PG 118 - FOR NOW AND FOREVER - Page 75

I WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU – PART 2

The phone rang around five times but no one picked it at the other end. I disconnected and tried again; and still no answer. A niggling feeling settled at the back of my head and I unconsciously tried to massage it away with my free hand, while dialing the number, that I had off-head, once again.

'Where could he be? Why isn't he picking the call?' I thought.

'Maybe he is in the shower. Or maybe he is in the living room and left the phone in his room,' a voice inside me said.

I shook my head and just as I was about to disconnect the call, someone picked it.

"Hello," a voice, so weak it could barely be heard, said.

"Arjun? Is that you?" I said.

"Rati, whom have you called?" The weak voice spoke.

"Goodness, Arjun! What happened? You were perfectly fine yesterday," I said, worried to the bone.

"Come over, baby. I need you," he said.

"Yeah. I will be right there. Hang on!" I said, disconnecting the phone and reaching for my purse in the same instant.

xxx

Our houses were very close to each other, so close that we could see each other if we sat in our respective balconies, and so it did not take me long to reach his home. I knocked and when no one opened the door, I assumed he was alone at home and used the spare key (Thank God Arjun had forced me to take it even though I hadn't wanted to) I had in my purse to open the door.

I called out his name the moment I entered the house and heard a weak moan coming from the direction of his bedroom. I rushed there only to find him lying down on his bed covered from head to toe with a thick duvet. I moved the duvet away and touched his forehead. He was burning with fever. I was about to move my hand away when he held it tight and pressed it to his forehead.

"Don't leave me, please," he said, softly. "Your hand feels so good."

"Arjun, how did this happen? Have you called a doctor? Where is Mum?" I asked, worried as hell. I had to call a doctor because I knew Arjun probably hadn't consulted one yet.

"Mum and Bro left town early morning. Remember I had said Mum had some work to do. After that is when I felt weak and lay down until now. Boozee must be hungry. Where is he? I feel so sick," he moaned.

"Okay, Arjun. Let me call a doctor, please. Then I will go check on Boozee also okay."

Arjun nodded. "I am so lucky to have you, Rati. I love you."

I smiled. "Love you, too."

I pressed a light kiss on his forehead and got up. I headed towards the kitchen to check on Boozee while trying to reach the physician Arjun and I normally consulted, in case of any sickness, on his cell phone.

He picked on the fourth ring. "Hello."

"Hello, Uncle. Rati here. How are you?"

"I am okay. What about you? You called this early? Any problem?" He said, sounding worried. He was like a father-figure to both Arjun and me. Someone we could count on at anytime.

I quickly explained Arjun's situation and he promised to be there in the next fifteen minutes as he was already out of his clinic.

I found Boozee lying in the kitchen, eyes closed. I knelt by him and ran my hands through his fur. He opened an eye to look at me and on recognizing me, moved and rubbed his head on my lap. I kissed him on his head and got up. He must have known I was going to arrange for his food so he also got up and followed me as I walked to the cupboard where Arjun kept Boozee's food.

I poured some dog food in Boozee's bowl and he started munching immediately. I went to check on Arjun after that and found him sleeping. I sat next to him and ran my hand through his hair, giving him a light massage simultaneously. He sighed in his sleep.

After a while the doorbell rang. It had to be the doctor so I hurried to open the door. It was indeed the doctor. I greeted him and then we went to Arjun's room.

After checking him, he diagnosed a viral infection, which was rampant in town, owing to the monsoons. He took some blood samples and prescribed some medicines but since I could not leave Arjun alone to go get them, the doctor called up his assistant and told him to send the medicines to Arjun's address.

I thanked him and offered him something to drink which he declined, told me to take care of Arjun and myself, and left.

The assistant arrived with the medicines a while later. After paying him for the medicines, I went to the kitchen to make some soup for Arjun.

Boozee was nowhere to be seen in the kitchen. He was in Arjun's room, I knew. He could sense his best friend was not well. I knew he would alert me with a bark if Arjun woke up.

Even then, I made the soup as quickly as I could and went to wake Arjun so I could feed him something and give him the medicines.

xxx

Boozee was lying near the foot of the bed when I walked into Arjun's room and Arjun was still fast asleep. I placed the soup on the bedside table and called out to him.

"Arjun, wake up. You have to eat something. Come on."

I shook him lightly and he murmured a "Hmmm" before turning and going back to sleep. I walked to the other side of the bed and continued calling out to him until he woke up.

"What, Rati? Let me sleep, please. I am so sleepy," he complained.

"You can sleep, Arjun. But first please get up and eat something. You have to take your medicines also," I said.

"Medicines? Where did those come from?"

"The doctor had come to check you. You have a viral infection. Now please get up for a while so I can feed you a bit of this soup. Then you can take your medicines and go back to sleep, okay?" I smiled.

He smiled and nodded.

I helped him sit up slowly and lean against the headboard. Then I slowly fed him small sips of soup. He kept complaining that it was not tasty at all. He sounded like a complete baby and I could not help smiling.

"You seem happy at my weakness," he grumbled.

I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent laughing at his cuteness and instead said, "No, hun. You just sound so cute complaining. So I was just smiling."

"I am sick and you think I am cute? What on Earth?!" He grumbled a bit loudly.

"No need to get worked up, Arjun. I always find you cute. Now come on, this last bit then I get you your medicines," I said, changing the topic to prevent further grumbling.

"Changing the topic, are you? Smarty-pants," he said, smiling.

"Feeling better already, are you? Macho man," I retorted, making him smile wider.

"How can you be so witty?" He asked.

"I learn from the best, that is how," I said, putting up a mock serious look on my face.

"I hope by 'the best' you mean me."

"And, if I say I wasn't referring to you?"

"Then I won't take the medicines."

"Oh, oh! Then I had better tell you that I meant no one other than you."

"Good girl. I always knew you were smart," he laughed lightly.

I gave him an incredulous look before I also started laughing.

By then, he had finished the soup and, keeping the bowl aside, I gave him his medicines and a glass of water to take them with.

Then I told him to relax in that position for a while before he went back to sleep. He nodded and closed his eyes. As I got up to leave, he held my hand, his eyes still closed. "Sit here. Next to me. Please."

"I was just going to return the bowl to the kitchen, Arjun."

He shook his head and put a bit more pressure on my hand so I sat down on the bed and moved closer to him.

He smiled and after a few moments, I felt his grip on my hand tighten, before it went lax. He had fallen asleep. I slowly pulled my hand out from his and walked to the bedroom door before I turned and walked back to him.

I bent and placed a light kiss on his forehead. "I love you," I murmured and somehow the message reached him, because he smiled in his sleep.

I lightly ruffled his hair before walking out again.

I cleaned the utensils and placed them in their respective places before heading to the living room. I arranged the pillows on the sofa and dusted the room a bit. Satisfied with my work, I headed back to Arjun's room. He was still asleep and so was Boozee.

They made a cute picture. I took my phone from my purse and captured the moment. I imagined Arjun's reaction when he got to know I had been taking his photos while he was ill and stifled a laugh.

I thought of helping Arjun lie down properly to prevent neck ache. So I climbed on the other side of the bed and lightly moved him. He must have sensed that someone was trying to move him so he also moved in the same direction. Finally he lay down well and relaxed. His fever was a bit less but still there so I decided to place wet strips of cloth on his forehead. It was what my mum had always done to me when I had had fever.

I wondered what to use for the strips and it struck me that Arjun's mum must be having them already. So I went to the kitchen and started rummaging through the drawers. Luck was on my side since I found them almost immediately.

I filled a bowl with some water and went to the room. I climbed on the bed and settled down next to Arjun. I soaked the strips in the water and placed the damp strips on his forehead, one at a time. After thirty minutes I decided the fever had gone down a bit so I decided to give it a rest. I placed the water bowl and cloth strips on the side table and lay down next to Arjun for a while. I entwined my hand with his and closed my eyes. I did not even realize when sleep overcame me.

xxx

I woke up to the sensation of someone running their fingers through my hair. I slowly opened my eyes to find Arjun looking at me with a smile on his face. For a moment I thought I was dreaming so I sighed contentedly and closed my eyes again.

"Hello, lady! This is the part where you give me a hug or at least a smile, okay! Not go back to sleep!"

'Oh! Oh! Not a dream!' I thought. The earlier events rushed through my head and I quickly opened my eyes.

"How are you feeling, Arjun?" I asked, checking his forehead and neck for fever.

He got hold of my hand and kissed the palm. "I am feeling better. Much better since I woke up and saw you sleeping next to me."

I couldn't help the blush that crept up my cheeks. We were more than comfortable with each other and yet his words still had the power to make me blush.

He ran a finger over my red cheek and I could feel myself get hotter as if I had the fever and not him.

He then bent and placed a light kiss on my cheek. Then placed one on my ear and whispered, "I don't know what I would have done without you in my life."

I smiled. "Ditto."

He laughed lightly and moved away after kissing my cheek once again.

It suddenly struck me that he had not eaten anything since the soup he had taken earlier. I glanced at the clock in his room. It was nearing seven p.m. He had taken the soup four hours ago. I got up and he got puzzled.

"What happened?"

"You have not eaten anything, Arjun, and you need to take your tabs," I said, and rushed to the kitchen.

He had gained some strength due to the medicines and the rest he had had because he got up also and followed me to the kitchen. I walked to the dining room and brought him a chair to sit on, not wanting him to tire himself out.

"I am not that weak," he said, but he still sat down as I moved around the kitchen looking for the ingredients to make him sandwiches. I found some boneless chicken pieces in the freezer so I defrosted them and put them to boil while I washed and chopped some salad, carrots and tomatoes.

Arjun was quietly observing me as I worked my way around and I had no idea what he was thinking until he spoke. "I love seeing you working in my kitchen. We need to make it permanent."

I smiled and blushed once again but did not look at him. So when I passed by him the next time, he got hold of my hand and pulled me to face him. I raised my eyebrows in question though I knew he wanted a reply to his statement.

"I said something. Shouldn't you at least reply?"

"Your sickness has made you pretty cranky, hasn't it?" I said, trying to avoid the subject he had broached up.

"That is not the answer I want and you know it," he said.

"What do you want me to say, Arjun? You know I want what you want, and probably sooner than you want it too, but we have to take things one at a time. We have to wait for our parents to give us a go-ahead, right?"

He sighed. "Right. But we should make it known to them that we can't wait any longer. See, our fans are also getting impatient. Maybe we should tell our parents to hurry up and give us the green signal because otherwise our fans will run out of patience and get us married at gun-point."

I laughed. There was nothing I wanted more than to become Mrs. Rati Arjun Bijlani. Though I was willing to wait because somewhere inside me, I knew the time would come soon. Very soon. It was some strong instinct inside me and I never ignored those instincts because they always turned out right.

So I bent closer to Arjun and whispered, "Just a bit more patience, my love, and we will be together forever."

He smiled and nodded.

The sandwiches were done so we moved to the living room and settled on the sofa to eat. Boozee followed us and we gave him his food in the living room because he would not leave Arjun's side. Somehow he knew that his best friend was not his usual self and so stuck by him. Again I was tempted to take a photo of them but my phone was in Arjun's room.

As we ate, I asked Arjun what had brought about this infection and before he answered, I remembered the day we had spent together two days before. It had been a total fun day full of eating junk food and dancing in the rain. We had gone off to a place just outside town where we were not known as celebrities and spent the whole day enjoying the freedom and doing all sorts of silly things. It had started raining hard and we had parked the car on the side of the road and eaten corn and ice lollies. Then when we had reached a deserted garden, Arjun had played the songs in the car on full volume and we had danced to them in the rain. It had been an unforgettable day, one that neither of us would ever forget, and it seemed this very fun was the reason Arjun had fallen sick.

He knew I was remembering the day and he smiled and nodded. I had a look of regret on my face and he smiled more.

"You know what? I wouldn't undo all this for anything in the world. That day was one of the best days I have ever had in my life and if it meant falling sick every time I spent a day like that one with you, I would take it all happily and not complain one bit." He pulled me close and side-hugged me.

I put my arms around him. "I hate seeing you ill."

"I am not ill, baby. It is just an infection. By tomorrow, I will be fit and fine. Trust me." He said and tightened his arm around me.

After eating I gave him his medicines then we sat in the living room talking and watching television.

Around midnight, Arjun felt tired and he was not too hungry but I still made him drink some soup and take his medicines before sleeping.

As he dosed off, he made me promise him that I would not leave him while he was sleeping. So I had no choice but to lie down next to him and sleep, which was no huge problem since I fell asleep in a short while with my hand once again entwined with Arjun's.

xxx

I felt warmer than usual when I woke up and I soon realized the reason why. My back was pressed against Arjun's chest and his arm was tightly wrapped around my waist. I blushed hard and tried to move his arm away only to find it getting wrapped even tighter around me.

"Arjun, are you awake?" I asked softly.

"Hmm, go to sleep, Rati," he mumbled.

'Definitely asleep,' I thought. I was just about to close my eyes once again when I heard Arjun's phone ring. It had to be his mum or brother.

The ringing woke Arjun up also and he seemed stunned for a moment to find himself holding me so close to him in his sleep. The persistent ringing stopped him from saying anything though, and he just turned to pick the phone from the side table.

"Hello, Mum," he said.

"Yeah, I am fine." Pause. "You are coming back? Is the work over?" Pause. "I came down with an infection." Pause. "Nothing to worry about, mum. Please calm down. Rati took care of me."

Arjun was quiet for a while before he said, "Okay, mum. See you soon. Take care."

Then, "Yeah, I will. Bye, Mum."

He disconnected the phone and turned towards me.

We looked at each other for a while not knowing what to say at first. Then Arjun broke the silence by saying, "We should get married as soon as possible. I can't live like this. Seriously."

Then he got up abruptly and entered the bathroom.

I was shocked but burst into laughter as soon as the bathroom door closed.

xxx

Breakfast was ready when Arjun walked into the kitchen, all fresh after his shower, with Boozee by his side.

Seeing him again reminded me of his comment earlier and I controlled my laughter. Then I realized I had to freshen up also. But Arjun seemed to have read my mind because he said, "If you don't mind, could you please just freshen up here, instead of going home? I have placed a shirt and a pair of tracks of mine on the bed. You can wear that."

I wondered what he was getting at by requesting me to do that but I just told myself it was probably because he did not want to be alone so I nodded and went to his room.

It was the first time I was showering in his bathroom and it felt good. It felt like my own. I smiled at the thought. I did not shampoo my hair so it was tied in a knot at the top of my head with a few tendrils hanging down my neck and on the side of my face which were damp at the moment. I put on the clothes in the bathroom. I thought the tracks would be loose at the waist but it seemed Arjun had already taken that into consideration and chosen a pair that had a cord to tighten the waistband. I walked out of the bathroom with a smile on my face only to find Arjun leaning on the door frame looking at me with a serious look on his face. My smile faded and I walked over to him.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

He was quiet for a while before he said, "Yup! We definitely need to get married." Then he walked out, leaving me at a loss of words.

xxx

After that, the marriage topic never came up again and Arjun seemed almost normal, though a bit weak. We talked about general things and did not even realize how time passed.

xxx

It was around three in the afternoon and we had just had lunch when Arjun's mum and brother arrived. She was really worried but I calmed her down and gave her an overview of what had happened and what I had done. She seemed at ease after that but was still concerned about her son. I stood watching mother and son and at that moment I really missed my mum. I made a mental note to call her when I reached home.

Just then my train of thoughts was broken by a voice.

"If I am not mistaken, those are my brother's clothes you are wearing," Arjun's brother whispered in my ear.

I blushed and nodded slightly without looking at him.

"Interesting development, I can see. And from the way my brother has been stealing glances at you even now, I think it is high time you two should get married."

I turned to look at him, stunned beyond words. He just snickered and walked away.

'How had he known?' I wondered. But of course I would never ask him to answer that question unless I wanted to be teased about it for the rest of my life. So I decided the best thing to do would be to get out of here as fast as I could. Now that Arjun's mum was around, I could leave for a while and come back later. So I bid them all bye and promised to come and see Arjun later.

xxx

The next four days passed with just short meetings between us. We did not spend much time together because his mum was around and it did not feel right to be present there all the time so I stuck to passing by his home to check on him, chat with all of them for a while and then going back home. I missed him, a lot, especially since we could not even meet up for long. He missed me too since I kept getting random messages from him saying just three words, either 'I miss you' or 'I love you'. His health was also gradually improving. He mostly used to feel weaker in the evenings otherwise he was pretty much okay.

xxx

It was evening when the doorbell rang. I wondered who it could be at this time. 'Maybe one of my friends', I thought and went to open the door.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Arjun standing there, wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'Pass me your tweet' on it, jeans and a red cap. I blinked to make sure I was not dreaming and he pinched me lightly and laughed.

"Ouch! Couldn't you just convince me in some other way that I was not dreaming instead of pinching me?" I said.

He laughed again. "Sorry, jaan. Can I come in?"

I moved away from the door. He walked in and stood just opposite me. He held my arm and lightly rubbed the spot where he had pinched me. "I hope I did not hurt you much." He had a look of light concern on his face.

I shook my head and hugged him. "I missed you."

He put his arms around me. "Close the door first, Rati. What if somebody passes by and sees us like this?" He said and chuckled.

Without moving away from the hug, I pushed the door a bit forcefully so it gets closed.

He then tightened his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. I felt him take a deep breath and press a light kiss.

"I just had to come and see you. I don't know how I will stay away from you for the fifteen days that you won't be around," he said.

His statement made me pull out of the hug. "What do you mean?"

"Come, let me explain," he said and we walked to the living room.

He sat me down on the sofa and knelt in front of me. He took hold of my hands and kissed them before sighing. Then he said, "I won't be taking this reality show we have been offered, Rati. The doctor told me to stay away from all sorts of dust for a while because my immune system is still weak from this infection and dust can cause things to worsen."

He had a look of regret on his face. I pulled my hands out of his and bent to hug him tight. "It's okay, Arjun. Even I will reject the show then."

He pulled away. "No ways! I want you to do this, Rati. It is something new and I really want you to experience it. I just wish I could also participate but…"

"Arjun, I would have loved it if you were there but your health comes first. And, at no condition will I risk that." I said. "You are too important for me. And there is no way I would leave you exposed to any sort of harm."

"But, Rati…" He started.

I put a finger on his lips and shook my head to indicate that he should not say anything more. Then I cupped my hand around his face and pressed a light kiss on his lips.

He smiled and got up to sit next to me on the sofa. He then pulled me in his arms and I rested my head on his chest. "I will miss you dreadfully. Only I know how these few days have passed seeing you just for a few hours. And now it will be almost half a month that you won't be around."

I wanted to make the mood lighter so I laughed lightly and said, "Are you complaining, Bijlani? Fifteen days without me to bug you with calls and messages. You should be partying."

He gave me a dark look. "Are you making fun of me?"

He was definitely serious. So I decided to try something else. "If it's any consolation to you, I will be missing you double. And I wasn't making fun of you, Arjun, just trying to improve your mood. I don't want to leave having your sad face in mind. Otherwise how will I be able to concentrate on the competition? And you don't even want me to reject the show."

"No, I want you to go for it. It is something new and adventurous and I want you to experience it. I am just wondering whom you will get for a partner." He said, with a slightly worried look.

I laughed hard. "Are you jealous, Bijlani?"

"Damn right, I am! Why did you think I was agreeing to take part in this reality show when I really don't have any interest in reality shows?"

"You don't trust me?" I asked.

"You, I trust with my life. It is that unknown human being you will be paired with that I don't trust. How would we know what is running through his head when he sees such a beautiful lady who is perfect in every way and so easy to fall in love with?" He said solemnly.

I laughed again. "Arjun, I will make him my brother. Okay?"

Arjun's face brightened up and he grinned hugely. "I don't mind."

"You are truly crazy, you know?" I said. "Nothing will happen. I love you and you know that. If that guy makes any passes I know how to handle him. I am Nupur, remember?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I know you are Nupur. Gosh, I miss those days. We used to spend the whole day together, joking on the sets. And then meet up later also if shooting ended early. I wish we get a show offer that we both feel appropriate to take up together. These days I feel everything is trying to drive us apart."

"Shhh." I put a finger on his lips. "Don't say that. There is nothing of that sort. And don't you dare think such a thing ever. Plus, absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know? Maybe in these few days you will fall even more in love with me as you miss me." I winked.

"Maybe? Honey, I am sure I will fall more in love with you. Know why? Because every minute, in your presence and not, makes me love you more."

I smiled. "Same here. I will miss you, Arjun."

"Then marry me," he said.

I laughed. "Soon."

"Thank you," he said and tightened his arms around me further.

We talked about random things while we were together. It was hurting both of us that we would be apart for quite a while but none of us mentioned it again. I did not know how often I would be able to get in touch with him and I wished circumstances were different. I was ready to give up the show for him but I knew he would not let me because he knew how much I wanted to do the show. He had decided to take it up for me only. So that he could be with me. And now it was not possible. But we would both get through this. I knew that, and so I decided that these few days before I left for my shooting location, I would spend as much time as I could with Arjun. I knew nothing would make him happier. He was right - it was high time we got married to each other.

I Will Always Be There For You Part 2