Chapter 42

chapter 35

                    "Hi Kria!"          

 

                    The pen in Niyati's hand dropped. That voice. She could make that voice out anywhere, anytime. She could identify it even if she was roused from a deep slumber. She began hyperventilating. No no no no no! Please Krishna Ji! Not him! She had made peace with the past with great difficulty. Had taken baby steps towards forgetting everything and moving on. What did her Krishna Ji want to punish her for? All her walls, her facade, her strength came crashing down and she felt exposed and vulnerable. Weak. She felt weak and she hated that. Just when she thought she had reined her life under control, life had summoned her personal demon from the pits of hell to make her miserable. Tremors wrecked her body and she fished out every bit of self-control she had honed to perfection, to not let her inner turmoil show. She was not ready to believe it was him, let alone face the questions that would undoubtedly follow if she were to fail. In a last ditch attempt, she looked at her brother,  hoping against hope that it was her hallucination and nothing else. One look at Swayam's face and she knew all hope was waste.

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          As soon as Sharon stood next to him, unconsciously all his attention shifted towards her. Swayam spent most of the nights after that encounter on Vicky's birthday in an attempt to decipher her words. He couldn't tell the truth apart from the lie. Sharon had never apologized for her mistakes, let alone others. And she had clearly taken it upon herself to seek forgiveness from Neeti and include her in the group more. More shocking was the fact that in moments of solitude, Taani had confided in Sharon rather than turning to him. Guilt doubled over and he hated himself even more. He couldn't deny it anymore that Sharon had done more for Taani than he ever did. But did that merit any change in his behavior towards her? Sharon had hurt him a lot in the past. And her firmly believed in the saying once bitten twice shy.

                  He could sense her looking at him and try as he might he couldn't stop himself from looking at her. The moment their eyes locked, she held him in place. Until, he heard his voice. His eyes snapped towards the source of that voice and there he was. Standing in all his glory. Untainted and unblemished. Blood pounded in his ears and he saw red. He wanted to wring that vermin's neck right there. His fury must have reflected on his face as he heard Sharon gasp next to him. He thought his reaction must have frightened her. But the next instant proved him wrong when Sharon whispered to him, "Look at her! ye Niyati ko kya hua hai?"

                  Swayam was shaken out of his rage and immediately turned towards Neeti with concern, worry and fear. He wasn't sure how she would cope up with the curveball thrown at her.. Her real life boogey-man was back again. He tried to reassure her as best as he could in the given situation but he could see that she was giving into despair. His calm and always-in-control anchor was replaced with a terror-stricken, helpless, vulnerable girl. Just as he stood there contemplating his next move, Niyati got up from her seat.

                                                                                     

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                Niyati squeezed her eyes shut and summoned every ounce of strength she possessed. What was the point of everything she had put herself through the past few years if she couldn't face him. She knew she would have to counter him someday. After all, the world was really a small place. So what if she met him ahead of time and in the most unexpected circumstances. She had worked hard, tirelessly strengthening her defenses so that she would never crumble again like she did many years ago. Had worked steadily and diligently so that nobody could hurt her ever again. And now, the time had come to test whether she had succeeded or if she was destined to remain weak. The perfect opportunity had come knocking at her door. She took a deep breath. Opening her eyes she rose from the table and turned to face the devil.

 

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               Parth was having the time of his life. The look on Swayam's face was priceless. His face displayed a range of colours and emotions which were an absolute delight to watch. Initially his face turned white as a sheet, as if he had seen a ghost. Then blotches of pink appeared as he seemed to recover himself; finally turning crimson with rage, as if murdering him had gained the top position on his priority list. This was something he loved about him. Swayam was as clear as glass. Everything he felt would appear on his face. He was like an open book, available to peruse at his wish. The moment he had seen Swayam in the video of St. Louis' Annual Day, he knew he had to come here. It would be fun to rile him up. But he knew that wasn't why he had decided to take the transfer. He had missed him and this was his shot to set things right. And he wasn't about to let his golden chance slip by.

            He never paid any attention to anybody else, until he saw a figure rise up from her seat. For reasons beyond his scope of understanding, his heartbeats picked up and a sudden dread seemed to coil in his belly. And the next moment, when she turned, his belly seemed to vanish completely. He was sure she was some mirage his mind had conjured up. But her eyes shred his illusion into pieces quite mercilessly.        

                Her eyes were spitting a fire capable of reducing him to cinders. There was disgust and contempt lurking in the way she seemed to appraise him. He could also spot hurt and disappointment in her gaze as well. But what held him tongue-tied was the calm and indifference oozing out of her and the way she carried herself. It wasn't the calm that was reassuring, but more like the calm before the storm. With an air of nonchalance, as if he was no more than an irritating fly she had swatted out of her way, she picked up her bag and simply walked out of the canteen.

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                        The moment Neeti was out of harm's way, Swayam almost lunged at Parth quite possibly wanting to knock the stuffing out of him. That was until a hand grabbed his arm. Swayam glared at Sharon, warning her silently to keep herself out of his way. But Sharon obstinately held on and whispered quite urgently, "Not now. Tumhe Niyati ke paas jaana chahiye." And just like that, his irrational anger disappeared like a puff of smoke. In an instant, his focus shifted from reducing Parth to a pulp to making sure Neeti was alright. As usual, he had failed in keeping his sister as his priority and needed Sharon's reminder for not committing another gigantic mistake. Sharon probably thought he needed more persuasion so she added, "ye yahin rahega. Didn't you hear? He's transferred here. Tum usse baad mein deal karlena. Right now, handle Niyati." Glancing gratefully at Sharon and shooting daggers at Parth, Swayam followed his sister out of the canteen.

[MEMBERSONLY]