Siddhima Tujhe Bhula Diya 7/15 pg 70 - Page 42

Part 24

The two of them continued to stare at each other, after about a minute of staring they both yelled out, "YOU!". As they continued to huff and puff out the remainder of their anger and stare at one another, then suddenly they both burst out laughing. They laughed for a few seconds. Then they started to relax both waiting for the other to start. Sid decided to take the first step, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just looked up suddenly from my desk and saw a flash of color that I knew had to be you. So I tried calling out to grab your attention, but you just kept walking faster. I had no choice but to corner you." Her face started to transform in front of him, from anxiousness to affection. He continued, "What are you doing here?"

The look of affection was swiftly wiped away. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?!" She started stalking towards Sid and poking him in chest of course I am here where else would I be?". Sid just stared taking in the transformation her face showed, something that he had hoped was inevitable but didn't expect so soon. He took too long to answer so

she asked again along with giving him a slight shove. He was brought back to the here and he responded with, "I'm sorry."

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Avni and sue sat in comfortable silence when Sue couldn't wait anymore and she asked, "Not that I'm not happy you and kids are here, but I can't help but wonder what brought you here. Because I know it definitely wasn't the latest toy story, especially since Siddhant can pratically recite Buzz's lines word for word. Avni let out a small laugh but still didn't let anything out so Sue continued. "Okay since you aren't ready to let anything out let me try my deductive skills, yesterday Super bro left this place whistling like the 7 dwarfs on the way to work and I definitely know he wasn't on his way to work. I also knew from my favorite spy and I quote 'mommy is getting pretty for dowtor me' which leads me to only one conclusion, that you and bro went out together. But then this morning bro walked out looking like he had seen a ghost, and I'm even afraid to say this for fear of conjuring it up, bit he looks like he's seen a specific ghost. And you look like your puppy just ran into traffic and doesn't know how to find his way out." She then sat there and continued boring into Avni silently.

Avni let out a sigh of defeat as she said sarcastically, " Well if you've got it all figured out then what do you need me for?". Sue retorted with, "Why of course to tell me I'm right." Avni couldn't help but let out a slight laugh before she began, "You are in more ways than even you know. Sid and I did go out to eat, and we were getting along great. Until something from the past came forcing us to face reality." Avni stopped there Sue waited for her to continue when it seemed as though no progress was going to be made Sue said, "You're not going to tell me what that means are you?" Avni turned and gave Sue a sad smile before she said, "I wish I could, but it's not my story to tell."

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Shilpa continued to look at Sid with the look she called her 'alien' look. It was the one she gave people when it seemed as though they had started to speak to her in alien-ese. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Sid just kept staring at her. She couldn't put a name on the look in his eyes it was a mix between shock and joy and confusion. But none of them made sense, except for joy cause after all she was the Shilpa. She decided to give him a few more seconds before she gave him a reason to look confused, by smacking him upside his head.

Sid caught himself just in time he leaned forward and gave her a tight hug. Shilpa for once found herself speechless and returned the warm embrace she got from him. They stood hugging for what seemed like a long while, but Shilpa found the words she was so well known for and spoke and they stepped back from each other, "Not that I don't love getting hugs from you bhaiya, but you saw me yesterday it's not like I've been on a long trip and just surprised you." Sid was doing a once over on her and she knew mentally he was taking stock on whether she had any injuries, it's what he had always done whenever she came back from a trip or vacation. Unfortunately, this time there was no easy remedy and there was no external marks, the only injury was to her heart. And she knew it was hurting him as much, if not more than it was hurting her. For her bhaiya was a special man who hurt more when the ones he loved hurt. She grasped his hand and gave it a tight squeeze with a smile hoping to reassure him that she was okay.

Sid felt the squeeze and saw the smile and as he bore his eyes into hers looking for any signs that she was putting on an act he came to realize that this was no act. His face split with a giant grin and he jumped forward and gave her another hug. Shilpa let out a laugh and embraced him again. "Bhaiya for real what is going on? Did you have an Alice in Wonderland moment today and realize you are back in Kansas?" Sid stepped back and let out of laugh, "Shilps Kansas is Wizard of Oz and now that you mention it I could have been Alex in wonderland last night, but forget about that." Shilpa just enjoyed seeing the smile on Sid's face, she hadn't realized that it had been a while since she'd last seen him smile. Oh sure he laughed and grinned when the kids were around, but whenever he saw her his smile became forced she was glad that for once it was natural. She was a sparkle flicker for a bit when he mentioned the 'alex in wonderland bit' but she figured it was in reference to being called Alice. Before she could connect the dots and ask why yesterday was so like a wonderland Sid spoke, "I'm just glad to see my old Shilps back. I know you've been through a lot, and I definitely know everything isn't great again, but I'm just so thankful that you starting to take steps towards feeling good again."

Shilpa smiled as she realized what her Bhaiya was trying to tell her. He was such a sweet guy all this time he was worrying over her when she was trying to put on a show for her family she should have known they knew her better and just balled out her eyes for 2 days with them. And then wiped the tears off and said enough. They would've believed her smile then. "I promise Bhaiya I'm doing okay. And you know I don't make just any promises." Sid smiled at her for he knew that she would squirm any which way to make a 'deal' but never said 'promise' unless he meant it with all her heart. She saw Sid relax upon hearing her promise so she continued, "Now if you're done chasing me around like I'm your kindergarten crush can we please go grab some lunch and have some BB time?" Sid let out a laugh of relief upon hearing Shilpa sound just like she did before, "First, I was chasing you because you look like a giant ball of cotton candy. Second, I'm a man of course I want to each lunch, and you're buying by the way since you made me squeeze in this extra workout and third I never say no to Bhaiya-Bhen time. So let's go."

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Sue waited to see if Avni would expand at all, and when she didn't Sue began, "Okaaay...then I'm just gonna go and get my bro on the phone and demand he tell me what the hell is going on." Avni placed her hand on Sue's arm and stopped her from grabbing for the phone, "Don't. He'll tell you if and when he's ready. Give him some time to figure it out and he'll spill." Sue let out a sigh, "Fine. I'll give him till the end of the day. If he doesn't broach the subject then you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm gonna drag it out of him." Avni let a small smile out at the harsh words Sue spoke that only conveyed the love she felt for her brother. Sue turned towards Avni and said, "All right I'll let that rest for now. But you can surely tell me how you're doing. That's your story to tell right?" Avni let out a laugh at the way Sue had used her own words against her. "You know I had always wanted a sibling, I thought it would be cool to have someone to gang up on Mom with. Someone to always go to the movies with. Somone to laugh and pull pranks with. I never gave thought to how annoying a sibling could be." Sue knew where Avni was headed with this and looked smug while Avni continued, "Like butting their noses into your business constantly even when you asked them not to." She gave Sue a pointed look. Sue simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "Looks like you missed a key component in sibling relationships 101. And if you missed that then you definitely missed the other key the one that says distracting never works, Di."

Avni let out a sigh, "Yeah I figured it was worth a shot. I'm all right." Sue gave her pointed look and Avni continued, "No seriously. I am. Yesterday was meant to be a fun night out with a guy I have good conversation with and a great friend. And that's what it was. But then something happened and Sid was impacted by it. I was simply a bystander that witnessed the awful accident of fate." Sue gave her confused look. "Sorry, I really can't expand. But I will say any pain I am feeling right now isn't my own, it's the pain I feel at seeing a dear friend of mine going through something really trying."

Sue stared deeply into Avni's eyes trying to get a read on them and she came to the realization that she was telling the truth. Avni wasn't hurting for herself so much as she was hurting for Sid. Something had happened last night and Sid was impacted by it, Avni was simply a witness. As Sue tried to think of what could have possibly happened she got a sudden chill through her body as an awful thought went through her mind. Please, don't let this be what I think it might be. For there's usually only one thing that causes a ripple like an earthquake when it's around. And if that's what this is then I don't know if Superboy will be able to handle it. And I swear if he gets hurt again I will not spare it pain. Sue tried to get more info out of Avni again, "You know Superboy as well as I do. And you know that if whatever went down last night was as big as it seems it was and he was hurt by it, he's not going to tell anyone anything ever. Superboy keeps everything bottled up inside and never lets anyone see the pain he's going through. Can't you tell me so that I can try to help him?"

Avni turned caring eyes towards Sue and grasped her hand in hers, "You're right I do know Sid. And that is the reason why I am hurting for him. Because of the fact that he doesn't share his deepest thoughts with the world he simply keeps them locked up. I was there yesterday. I saw everything and yet he didn't say a word to me. If he didn't say anything to me then there's even less chance he'll say something when he's had a chance to gather his defenses. This is going to eat him up from the inside out, and I tried to get him to at least see it for himself. But I have no clue if it made a difference, and that is why I'm hurting so much. But I'm sorry this is something that Sid has to do, and only he can decide how he's going to do and whom he's going to tell about it."

With every word Avni spoke Sue knew that she wasn't going to get anything more out of this woman, and her fears increased that what she suspected might not be as far fetched as she hoped. But if Avni wasn't going to tell her then that meant she was going to have to find Superboy and find out from him. Until he got back from work there wasn't anything she could do for him. But she could definitely help Avni out. "All right, don't you dare tell anyone this. But I shall back off...for now. Just promise me you are doing okay and that there's nothing eating you up from the inside out." Avni smiled and said, "Promise." Sue got up and dragged Avni up with her, "Fine. Then let's go get lunch started I'm starving and I'm sure you haven't eaten a single thing since dinner last night, and your bundle of terror over there won't be distracted for longer than that movie runs." Avni laughed as she followed Sue into the kitchen carrying Mahi in her hands as she threw a look at her 'bundle of terror' that was deeply engrossed into the movie and thought to herself, This whole sibling thing really is pretty amazing...

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Sid and Shilpa grabbed a table at their favorite caf where they always went for DD time. The owners knew them by name and immediately had glowing faces when they saw the two walk in together. They ordered their usual and as they waited for the food Sid just looked at Shilpa. She tried to avoid making eye contact with him for as long as she could. She knew exactly what he was waiting for. After a few minutes she decided to give in. Blowing out a sigh she said, "Fine. I know what you want to know but won't ask. The plan from here on out is to move forward." Sid's intense looks relaxed and he nodded his head to let her know to proceed. She continued, "I still love Akash, you know better than anyone else that love isn't something that just goes away because you didn't get the person you love, or because you let them go." She noticed his eyes darken more than they had been doing in the past few years. She made note as she said, "But Akash is married, and that means he has moved on. So now it's my turn. For now I'm focusing on work, my family and healing myself. I promise I haven't closed myself off from love forever. I just need some time to recover. Before long you will be getting even more grey hairs when I start dating again."

Sid watched Shilpa talk and was glad she had decided to move forward and was even more glad that she had decided not to close herself off from love. That was the thing about Shilpa, she did everything in life whole heartedly whether it was her work life or her personal life. He had known she would bounce back he was glad that she had bounced back so quickly. Oh sure he knew she was hurting, but she was making progress towards the future. It had only taken her a few days while it had taken him more than a few years and he wasn't even sure if those years were enough. His mind automatically went back to last night. He didn't want to get into it, but at the same time he couldn't keep his mind from going there. Shilpa noticed the change in Sid. And knew that this was the perfect opportunity for her to find out how her Bhaiya was doing. "Sooo, Bhaiya now that you have done your inquiring on me you know turn about is only fair." She gave Sid a mischevious smile and waited to see his reaction. Instead of getting a laugh or a moan she got a very quiet Sid. She knew that something was going on so began more gently, "Bhaiya did something happen? Is something bothering you?" Sid was still quiet, but at least he no longer seemed lost in his thoughts. Instead it seemed as though he was contemplating whether or not to say something. Shilpa knew exactly what she needed to say to get him to open up, "Bhaiya it's me. You know i'm here for you even if it's just to listen. We've been through a lot and we have no secrets, so if you need to talk I'm here."

Sid let out the deep breath he hadn't even known he had been holding as Shilpa's words brought him out of last night's memories. He looked into Shilpa's eyes and knew she was right. They had been through a lot and truth be told he wasn't sure he would have made it out alive after that last time in India if she hadn't been around. He took a deep breath in and began, "You're right you and I have no secrets. And this wasn't meant to be a secret, to tell you the truth I'm still trying to figure what it exactly is if it is anything at all. I have had this circling around in my head for hours and yet I still can't make sense of it, not sure I ever will. But maybe saying the words aloud, saying them to you might help make some sense." He looked Shilpa in the eye and said, "She's back."

Shilpa just looked at him for a few seconds. Then her eyes grew big and her jaw dropped in shock as she realized exactly whom he was talking about. "What!?! Please tell me it's a joke. It's a really bad joke, but it has to be." She continued to stare at Sid. Sid simply shook his head in sad disappointment. Shilpa continued, "How is she back? She's not at the hospital is she? Please, she couldn't have gotten a job there. Why would she even bother I mean she knows how we feel, and she got what she wanted. Why won't she leave us the hell alone?"

Sid let Shilpa vent out her shock. They were similar to the ones that had run through his head when he had first seen her yesterday. And waited for her to overcome the shock and ask what he knew was coming. She didn't disappoint, "Wait. Forget all that. Where did you see her and when?" Sid couldn't help the small smirk on his face. It was so odd how he could predict exactly what Shilpa thought and what she was going to say and they had simply been friends cum siblings and had known each other for considerably less time. And the one woman he had given his heart and soul to was such a mystery that he didn't even know what she wanted let alone what she thought or felt. He let out a sigh and began, "Last night Avni and I went out for dinner. The kids were at Avni's mom's for the night and she had gotten off of work late as did I so we figured we grab dinner and hangout. So we went to my favorite place and grabbed dinner." Shilpa was shocked again but this time in a good way. She had seen Sid and Avni's friendship grow and enjoyed the happiness the other woman seemed to bring to her Bhaiya. She wasn't sure if what was between was more than friendship, but it wasn't hers to figure out. She refocused as Sid continued, "We finished dinner and were heading to grab dessert when I bumped into someone on the street. I caught the other person and turned to apologize and saw that..." His voice faded out as he remembered that moment. Shilpa simply observed she knew what he was going to say. He continued, "I had literally run into the ghost that haunted me." He looked at her with his heart in his eyes, "And all I wanted to do was grab onto it and never let go..."

Arps

Originally posted by: indian_beauty

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