Malaal-Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

Jigar hadn’t slept for the whole night. He was wandering on the balcony in the morning, trying to understand everything that was happening. His mind screamed, “she was just acting Jigar!”, while his heart just couldn’t agree. She had been as carefree these days with him as she had been years ago. He wiped his tears that dreaded heartbreak. Just when he was about to raise his hopes up and gather courage to talk to her, his heart sank. Because he saw a car pull in the driveway. It was a white BMW, and as expected, Harshad stepped out of it, with flowers and a giant card in his hands.

“Why has he come?”, Jigar thought as he went downstairs. He entered the hall and heard Harshad talk, his face hidden behind the flower bouquet.

“Where’s Rashi?”, he asked Gaayu. 

“Here.”, Rashi said as she walked in the hall, rubbing her eyes and holding her head; still not over the hangover.

“Wait, are those for me?”, she asked the moment she saw the flowers. 

Harshad stepped in front of her and bowed a little.

“Ofcourse your highness.”, he said, as Rashi’s eyes widened. Ishan, who followed Rashi looked at Rashi with wide eyes. “Harshad Malhotra bowing infront of any person on the planet?”, he wondered.

“Oh, thanks Harshad. You shouldn’t have bothered-“, Rashi said as she took the flowers and the card. Harshad put his hands in his pocket and Kinjal lost her balance a bit. Kokila glared at her.

Kinjal couldn’t get her eyes off Harshad. He was wearing a dark blue formal shirt, followed by a grey tie and a grey and blue checkered waist coat, while tight grey checkered formal pants completed the look. His muscles were evident in the full fit suit and his slicked hair made him look like a Greek God. 

“When you do something for the people who are important to you, it’s not called being bothered.”, he said in a semi stern voice. Rashi made a puppy face.

“Okay sorry.”, she said and half hugged Harshad.

Jigar was getting angrier by the moment. First Ishan, now Harshad, what was Rashi doing. Even Kokila and Hetal glanced at Jigar.

“Come let’s have breakfast.”, Rashi said as she lead the way.

“Uh, no Rashi, not today. You know office has been a mess without you these days. I have some work to do. I’ll leave.”, Harshad said.

“Oh okay, will join you in some days.”, Rashi said and smiled. 

Jigar sighed with relief as he sat at his place on the table.

“Ishan, be there in some hours.”, Harshad ordered Ishan, in a tone that was way different from what he used with Rashi. It wasn’t unusual, it was his normal tone.

“Yes sir.”, Ishan said and looked at Rashi. Rashi silently laughed. Harshad left and everyone sat for breakfast. 

Rashi took her place. Jigar was about to talk to her when she turned around.

“Come Ishan quickly.”, she said and Ishan sat with him.

“Rashi-“, Jigar said but Rashi spoke up again.

“Gaayu, get this Gujarati food off. I have restarted my diet plan.”

“Ishan, what happened at the bar yesterday? I don’t remember anything.”, she continued and laughed.

“Arre the usual, who went on talking and talking about how much you hate them and continued shots until I had to bring you here.”, Ishan said and laughed.

Rashi joined the laughter.

Everyone on the table understood the jibe. They could also see how Rashi was avoiding Jigar, but they didn’t want to interfere because Jigar had insulted them enough for that.

Everyone had their breakfast and Ishan left. Rashi walked to her room, while Jigar followed. He didn’t want to believe that his love story was over already. Because Rashi had become his lifeline. She always was.

“Rashi.”, he said as he quickly followed Rashi and stepped in her room.

Rashi turned around irritated. “What is it now?”, she asked rudely.

“Why are you behaving like this? I am sorry for hitting Ishan, but I can’t understand why you’ve suddenly started to ignore me. What have I done?”, he asked helplessly.

Rashi laughed lightly. “What have you done?”, she asked disgustingly.

Jigar continued to look at her with hope.

“You have destroyed me Jigar Modi! You have broken me beyond repair. All my nights are under your control, all my smiles are bound by your existence. I haven’t breathed properly in these years, just because of you! Each day, I have to convince myself not to kill myself, I have to say ‘it’s okay Rashi, just try to live’ every single day! And you ask what have you done? Do you even understand what it feels like? What it feels like, when you change yourself for the sake of your love, then suddenly get shunned and insulted in the worst of your times, and thrown out of their lives just like that? What it feels to be alone, burning in hatred and disgust every single day? I hate you Jigar Modi. I hate you. You are the reason behind what I have become now. I never said it before but I hate you...”, her voice broke down as she looked away and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jigar stood there frozen. Each and every word she had said was true. And he knew it. Frustration was creeping onto him slowly. He was tired of this emotional struggle. He was tired of breathing.

“But Rashi, the way you behaved these days?”, he managed to ask, his head spinning already. Rashi looked at him sharply.

“Oh that.”, she said and looked at him confidently.

“All these years, I controlled my urge to hurt you back, distracted my mind in every way possible and just when it had started to seem that I was getting better, you and your family barge into my life. As if my emotions are a joke. As if I am a toy to be played with. Break it, and make it, whenever you feel like.”, she said with utter coldness.

“So I was left with no choice but to hurt you. To make you believe that I want all of you to leave my life. That is exactly why I let you in first, made you believe that I love you and left you when you were the most vulnerable. I had to repeat what you had done to me, and I remembered that I was all alone that day. So now, you have fought with your family for me, and have ended up having nothing, neither me, nor them; completely alone.”, she said and touched his cheek slightly. She wiped off the tear that stood still on his cheek.

“I love this.”, she said as she slightly pushed Jigar out of her room and closed the doors on his face.

“You cannot do this to me...”, Jigar said, breathless, as he sat in the corridor, forgetting where he was, and accepting his defeat slowly. Surely, some crimes never go unpunished.

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