Chapter 33

Chapter 28

Precap: She had just hung up when the doorbell rang.

Confused, she looked at the watch beside her bed and wondered, raat ke 1 baje kaun ho sakta hai?

 

                    Niyati crept out of her room. She was deliberating between opening the door herself and waking her brother up. Ek baar keyhole se dekh leti hoon. Kuch strange laga toh bhai ko jaga doongi. She moved towards the door and peeped through the hole. The next instant, she threw open the door and stared in amazement at the person standing in front of her.

"Rey!"

His appearance was disheveled, as if he had been through a storm. Hs eyes were red from all the crying he had done. His shirt was untucked and he could barely stand. She supported him and got him to sit on the sofa.

"Kya haalat bana rakhi hai?! Tum is waqt yahan? Sab thik toh hai na? ghar par kuch..."

He shook his head.

"Kria toh thik hai na?"

He nodded.

She went into the kitchen and brought a glass of water. She forced it in his hand and ordered him to drink.

"Itni raat gaye yahan aane ka matlab?" She probed once he seemed to settle down a bit. "Bhai ko bulaun?" She asked softly. She got up to fetch her brother when she heard him say, "I'm sorry. For everything."

She turned around. "Just to be clear, tum raat mein banjaaron ki tarah sheher mein isliye ghoom rahe the kyun ki maine tumhe chaar baatein suna di?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

Even in his muddled state, Rey managed to ask, "Banjaaron matlab?"

She tried hard not to smile, but the way he asked was too cute to ignore. "Nomad" she replied curtly.

"Oh."

She looked at him carefully. Sach kya hai? How can Rey be insensitive jab meri itni si baat ka itna bada asar pada hai us par. Haalat dekho iski. Aisa lagta hai koi jung lad kar aaraha ho. kaisi paheli hai ye St. Louis. Ek taraf Sharon mere palle nahin padti. Kria ka toh poocho hi mat. Aur ab ye.

"Tum ghar gaye ya nahin Rey? Ya subah se bahar aise ghoom rahe ho?"

He didn't reply at first. Then said slowly, "mujhe apna mind clear karna tha, isliye drive par chala gaya."

"Are you crazy? Pareshan the toh paagalon ki tarah gaadi chalate huye niklane ki kya zaroorat thi? Tumhe kuch ho jaata toh?" She was doused with cold fear thinking about all the possible scenarios that could occur.

"I wasn't thinking straight."

Clearly. Then she remembered his condition was because of her temper and harsh words. She toned down a bit and said, "Bhai se baat karni hai? Jaga deti hoon unhe."

"It's okay. Use disturb mat karo. I don't know main itni raat yahan kyun aaya. I will...just go."

"Rey?"

"Haan?"

"Tumne kuch khaya? And khabardaar agar mujhse jhoot bola toh."

He shook his head.

"Baitho. Nahin toh aisa taandav karoongi na, bhoolne mein poori life nikal jayegi tumhari."

She went into the kitchen, got the casseroles out of the fridge and started warming up the food. When she was done, she arranged bits of everything on a plate and headed back to the hall.

"Khao", she said placing the plate of food in front of him.

Rey was about to protest when she beat him to it and said, "khud khaoge ya phir zabardasti mujhe khilana padega? Honestly, I don't have a problem. But tumhari dignity chali jayegi."

Rey cracked a smile. He was right. She had a way with words.

 

For a while nobody spoke. Rey was steadily finishing the meal. He hadn't realized how famished he was. Niyati fiddled with the hem of her dupatta, looking for a way to begin.

"Sorry." Both said at the same time and looked at each other, waiting for the other to proceed.

Niyati began first, "Look I know maine kaafi harsh behave kiya tumhare saath. And I will not take back anything I said today. But you have to understand that Taani meri behen hai. I will stand by her through thick and thin. I still think tumne Taani ko for granted liya. Uske nature ki thik se assessment nahin ki. And obviously, the whole breakup fiasco. Maine hamesha rishton ko jodkar rakhna dekha  aur seekha hai. The concept of breakup is new for me. And since tumne ye sab orchestrate kiya tha, I held you more responsible."

Rey wanted to say something so Niyati quickly added, "Please, let me finish. Ye sab mere liye bohot mushkil hai." Rey nodded signaling her to go ahead. "I'm sorry to say this, lekin main hamesha tumhe Taani ka kasoorwaar maanoongi, simply because I don't agree with the way you handled your relationship. I think there was more that you could do. Having said that, main admit karti hoon ke maine tumhe judge karne mein jaldbaazi ki. Ek image bana li tumhari apne dimaag mein and usi ko sach mana. Aur use zyada, maine Taani ki galtiyon ko ignore kiya. Bhai ne mujhe samjhaya and I realize now ke yeh breakup tum donon mein se kisi ke liye bhi asaan nahin tha."

After a moment she added, "I know purani baton se kisi ka bhala nahin ho sakta and I promise I will try my best to move forward", she said holding out an olive branch to him. Her conversations with Swayam and Taani had been draining to say the least and she wanted to suss Rey out herself at her own pace.

And for Rey, this second chance was all that he needed. Niyati's words earlier that morning may have been painful, but they forced him to look in the mirror he was so pointedly ignoring. She set his perspective right and stopped him from going astray. And for that he was grateful. Apart from his small circle of friends, nobody really knew or cared about Rey. He was just fancied by every girl and envied by most boys. He had a handful of people who genuinely cared for him and looked out for him. And though Niyati was relatively new here, her outburst had earned her a place among 'his friends'.

 

                    He pushed his plate of food away and earnestly said, "I admit maine Taani ke saath bohot galat kiya hai. Hamesha use for granted liya. Use priority list mein second rakha aur dance ko first. But ab aisa nahin hoga. Main samajh gaya hoon ki mere dance mein jaan meri family aur friends se aati hai. Ye log nahin toh mere dance ka bhi koi matlab nahin. Mere bhi dreams hai lekin main unhe mere apnon ke cost par poora nahin karna chahta. I don't want to be alone ever again."

                    "Main Taani ki dependency dekh kar panic kar gaya tha. Isliye maine woh sab kiya. I'm not trying to defend what I did. Bas ye bata raha hoon, ke I know now main kahan galat tha. Ab se main Taani ko hamesha support karoonga. Uski strength banoonga. Jo distance hum donon ke beech aaya hai na use har haal mein kam karoonga."

          Niyati looked at him sadly and said, "Rey; I think you mean Kria. Not Taani."

But both of them knew that wasn't the truth at all.

[NOCOPY]

[MEMBERSONLY]

anu142016-02-22 07:19:22