Chapter 5

Hina

@hinz

Part 1: page 1

Part 2: page 2

Part 3: page 6

Part 4: page 9

Part 5:

*flashback continued*

3am

"bhai Anu abhi tak nahi aayi?" asked Mukku when she saw her brother worried.

"kya hua hoga Paakhi ke saath? uss din maine usey samajhaya bhi tha ke mai uski har tarah se madad karunga par pehle wo decide toh karle ke usey life mein karna kya hai, aur ab ye..." said Anuj recalling how he had pacified Paakhi on Sankrant day.

"haan call toh mujhe bhi kiya tha Paakhi ne aur mujhse mere US wale contacts ke baare mein pooch rahi thi, aur jab maine poocha ke abhi kyu chahiye to usne kaha ki uske koi friends ke liye hai?" trying to put the puzzle together Mukku wondered what could be the matter at the Shahs.

"bhai tum call karke dekho na" she urged 

"mera call nahi answer kar rahi Anu, shayad wahi ruk gayi hogi aur subah ajayegi?" more than Mukku Anuj was trying to console himself.

"par wo message karke bata toh deti, zaroor koi aur baat huihogi, mai Raj ko call karke pata karoo?" asked Mukku but Anuj stopped her saying "nahi Mukku maine kaha tha na ke dosti aur partnership apni jagah hai par tumhe aise Vanraj ko har baat mein involve nahi karna chahiye, he has his personal life and we are not a part of it”

"acha thik hai nahi karti, aur ab mujhe sone jaana hai, subah jaldi bhi nikalna hai, goodnight and dont worry bhabi aa jayegi jaldi" said Mukku and left.

***********

Pacing the floor, Anuj had his eyes glued to the front door and spent the night tensed until Anu finally walked in at around 7am.

“aap abhi tak jaage hai?”

“sab thik hai? tum thik ho? Paakhi thik hai ?”

“haan sab thik hai, mai thik hoon, Paakhi bhi thik hai...shayad”

“shayad? matlab? kya hua hai batao mujhe?....I mean agar batana chahti ho aur bata sakti ho toh”

Turning her face away to hide the truth he would read in her eyes, Anu recalled how Vanraj accused Anuj of using Paakhi to get back at him and how Anu didnt care for her daughter and supported Anuj blindly.

She knew Anuj would never do any such thing but was also confused why Paakhi had said that he arranged her travel to the US. 

“Anu tum mujhe pareshan kar rahi ho, kya baat hai batao? 

“Anuj aapne Paakhi se US jaane ki koi baat ki thi?

“haan...ki thi ...aur Paakhi ne Mukku se bhi kuch details liye the....par hua kya hai?”

“ aapne kyu ki usse baat Anuj?” 

“ aur Mukku...usne kya kaha tha Paakhi se?”

Anu rushed to find Mukku to ask what she had spoken to Paakhi about when Anuj stopped her to say

“ Mukku thodi der pehle hi nikal gayi site visit ke liye Vanraj ke sath kahin Ahmedabad ke bahar I think?.”

“aapne usse jaane kyu diya?”

“Anu Vanraj uska business partner hai, tum kyu aise react kar rahi ho? Mukku apna khayal rakh sakti hai”

“par aap nahi samajh rahe mishter Shah...”

“Mr. Shah kya Anu? tum kya kehna chahti ho?”

“kuch nahi, mujhe bohot jaroori kaam yaad agaya, mai abhi aati hoon”

“par Anu...Mukku ko Vanraj se kya...”

leaving him more confused than he was already Anu rushed out to stop Mukku.

*flashback end*

Deeply engrossed in her thoughts Anu paid no heed to the set of traffic lights at the end of the street and carried on walking when Anuj yelled and pulled her back before she got run over by a car....

“Anu!!!! kahan dhyaan hai tumhara?”  

“sorry...mai woh...” with her heart racing she couldn’t decide if it was the incident or his touch that caused it.

Feeling uneasy by her longing stare, he let go off her and gestured her to the cross when it was safe.. instead she glided her hand in his and asked him to guide her reminding him of how he had held her hand that morning all those years ago...

************

As they approached the hotel, while Anuj rehearsed a mental goodbye, Anu felt they still had a lot more to talk about and invited him up to the room for tea and he couldn't refuse, though he had every reason to.

Walking into the dimly lit room, she took her jacket off and asked him to make himself comfortable while she used the restroom but he could barely be comfortable with the thought of being in a room with her...

Looking around he spotted a red diary on her dresser and tempted, he walked up to see if it was like the one he hadn't written in for the last seven years....

“haan waisi hi hai” 

“tum kabse likhne lagi?” 

“jabse tumne likhna chod diya” 

***********

Turning the kettle on, she grabbed the hair clip from the dresser and put her hair up and he couldn't help himself from checking if it was still there ...his name and her love confession tattooed on the nape of her neck.

*flashback*

"Anuj, mujhe aapse kuch kehna hai" 

"mujhe bhi "

"pehle mai bol doon?”

"haan bol do"

Mesmerised by her presence he could barely think and just gazed at her simply until she coyly turned around breaking his trance.

Confused he went around to face her and asked "kya hua Anu, tum aise?...." and before he could make sense of what was happening she turned again to face his back to him.

"Anu?" he asked again when she softly pushed her hair to the side revealing the freshly scribed tattoo on the nape of her neck that read 'Anuj' circled in 'hu tamne prem karu chu'

***************

part 4 done...you could probably tell I havent given it my best but this story has to be completed one way or the other...let me know what you thought..next chapter would probably be the last unless I feel inspired again...thank you for bearing with me xxx