yes, ofcourse”, he said.

“Well my story is not at all interesting, it’s quite boring.”

“I won’t mind listening to your story, I would love to listen.”

“Rajiv Mukerjee, my best friend, I’m crazily in love with him. Actually he was my best friend, now we are no more in contact. I met him in one of my tuition but he never attracted me at his first sight. We became friends later and then rest as you can guess”, she smiled.

“Oh, same theme”, he giggled.

“No, it’s quite different. She loved you but he never loved me, one of his friend said I was just his time interest.”

“What?”

“Actually, I never believed that, he wasn’t that kind of a boy, actually it was not his friend, he himself told me…”

“Time-out, time- out, what did you say? I couldn’t get you”, he said.

“Well, it’s quite complicated. In short, he used to love a girl but she left him and then we became best friends, later I proposed him and he accepted my proposal. But then he realized he can never love me as he still feels for her ex… that’s it.”

“Oh! Then why he accepted your proposal, he should have approached the girl instead of being with you for time being.”

“Actually, he can never approach the girl anymore”, she said.

“OH! Why? Did she just move on? I think he should do the same.”

“The girl was DEAD, she left him forever”, she said and that time she couldn’t control herself any longer. “He loved her truly, his only love, I was just his good friend.”

“Oh! I'm so sorry...”

“Well, to know her story, you should read the book she wrote”, Bidya poked in.

“What?”

“Ya, his birthday is approaching and she promised him that she will write about them and gift him. She did write a book...umm... soft copy”, Bidya giggled.

“But, I am not going to give him, I don’t want to kill him more”, Dipanita replied.

“Cum’ on, are you kidding? What about publishing the book?” Sagnik quizzed.

“No, I don’t want to publish it and no more questions, please”, she requested.

                                                                                                 TO BE CONTINUED… J