Chapter 8

-Nive-

@-Nive-

She had to literally push him to inside the car as he wasn't willing to go back.

"You have a concert in few days. Remember?"

"OK Professor Madam. Take Care", he said and started driving his car.

***

"Who is it? Did he come back?", she thought and went towards the door. The knock was getting louder and faster with each step she walked worrying her.

"Purab"

"Di!", he smiled from ear to ear as if he discovered the eighth wonder of the world and hugged her quickly for a second. Then he started scolding her without any gap for being so irresponsible.

Pragya didn't understand the reason for him being so emotional. She took him inside and gave him a glass of water. He took a sip and started shouting at her.

"Di, Why didn't you leave without telling anyone? You know we were also worried. Why didn't you contact anyone?"

"What are you telling Purab?

"Thank god someone in your college had recognized you as Abhi's wife. What if she hadn't posted a tweet online asking whether Abhi would come to your college to meet you and whether they could share a selfie with him? I got your address from your college. Di, this is not at right. You could have informed at least Maa. What's the need to run away without telling anyone? Though I didn't like you leaving Abhi, I could understand your feelings but what's the need to leave from your house too?"

"I don't understand what you are telling, Purab? You called me yesterday and I talked to you yesterday na. What are you talking? I have been talking to Maa and Daadi regularly. I even told Maa that I will be coming to Mumbai in few days for a conference."

Purab was confused with Pragya's behaviour.

"Listen, don't try to reduce my anger by playing a prank on me", he said.

She looked at Abhi's overcoat lying on the sofa, swiftly took it in her hands and hid it behind her. Purab noticed that his Di was hiding something from him.

"What are you hiding, Di?

"Nothing Purab"

"What's in your hand?"

"I am telling you na. Nothing", she said stepping backwards. Purab tried to snatch it from her hand but all that he could do was just to fail an attempt to catch air. Both of them were startled and Pragya was more than shocked. How did the overcoat vanish suddenly?

"Di, are you alright?", he asked her.

After a jerk from her thoughts, she told him that she was fine.

"First, I will call Maa, Daadi and inform them. They would talk to you nicely", he said sarcastically and started calling Sarla Maa.

"Why isn't Maa picking up my calls?", he said and started dialing Daadi's number but cut it when Pragya asked him to sit.

"First, sit"

She made him sit on the sofa and told him not to panic.

"I think you are stressed out. I talked to mom yesterday. She was fine."

Purab lowered his voice due to fear and asked Pragya whether she really talked to Maa.

"Why would I lie? You can even see my phone", she said as she handed her phone to him. Wind blew intense and windows started flapping. Pragya went to close the windows in her room while Purab checked her phone.

Pragya was right. He saw the dialled calls list and there were calls to Maa, Abhi's Daadi and him too. But weren't they searching for Pragya since she left home?

He dialled Daadi's number from Pragya's phone but it said call ended. Then he tried dialling Maa's number, this one also failed. He dialled his number quickly and got the same response.

"Di's phone is not working. Then how could she have called Maa or Daadi", he thought and scrolled to the received calls section only to find it empty. But didn't Pragya tell that Purab had called her the previous day. Purab understood that something was not right.

Pragya came out and Purab asked her to sit on the sofa to his right.

"Di, Is there something that you are hiding from me?", he asked her calmly.

Pragya wondered whether Purab was talking about her and Abhi meeting without anyone's knowledge.

"Why are you asking Purab? Do you find anything unusual?", she asked as she gulped.

"You"

"I don't understand"

"You are not right", he said.

"I am fine Purab. Nothing's wrong with me", she said.

Purab's nervousness was getting increased with each passing second.

"What's that band-aid on your forehead?", he asked as he noticed the small patch on her head.

"I already told about this na. Just a small accident"

"Why is Di talking like she was in touch with me all these days?", he thought.

"Purab, are you alright?", she shook him.

"Haan... I was just wondering why you didn't ask about Abhi yet?"

He thought talking about Abhi would help him know what was on his Di's mind.

She stumbled for few seconds and asked him how was Abhi. He mocked her whether she would talk about Abhi only if he asked and whether she was really angry with Abhi. She tried to deny his claims but Purab was persistent in saying that Pragya doesn't Abhi like before.

"We spent all day together and he left my apartment just few hours ago. Why would I ask you about him?", she blurted out in the spur of the moment. She bit her lip as she spilled the beans. Abhi would be disappointed with her, she thought.

"Abhi came here?", Purab's mouth was wide open. He knew that Abhi couldn't have come there.

Would Abhi have come here without his knowledge? But it's not possible. How could Abhi come here?

"Purab"

"Haan"

"Sorry actually he told me not to tell anyone that we got together again. May be he was planning a surprise. That's why I didn't tell anyone", she told him holding her ears.

"Di, are you sure Abhi came here?"

"What happened to you? Why are you asking so many questions today? Let me get you a coffee", she went to the kitchen saying this.

He looked at the coffee cup on the table. His phone started ringing. It was from Daadi.

"Beta, you had called me few minutes ago. What happened? Did you find Pragya?"

"Haan Daadi. I am at her place. But first tell me, is Abhi there with you?"

"He is sleeping. Why?"

"Nothing. Uhhh... Daadi, did he go out somewhere today?"

"Purab, how could he go out? He was at home only. What happened? Is there any problem?"

"I will talk to you later Daadi."

"Purab, don't cut the call. Give the phone to Pragya. I want to talk to her."

He didn't want to confuse Daadi or anyone saying about Pragya Di's strange behaviour. He told Daadi that he would call her after some time in spite of Daadi asking him to let her talk with Pragya repetitively.

She came out with a coffee for Purab.

"So tell me Purab, what brings you here?", she asked him smiling.

When he didn't reply, she asked him the next question. She asked him about Abhi's concert.

"Which concert?", he asked confused.

"The one that is going to be held at Pune in few days", she told

"Di, Abhi is not doing any concerts now"

"What? No, he is doing a concert. He told me"

"He told you? No, it can't be true Di. What happened to you? Were you dreaming?"

"Dream. What are you talking Purab? It was you who informed me about the concert and then he also told me that he is going to do a concert. Even today, I sent him off saying he has to work on his songs"

"Di, what are you telling? Abhi didn't come here. Abhi is at his home in Mumbai. How could he have come here?"

"What are you telling Purab? Are you saying that I am lying?", she shouted. She dragged Purab into her room and told him about how she bursted out crying in front of Abhi and the promise Abhi made to her. She then told about him about Abhi's phone calls disturbing their conversation.

She dragged him to the balcony.

"You called him yesterday and told him about him being late to a meeting. Didn't you?", she asked him helplessly while Purab was standing in disbelief.