~//A Monsoon Night's Dream\\~ (Rantara OS)(last chapter @pg12) - Page 5

Chapter 3

Close your eyes and stretch ur hand out

Can you feel the tender drops falling out?

Like the bliss of heaven caressing your face

Touching your tender lips, flowing down your pounding ribcage..

I am jealous of those water drops who could feel you so easily.

Not like me, waiting for ages to touch you whole heartily.

My wounded foot was really aching but I controlled the pain biting my lips. It was good that raghu was holding me all the way. Otherwise it would be really difficult for me to walk in that condition. No one between us was trying to make a conversation. His silence was really odd. Generally I used to his blabbering, not that silent mode. I looked towards him. we left the roadside light long ago and everywhere there was only darkness. So I couldn't figure out his expression. I could see his abstract feature beside me in darkness.

"Mera thobra kyun ghur rahi hain?!" his sudden voice really shocked me like hell. How did he figured out that I was watching over him?! Could he see even in darkness?!! The thought really chocked my breath. I looked away from him pouting. "Main kyun dekhungi tumhe?!" I asked in hard voice. "Woo too tere koo pata hoga naa.. apun antaryami baba thore hii naa hain joo tera man par kar bata dega kit u kyun apun koo tank jhank rahi hain." he answered in same tone. "Tum galat samajh rahe ho. Main nahin dekh rahi thi tumhe." I denied and at the next moment I hard his irritating chuckle comment. "Jhooth bole kawa kate.. jaanti hain naa misscall!". My vrain was boiling up again. "Main jhooth nahin bolti!!" I said. "Acha?!! kabhi bhi naii bolti?!!" he asked again. "Haan kabhi nahin bolti. Jhooth bolna galat baat hoti hain." I said and surprisingly I felt that the pain was subsiding slowly. The awkward silence again developed between us. We were totally soaked in heavy down pouring and I was feeling so cold. I was habituated with cold weather as I was from Kashmir. But man, that Mumbai rain was something else. It couldn't be compared anyhow between the dry coldness of ice and the moisture if the air which was really getting on my nerves. My feature automatically trembled badly in his hold. "Kya huya!! Kashmir ki kali koo Mumbai ki barish hazam nahin huyi?!!" His voice was rather playful than irritating. I just understood that after I get injured, he was really being patent with me. He was not bursting on me for my slow pace. Also, he was getting drenched in rain along with me rather than running out and reaching to a shelter for his own. He was really helping me out all the way!! The realization left me in shock. He was always like that, sometimes utter rude and sometimes he really did odd things which kept me aww struck. From the very first day I met him, he never left a stone unturned to surprise me.
I generally didn't talk to him much after we met in manjari's house. I made up my mind that I would ignore him. The scene of that fight, where he brutally bit those people on the road roamed on my mind always and it already gave me the indication that what kind of guy he was. I didn't want to mess up with a goon and spoil my time.

But it is always hard to avoid when you were under same roof, even occasionally for some munities!

Our first interaction was the disaster in one word. That day, I went to their house to get some notes from falguni as I was absent in collage. While I was coming out from their house and just reached at the premise, someone splashed water on me from above. Surprised and startled, I stood there and looked up. Probably someone threw the water from the balcony above. I found raghu standing at the corner of balcony filling his bottle with water and splitting it out to wash the bottle. The water was spilling out from the edge of balcony and falling on the ground below.

"Hey!!" I screamed from below. He peeped through the balcony edge and his eyes widened a bit finding me standing there with all drenched cloth. "Andhe hoo kya?! Dekh nahin sakte?!" I asked angrily. He scratched his head in confusion and said, "Dikhayi too de raha hain. Tu apun ke chajje ke niche khara hain. Tera body pani se bhiga huya hain, aur chahera gusse se laal pila hoo raha hain..." He said making my anger reach at top. "Just stop your nuisances!! Tumne mujhpe pani kyun giraya?!" I asked demanding an answer. "Bhgwan ke sar pe pani daal ne se bhi aaj kaal kaam nahin nikalta... Too kaun si afat aa pari joo apun tere sar pe pani daal ne lagega..." He said making a face. "Bakwass mat karo.." I fumed. "Eee kai kai mat kar kaan ke samne... Woo apun bottle saaf kar raha tha too dekha nahin... galti se gir gaya... Too iss baat pe chilla chilla ke basti ko sar pe kyun utha raha hain... aisa lag raha hain apun ne tere upar pani nahin bomb fenka hain!!" He asked again making that same irritating face. "YOU!!!..." I pointed my fingers to him upward. "Eee ungli mat kar... Apne upar thora pani gir gaya too jaise madam kii puri make up dho gayi... Eee, tujhe kya laga?! Tere pe pani nahin giraye ga too kya gulab ke fool barshengey?!" he didn't have a single glint of shame in his voice. "Tum se baat karna hii bekaar hain!!.." I mumbled angrily and moved towards the gate stomping my feet angrily. "Oye woo... sun woo... MISSCALL!!" I geard his irritating scream from behind. What?!! Misscall?!!!! How dare he... I turned bank in an yank to give him back but at that moment a towel appeared from nowhere and fell on me covering my face fully. I stood there grounded for a while in shock. The scent of the towel flared my nose. Eww!! How stinky!! Smell of someone's sweat was still attached to that towel. I jerked up the towel from my face and faced raghu's very annoyed face looking back towards me from that same spot of balcony. "Jane se pahele hath payar pooch le... warna thand lag jayegi!!" She said. I gathered my all strength and rolled the stinky towel in my hand and at the next moment I threw it back on balcony and he caught it without missing a bit. "Nahin Chahiye..." I said loudly and moved out from the gate. "Eee Misscall... Nishana acha hain tera .." I heard his compliment from behind befire going out from the gate. "Idiot!!!" I mumbled and stomped on the road with my heavy pace and boiled head.

"Eee... Kya huya?!! tere mooh ke speaker ka battery down hoo gaya kya?!" Raghu's playful teasing voice brought me back in present from past thoughts. I breathed heavily. The memories were so fresh till. "Kya huya antara?! Bata naa!! Dard hoo raha hain?" His voice was slightly worried but still contained that mockery. "Tumhe Kya?!! Tumhe too maza atta hain mujhe aise dekh ke." I said in anger. I heard his quite laugh near my ear. How mean!! He was behaving like it didn't even matter to him. "Tujhe sachmein aisa lagta hain?!" He asked me. "Too aur kya sochu main?! jab bhi baat karte hoo bas jhagra karte hoo, pareshan karte rehete hoo, tane maar te hoo, aisa lagta hain jaise tum mujhe bardast hi nahin karsakte...Aisa lagta hain kii agar main humesha ke liye chali jaon aur kabhi tumhare saamne naa aoon too tumhe tab chain milega." I burst out suddenly.

He stopped abruptly as I finished my sentence making me to stop along with him. I was confused again and looked towards him. The darkness didn't let me see anything. I suddenly felt his grip on my shoulder became so tight and harsh. It squeezed my wet skin so harshly that I hissed in pain. What just happened to him all of a sudden?! I couldn't see his face but I could feel the vibe of tension in nerves, his frequent hot breaths near my shoulder and his stiffened feature. A flash appeared at that moment and I found raghu standing at my side silently fixing his gaze at front. His eyes were so hard I ever saw. He was angry, really really angry. Suddenly I felt like I blurted out much more than I should say. Tensed and worried, I stood there like a idol in his firm grip without knowing what I should do to fix everything. I was feeling like a fool. I should compose my temper for a bit. we both were inside forest and I wouldn't be able to go back all alone. For the time I should be think rationally but I just couldn't. I heard another deep sigh from him. Like he held back himself with that breath and also his grip loosened a bit.

"Ab idhar khare khare kya barish ki boonde gin rahi hain... chal..." His voice was back in his usual irritating tone. I Sighed and tried to move forward but my wounded feet got tangled with something. "Ouch!!" I winced in pain and clutched raghu's leather jacket tightly to keep my balance. "Eee yedi, abhi apun ki jacket koo kyun noch rahi hain?! Ab isne s**a teri kaun si nani ka kaam bigara?!" god his teases!! Sometimes I couldn't even get them properly due to his eerie tone. "Idiot!!..." I chock out of my breath, "Mera pair kissi mein fans gaya hain. Main khare nahin hoo paa rahi hoon.. Agar maine tumhe chor diya too gir jaungi!!" I said. "Too gir jaa naa!! Apun koo kya?!! Tujhe girte dekh apun kaa bhi free entertainment hoo jayega aur tera bhi gir ne mein.. world record ban jayega.." his disgusting blurts boiled my head to extreme. He seriously meant that?!! he didn't have a slightest worry about me!! He didn't even care if I get hurt. Why should he?! I was no one to him rather than an irritation, just like to others, an unwanted. I felt my eyes getting moist. Enough already! I left his jacket and at the next moment I felt my body falling down losing its balance. "Oyee yedi!!!..." I heard raghu's loud voice and at the next moment I felt his hand around my waist pulling me up before I touched the ground. With a jerk I felt myself caged between his rock solid chest and strong arms. I was sobbing couldn't able to control my tears anymore. I felt his heavy breath on my top. "Kya kya karti hain tu... Khud too yedi hain.. apun koo bhi yeda bana ke chorega." His quite voice scolded me a bit. That irritation in his tone was gone again. "Kyun meri madad ki tumne?! Gir jane dete... tumhara bhi free ka entertainment hoo jata!!" I said chocking due to my sobs. "Tu... Tu roo rahi hain?!!" His voice became gentle all of a sudden. But It didn't effected on me rather than increasing my tears. I didn't know why I was melting like ice at that moment. What was the cause of my breakdown I didn't know, what intriguing unknown emotion caused me to let out my long lost hidden mourn at that moment, I couldn't define. But there was something which I couldn't deny, how much angry and mad I might be on raghu but when he saved me from falling and pulled me in his embrace I felt an unknown warmth near his chest. What was that I didn't know but that caused me to let out all my hidden tears which I kept under my lids cherishing for so long.

"Haan ro rahi hoon... tumhe kya?!!" I said stubbornly hiding my face more into his chest and clutched his jacket tightly. My brain was not working at that moment. I didn't know exactly what I was doing at that moment. "Ab mere rone se bhi tumhe problem hain kya?!... Kaise insaan hoo?!... Apne har baton se chot dete hoo.. aur jab chot lage tab bhi dant te hoo... rona ayein too rone bhi nahin dete ho... Too main kya karoon haan?!... sab ek jaise hote hain... koi nahin samajhta hi nahin hain! Bas suna ke chale jate hain.. chot dete hain.. dard hota hain.. agar rona bhi ayein too tane maar te hain.. Sayad sahi kahete hain... sachmein panauti hii hoon main... kissi kaa kuch bhala nahin kar sakti... Maine too bas pappa se ek khilona manga tha.. mujeh kya pata tha ki uss shopping mall mein..." suddenly I gasped and controlled my blabber. What was I going to blurt out? I never shared that darkest phase of our life with anyone. Not even falguni and ajji and I was going to reveal everything to raghu, so that he could take benefit of my weakness and mock me all the time like others?! No way! As my normal senses were coming back I felt his hand on the revealed skin of my lower back. It really pushed a current wave in my nerve and shook me from head to toe. I became aware of our closed proximity. !! I pulled back myself from his chest but resisted in the small proximity in his arms cage. With a deep breath I looked up and at that moment a flash appeared clearing my eyesight. I saw his deep black round orbs, so close to mine and those looked so vulnerable! The flash disappeared but I still kept looking towards him in darkness. I knew even he was watching me, as if like I could feel his gaze clearly. I didn't know why I felt my throat becoming dry. I twitched my face sidewise as if I was trying to look away from him. The darkness couldn't help the piercing gaze of him which I saw just a moment ago. I felt his deep breath brushing my skin and I left his jacket from my clutch. But still he was not making a move to free me from his possession. Even I didn't know why I couldn't utter a single word in that awkward moment.

"Woo.. misscall.. tu apun kaa kandha pakar ke sidha khara rahe... Apun dekhta hain tere payar mein kya huyaa..." Raghu said in stumbled voice after such a long pause. Then I remembered suddenly and felt my wounded foot was really paining. I sighed as he limped and I kept my balance holding his shoulder. "Tere payar pe too kuch zakar gaya hain!!... Ruk dekhta hain.." He let out his mobile and light up the screen. Both of our phone was not getting any network so we couldn't even contact anyone for help. "Arey yee rassi kidhar se aa gayi vey?!!" I heard his confused voice. "KYa?!! Rassi?!" Even I was confused. "Haan dekh..." he opened the rope from my feet and showed me. In the small flash of mobile it was enough for us to see the thick strong rope and definitely it was long. We followed the rope in the mobile light and we saw the rope going up the tree beside us. The thing which shocked us was the wooden steps made on the huge tree trunk. As our eyes moved up we observed a small tree house on the branches not so up from ground. Why didn't we observe that before?! "Chal, mill gaya... abhi barish rukne tak idhar hich rukna parega..." Raghu said and moved towards the tree trunk and stepped on the wooden steps. I stood at the same place looking towards the tree house which was sometimes visible in sudden flashes.

"Eee khari kyun hain... aa naa!!" as I heard his voice I looked and saw his abstract figure in darkness stopping near the tree trunk holding that rope in his hand and waiting for me to come. I moved my gaze towards the tree house and then looked towards my wounded feet. I heard hiss chuckle, "Bhool gaya... tu upar kaise jayegi.. abhi too tu ek tang se tooti hain..." he said in thoughtful voice. "Kya kahan tumne?!!" I asked with my loud voice. "Eee garam mat hoo jaa... Aaa jaa... Apun utha deta hain!" He said offering me help. I stood there confused for a while thinking what to do. I had to reach up to the tree house and that was not possible all alone for me with that wounded feet. "Eee aa jaa naa.." I heard his impatient voice. "Nahin. Woo tum jaaoo.. main uth jaungi!" I said slowly. I heard his deep sigh. "Pata hain.. tu too himalay bhi char jayegi.. akhir Kashmir ki kali joo hain... par madam.. yee himalay nahin hain.. mumbai ke jungle kaa per hain... aur abhi teri payar tooti huyi hain... dekh abhi apun bahut nahan liya hain iss barish mein... aur idhar khara nahin rahe payega... Chal Naa Yaar!!" he blabbered again. Shaking my head in disappointment, I moved forward. "Lee hath pakar apun ka..." he said. Searching in darkness I at last found his hand and I felt his palm gripping tightly on me. With a deep breath I slowly moved up cautiously on the wooden stair steps of the tree. They were almost invisible due to darkness. Holding raghu's hand tightly, I finally managed to move up and while we reached at last step, it became quite difficult for me to move up to the balcony of tree house as it was in such a height from last step. It wouldn't be much problematic if my feet was not injured. I felt a pull on my hand which was prisoned in raghu's grip. "Kya huya?!! Ruk kyun gayi?!!" He asked. "Woo... balcony bahut ucha hain... upar charnemein... woo.. pair mein dard ho raha hain." I said in stumbled voice. In darkness I felt raghu shifting closer to me. Suddenly I felt his hand around the skin of my lower back and my breath hitched. "Eee... kya kar rahe hoo..." I asked in stumbled voice. "Tujhe upar chara raha hoon... aur kya?!! Poori raat idhar lady Bandar baan ke latakna hain kya?!.. hain too bola pun upar char jata hain akele.." his irritating voice roamed in my ear. "Akru kahika!!" I said under my breath. "Suna apun ne!!" he said with a chuckle and pushed me upward supporting my lower back. I found myself on the balcony of that tree house. At the next moment raghu was beside me rolling on the floor. With a jerk he was on his feet at next moment. I tried to move up but my wounded feet ached. Automatically a small wince came out of my lips when I felt his strong hands around me pulling me upward. I gulped again by his closeness. Strange, I never felt that like before while we were close. But it was the thing that we never get slow close like that before!

Supporting his hands, I woke up and both of us looked inside the pitch dark room of tree house. We waited for some moment to detect that if everything was clear inside. After some moment when we didn't get any response from inside, we moved and switched on our mobiles flash. It seemed like the tree house was not old and still visitors came there. it was good that the wooden attic was hard and didn't consist of any holes, so that we wouldn't have any problems for rainwater pouring inside through the holes in roof. The floor was also clean but there was nothing inside the house, not single accessories. Raghu left me and moved inside more to explore the place. I moved my mobile's flash at a corner and found a lantern kept at side. Slowly, I moved to the spot and checked the lantern. It still had some amount of oil and also I found an oil can at side. It was the only accessory I found in that empty house. I searched for a match box or something else which could help me to light up fire. "Chalo... acha hain...rahene kaa jagah too mil gaya.."I heard his voice from the other corner of room. "Tumhare pass matches hoga?!" I asked towards him. "Kyun?!! Mere koo jalana hain kya?!!" again that irritating tone but I ignored that time. "Woo lamp jalana tha..." I said. "Ruk..."he said and moved near me. I filled the lamp with oil and raghu lit up that with match stick. The darkness was removed by the single flame and after such a long moment we saw each other in light. The darkness was toned down. I smiled looking at the lamp.

"Daant kyun dikha rahi hain?!" again he asked in that same irritating tone. But somehow I didn't mind his words at that moment, my ears became habituated with his blabbers. I looked towards the flame and said, "soch rahi hoon andhera kitna bhi gahera kyun naa hoo.. ek choti si roashni kafi hoti hain itne ghane andhere koo door karne ke liye!!" I said looking towards the lamp's flame. I heard raghu's yank at side. "Arey yaar.. mere koo samajh nahin atta kit um larkion koo har moment woo aise... gyan ki batein kyun yaad ati hain?!! Abhi yeee andhera aur roashni ke piche par gayi." He said yanking hard. I nodded my head in sigh. But still the bitterness was going away slowly. As they say, peoples get adjusted to the situation and need. I overed the flame with glass shade and moved up. Hanging the lantern above from a hook in ceiling I increased the flame. I saw two fireflies gathering around the flames. They widened my smile more. Those fireflies seemed like dancing around the flame. The warmth of the flame saved me from the cold. Standing near the lamp I jerked my wet hairs to dry them. I was so busy drying my hairs and clothes while my eyes fell on raghu. He didn't moved from his position at all. seating at the same position he was looking towards me with some deep indefinable look. The flame was gleaming in his deep unreadable dark orbs. I frowned towards him and asked with my indication that what was going on. Like he came out from trance, looked here and there scratching his hairs. "Woo... tere baal ke chite aa rahe hain idhar... door jaa ke saaf kar..." he said. I nodded my head and moved near the door and jerked my hairs. I looked outside and saw the forest dancing in the rain and thunder. Even the disaster looked so beautiful sometimes. I smiled and stretched my hand out to feel the rain in my hand. The feeling was magnificent. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Itna bheeg ke bhi tera pet nahin bhara too bahar chale jaa naa... jam ke barish meimn bhig ke aa.. aur fir chikh te rahe aur bukhar bhi chara..." I heard raghu's voice from my back. I looked back and saw him standing at my behind. "Mujhe nahin charegi shardi... mujhe bhigne ki adat hain!! Athchooo!!!!" I sneezed badly and felt embarrassed. I saw him frowning and could observe theclear naughty glint in that face. He moved at my side and also stretched his hand out. "Loo.. ab kaun bhig raha hain?!!" I asked with a frown. Surprisingly he collected the water in his palm and drank it. "Eww!!! Tum barish kaa pani pii rahe hoo?!! Pata hain kitna unhygienic hain!!" I said making a face. "Tum doctor logon kii yahich problem hain. Falguni koo bhi dekha apun nee... yee pani nahin pine kaa.. yee kharab hain!! Sirf eoo bottle kaa pani woo kya... woo min.. min..." he stammered. "Mineral water!!" I reminded him. " Haan wohich!! Sirf wohi pine kaa..areyt khana khana hota hain.. pani pani hoti hain!" He said gulping another doze of rain water. "Haan... Par insaan koo apne health ke bareibn mein bhi too dhyan rakhnaa parta hain. Pata hain tumhe.. rain water mein kitne sare germs hote hain... joo tumhare system ki andar gaya too tumhe jaan lewa bimari hoo sakti hain.." I told him and he laughed all of a sudden. "Tumhe meri baat mazak lag raha hain naa?!" I was a bit angry, "hash loo... tumhari bhalayi soch ke kahe rahi hoo... meri har baat to tumhe mazak lagti hain naa?!" I asked angrily. He looked towards me with a firm gaze but that faze didn't contained anger but mockery. Looking straight to me he just said, "Misscall... apun naa bachpan mein gandhe nail kaa pani bhi piya hain... pyas lagti hain naa too kuch bhi maine nahin rakhta.. bas pani maine rakhta hain!!".

His word literally shook me from top to bottom. Giving me a silent gaze he moved inside. I continued to look towards him. I heard about some bit of raghu;s past from faguni. Raghu was not her own blood brother. His mother and father was brutally killed by some of their rivals and throw him away on the road snatching all of their property. He was just 15 years old then. He spend his tough childhood days in roadside. One day, while he saved little falguni from a car accident, falguni's father and mother brought him home and accepted him as their own child. From that time he was living with them and he was like a shield to their family, protecting them from each and every danger, each and every upcoming storm. Just like they did to raghu's own parents, some rivals of falguni's father wanted to croak their property and that basti for some illegal work. So, they were sending goon in the basti everyday and they had to face the ultimate wall... Raghunarh Naik!

When falguni told me about raghu's past I really felt bad for that guy. I remembered about my father. Falguni used to say, "Pata hain antara!! Bhai bahar se bahut rude, arrogant aur shakt dikhte hain. Par trust me andar se aisa nahin hain! Waqt aut halat ne aisa bana diya... asalme bahut akela hain!! .. sara dard, sara jakah, apne andar liye baitha hain... dekha jayein too ekdum mome ki tarah hain... agar thora sa pyar de doo too ussi waqt bighal jata hain!!" I always asked falguni that why she was telling those things to me. She looked towards me with some glint of mischief, "Ekdin tu khud samajh jayegi yaar!!".

Seating near the door amd looking towards outside, I was recalling her words. I was peeping towards raghu who was busy in his phone. He was concentrating on something deeply on the screen which I couldn't see from distance. I couldn't dare to make conversation to him. The rain had turned into thunderstorm and all nature seemed dancing in mad joy. But just after some moment, the rain approached and calmed everything down. I get lost in the drizzling sound and I started to remember my old memories at shrinagar. The beautiful golden memories! While we all were living happy with papa!!

My eyes started to got moist again. I was again feeling like crying. It had been almost ten years that pappa left us. Still the scar, the invisible wound was so fresh that I still felt the pain everyday in the invisible hole on my chest. Someone told me that when you were in so much pain, and you couldn't cry, you should sing. Cause there is only two ways in the world to let go your pain out of your chest, through your tears or through your voice.

Closing my eyes I started to hum the music of my one of the favorite song. I didn't know when my hum turned into song.

Pani pani re khaare paani re

Nainon mein bhar jaaye

Neendein khaali kar jaaye

Pani pani in pahaadon ke gharaanon se

Utar jaana

Dhuaan dhuaan kuchh vaadiyaan bhi aayengi

Guzar jaana

Ik gaaon re ga mera ghar aayega

Jaan re ghar jaaye

Neendein khaali kar jaaye"

I felt clearly that the tears overflowed down my closed eye lids. I couldn't stopped them. I buried my face in between my knees and hide my tears. My whole feature was shaking. Damn!! Why did I choose that song? It was my pappa's favourite and he always requested me to sing that whenever he got time. "Pappa!!..." I sobbed silently. I felt someone seating at my front. Damn it!! I was so carried away by my own emotions that I forgot the presence of someone else in the same room. I looked up with an yank and found two deep coal black eyes at my front on which the luminous eyes looking back towards me. Those eyes were so deep, gentle and kind and had power to sooth your every pain.

back with my long parts..😆.. sorry guyss.. won't mind chappal for this... but hope u enjoy...🤣