Droplets#2 (Rajeev FF) FINAL 2 Parts Page-82 - Page 35

Part # 28

Rishabh was leaning back on his bed. He looked sad and thoughtful. Shekhar's words were still running in his head. In fact, he has been pensive since that day. Many a times, he has wanted to talk to Adil, but he didn't knw wat to say!! Did he want to ask if Shekhar's words were true? May be yes, he wanted Adil's nod. But deep down, he sumhow realized Shekhar was right. There was no need for any more confirmation.

Its rather ironic Rishabh!! Wo insaan har pal tumhari zindagi me ek pitah ki kami ko pura karne ki koshish karta hai, wo har uss zimmedaari ko nibhata hai jo ki agar Uncle aaj hote to wo nibhate!! Usne sab kuch apne kandho pe le liya, taaki tumhe koi pareshani naa ho.

Unn kagazo pe likhe shabd padhe tumne, lekin unn shabdo se jude zimmedaariyon ko nahi samjha!!

Shayad wo samajh gaya tha tumhare ghutan ko, isliye itne saalo tak tumhari har khabar rakhta tha, lekin khud kabhi tumse nahi mila.

Usse uss insaan ki parwa thi jinko aaj wo tumhare samne apna Baba tak nahi keh pata!!

The words made sense. And the Adil he thought he knew at the beginning was so much like this. That Adil was inexpressive and anything but selfish. So was it his understanding that went wrong? Did he actually take the wrong steps just coz he was upset and hurt back then?

Tumhe to ehsaas bhi nahi hai tumhari zidd ki wajah se kitna kuch hua aur ho raha hai.

Shekhar was right, Rishabh certainly didn't realize. But now he wishes to knw and perhaps set those things right that sumhow went wrong coz of him. And for that, he needs to talk to Adil.

However, it isn't as easy for him as it sounds. His contempt towards Adil is an emotion he has forcibly nurtured within him all these years. He doesn't know if he cud actually let it go, rather if he shud!!

Here Ashna is pacing in her room. It has been two days and Adil will back today. Strangely, she felt nervous despite the fact that she has been w8ing for this very day. In fact, she has run her imaginative conversation wid him in her head numerous times.

"Mujhe na itna sochna hi nahi chahiye. Bekaar me sir dard hota hai aur upar se koi fayda nahi hua. Jitna socho utna hi ajeeb lagta hai. Aaj tak ek pretense tha hamare bich lekin ab wo nahi hai. I so don't know how to deal with him. In fact, wo nikla bhi hai ya nahi mujhe nahi pata. Call karu ya...uff...kya musibat hai. Sab kuch itna complicated kyun lagta hai jabki ek call karna is such a simple task. Ye bhi tumhari ghalti hai Adil, u make things so hard and complex!!"

Rashi, here, is talking over the phone.

Rashi: Shekhar Bhaiya ne kaha tha AB aaj ayenge!! To main unse baat karke tumhe inform karungi ok?

Shaleen: Ok. Waise maine Dad se baat kar li hai and he is very keen to meet you. (he says cheekily)

Rashi: Apna tone change karo!! Darrana chahte ho mujhe?

Shaleen: Tum darrti bhi ho? I thought Adil Raichand ki behen kisise nahi darrti.

Rashi: Sahi socha tha tumne!! Aur ye baat hamesha yaad rakhna main kiski behen hu, mujhe zyada sataya na to AB maar daalenge tumhe!! (she states proudly)

Shaleen: I don't fear that sweetheart!! Aap par hum kabke marr chuke hai.

Rashi: Issh...kaunsa film dekha abhi abhi?

Shaleen: (laughs) You are too much. Anyways, tumhare AB jab ghar pohuch jaye to unse baat karke mujhe bata dena, mujhe Dad ko inform karna hai and he has to deal wid his appointments and all.

Rashi: Yeah okay, bye.

After hanging up, Rashi tries Adil's number. But he wasn't picking up.

"Shayad drive kar rahe honge. He'll call back later, like always!!"

Here Adil loses the balance of his car and it hits a pole. He hardly manages to get rid of the seat belt and tries to come out. But he cant manage to steady himself and slips. His vision had become blur and he cud barely hear his phn ringing in his pocket. He wondered who cud be calling, perhaps someone in the family.

Family!! His very first thought was abt his Mom. She hadn't spoken yet; he hadn't heard her voice till now. If something happens to him now, wat will happen to her? And then there is Rashi, he hasn't met that guy yet, he had wanted to be more sure of him. Even Dadi is unwell these days and he hasn't done anything for her. And Rishabh...he still needs to be guided. Will Shekhar be enough for him? And wat abt Shekhar himself? He still hasn't thanked his frnd enough, not even let him knw how much he cherishes their frndship.

Everything seemed half done and he wanted to get up. But his head felt heavier by each moment and his vision was getting blurred. Adil almost closed his eyes when he thought of Ashna!! He felt a tug at his heart wid her very thought. He still had explanations to give!! He still hadn't spent enough time with her!! He tried hard to keep his consciousness and wished to inform someone!! But he cudnt help the dizzy feeling and finally he gave in.

Two hours later...

Rishabh receives a call at landline. The person on the line was an Inspector and he informed abt the accident. Rishabh at first was at loss, he cudnt think straight. However, he left the house and called Shekhar in the midway. He knw he cudnt deal wid the situation alone. As soon as he was done calling Shekhar, he noticed his sweaty hands. He cud hardly manage to drive but he didn't stop; he had to reach to Adil as soon as possible. Somehow he himself was unaware of his thumping heartbeat, his fear of anything untoward!!

Here Shekhar, who was w8ing Rishabh to pick him up on the way, was equally tensed. He made several calls in the last few minutes to make sure Adil was fine in that hospital. He cud hardly maintain his calm as his eyes started to get moist. The fact that Adil went to Pune in place of him was pinching him.

In a few minutes Rishabh comes wid the car and Shekhar hops in. For a few moments both remain silent and then Rishabh speaks up.

Rishabh: Maine ye bhi nahi puchha wo thik hai ya nahi. Bas hospital ka naam... (his voice choked as he struggled to keep his composure)

Shekhar keeps looking at Rishabh for a few seconds before replying to him.

Shekhar: Adil ko kaafi chot ayi hai but they say he is fine. Filhaal behosh hai. Ghabrane wali baat nahi hai aur tum fikr mar karo!! I've made sure he is treated well.

Rishabh: Mujhe darr lag raha hai.

Shekhar: (gets a lil raged as he himself was worried and frustrated) Arre ab darrne wali kaunsi baat hai? They said he is fine, so he IS fine. And he has to be fine, alryt? Tum chupchap gaadi chalao. (murmurs to himself) Pata nahi kya bakwas sochta rehta hai. Isme darr kyun lagega? He is fine na!!

Reaching the hospital, Rishabh and Shekhar talk to the doctor. He tells them that Adil is apparently fine, but he is injured and very weak.

Doc: Mr. Raichand ko accident me kaafi chot ayi hai but the problem here is his body refuses to recover quickly. Wo bahut weak hai and he needs gud care. Hum kuch tests ke result ka w8 kar rahe hai and hopefully kuch hi der me unhe hosh aa jayega!! At least that's wat I wud like to happen.

And then they have a talk wid the inspector.

Inspector: Dekhiye, humne accident spot ki jaanch kii hai aur waha kisi aur vehicle ki takrane ki koi nishani nahi hai. Mr. Raichand ki car ko bhi check karne bheja hai and as of now, there is no news. Seems like a random accident. Hamein unke bayan ka intezaar karna hoga!!

Shekhar: Listen Inspector, I hope aap jante hai aap kiske accident se deal kar rahe hai. Adil ke business rivals ki ginti kuch kam nahi hai and he is not an amateur driver ok? To aise hi accident kaise ho sakta hai? Aap shayad nahi jante, he is very careful and strict as a person. So there has to be something fishy. Aapse jitna ho sake aap kijiye. Uske hosh me ane tak aap baithe nahi reh sakte!! U understand me?

Inspector: Hum koshish kar rahe hai Mr. Kapoor. Aap relax kijiye!!

Shekhar: You knw wat, that's not even the last thing I can do. Aap pls mujhe ye mat bataiye mujhe kya karna chahiye, aap bas apna kaam kijiye.

Rishabh: Shekhar calm down. Inn pe gussa hoke kya hoga? (to inspector) Aap jaiye pls!!

Shekhar: How can he ask to relax? Aise me kaun relax kar sakta hai? Tune dekha na Adil ko? Kitni chot ayi hai usse!! Sab meri ghalti hai. Wo waise hi pareshan tha, mujhe jane nahi dena chahiye tha usko!! Pata nahi hua kya hoga!! Agar ye kisiki gandi chaal hai na to...

Rishabh: To usse apni zindagi se nafrat hogi, aise halath karunga uski. Tu pls khudko relax kar and pray for his quick recovery!! Doctor ne kaha wo jaldi recover nahi kar raha hai.

Amidst their talk, Shekhar suddenly recalls something.

Shekhar: Rishabh, ghar pe kya...?

Rishabh: Ohh...wo maine kisise baat hi nahi kii. Actually phn ane ke baad mujhe kuch nahi sujha, mujhe laga iss situation me tum mujhe help kar sakte ho to maine bas tumhe call kiya. Kisiko kuch pata nahi hai, actually pata nahi tha!! Lekin bahar media thi to...I don't knw abhi...

Shekhar: Agar pata chalta to call kar dete!! Khair, unhe batana to hoga.

Rishabh: Lekin sab bahut panicked ho jayenge, Dadi aur Mom ki to tabiyat bhi thik nahi hai. Aise me Mom ko pata chala to...u knw na...she loves him the most!! (at this Shekhar looks up at Rishabh to find whether there was any contempt in his eyes, but to his surprise there was none) Aur Ashna and Rashi...none can take it Shekhar. Main khud hi...I mean to say...main unhe nahi bata sakta!! Kehna hai to tum kaho!!

Adil, here, was unconscious and the only thing he felt was complete tranquility. He felt no pain & neither any worries, just calmness was there!! He felt light within being on the verge of letting it all slip away; all his tensions, his fears, his mistakes...he cud finally let it all go & be at peace forever!!

But there was his family, they cared for him so much and he had his responsibilities towards them. It will be so wrong on his part to even wish to engulf that eternal peace while leaving his family with nothing but grief. He had a promise to keep and he cud not be so ungrateful and neither so selfish!!

Adil slowly opened his eyes, it pained him initially as he got a cut just near the eye. He took sum time to take in the faces before his eyes; he saw his mother sitting beside who instantly places a kiss on his forehead. She was still crying!! He then shifted his eyes on others and everyone there seemed concerned, even Shekhar's eyes were puffy. For a moment, Adil felt a certain pride within him that so many ppl cared for him, he wasn't so lonely!!

However the next moment, he felt something missing!! Ashna wasn't there!! And with her very thought, he was reminded of that night & some other facts he had momentarily forgotten.

Adil tried to look thru the room for Ashna but she was nowhere. He wondered why she wasn't here, but didn't ask anyone. He actually felt too weak to even speak up!! But that's when the police enetered, they wanted his testimony. So he told them how he lost his concentration and eventually lost the control of the car.

After that everyone else left the room, except his mother. She chose to sit by. Adil didn't miss the worry on her face, she was still scared. And he somehow realized that fear...one more accident it was!! She was bound to be fearful. Adil wanted to hug her but he felt too exhausted to move. So he moved his hand to take hers and pressed it in an assuring manner while he slightly mouthed "I am ok". He tried to give a faint smile but was too stressed to even keep his eyes open, so gradually he fell asleep.

Here Ashna was back at home. She had been to the hospital. She was basically too scared wid the idea of the accident. Moreover, she personally dislikes hospitals and her last experience wid her father makes her despise the place all the more. Yet, she went there just to have a look at Adil, from outside!!

The doctors said he was out of danger but was too weak and wud take much time to recover. Ashna didn't knw if that helped her anxiety or not. She was still very much worried and tears didn't seem to cease, at least not until he was back home.

Ashna rather found it hard to calm herself. She was curled up on the bed, clutching the pillow to herself. Whenever she closed her eyes, she cud see his pale & bruised face. He heart ached to realize that at one moment she had actually been on the verge of losing him. The very thought shuddered her body and she hugged the pillow even more fiercely. But that didn't help at all. She missed his warmth around her and as night fell, she began to miss him all the more. She cudnt sleep for a moment as she continued sobbing all throughout the night.

After two days, Adil got back home, only becoz of his constant nagging that he didn't want to be in that hospital anymore. Personally, he hated lying on that bed all the time having to worry abt everything and everyone else. But the most significant reason was, he hadn't seen Ashna even once yet!! He had asked Shekhar abt her and he told that she had been to the hospital on the first day. Shekhar perhaps failed to notice that Ashna hadn't met Adil, but Adil of course didn't miss that.

As Adil entered his room, he didn't see Ashna anywhere. She hadn't even come out when he reached. He failed to understand wat had suddenly got into her, she cudnt possibly be avoiding him!! She was the one who wud get irked if he was away lil longer than usual, she wud worry so much even when she hardly cared for him. And now, all on a sudden, she was not even sparing him a look!! He knew, something was definitely not right wid her!!

Here Ashna stayed at the roof, she watched him getting out of the car and limping towards the main door, refusing the help from either Shekhar or Rishabh. He still looked very much disturbed and she knew somehow the reason was her. She had pushed him too much!! So, Ashna avoided meeting him all day long, though she took care that his meals and medicines were served rightly!! And at night, when she felt assured that he was asleep, she entered the room.

The room was all dark and he was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep. Ashna let out a sob as soon as she saw him, but quickly covered her mouth not wanting to wake him up. She was abt to go closer to him, when she went up to the window and closed it. The wind was too chilly!!

As Ashna turned around drawing the curtains, she found Adil sitting up on the bed.

Adil: Curtains ko khula rehne do, I cant see your face otherwise.

Ashna: Tum...

Adil: (cutting her words) Paanch dino se nahi dekha tha tumhe.

Ashna: You are awake!!

Adil: Yes, I am awake.

Ashna: Mujhe laga tum so gaye!!

Adil: Hmm, and that's why u cared to enter the room.

Ashna: Wo actually...

Adil: I realized kisi wajah se tum mujhse mil nahi rahi ho, I was worried. What is it Ashna? Kya baat hai?

Ashna: Koi baat nahi hai, tum pls so jao. Tumhe rest karna chahiye.

Adil: In that case, u shud answer me!! Tum mujhse milna kyun nahi chahti ho? Hospital me mujhse mile bina hi chali gayi? How does that make any sense Ashna?

Ashna seemed on the verge of crying rather than answering his questions. So Adil attempted to go up to her, but that strained him. So he called her closer.

Adil: Tum ro rahi ho? (she didn't reply) Ashna!! Will you come here?

Ashna: I'm sorry!!

Adil: Sorry?

Ashna: I knw main tumhe bahut pareshan karti hu. Tumhe waise hi kitni tension rehti hai, upar se main pata nahi kya kya karti rehti hu. Main tumhari pareshani ko to samajhti hu lekin tumhe nahi samjhi. Mujhe khudse hi tumhe waqt dena chahiye tha, but I always kept nagging you!! Isiliye ye accident ho gayi, tum inhi sab baaton se distracted ho gaye hoge aur...

Adil: Shut up Ashna!! Bematlab ki baat kar rahi ho. Accidents accidentally hote hai, uske liye tum apne aap ko responsible kaise soch sakti ho? Doesn't make sense at all ok? In fact, tum yaha baitho. Mujhe tumse baat karni hai.

Ashna: Lekin tum meri wajah se disturbed the. Kya ye sach nahi hai?

Adil: Ashna tum...

Ashna: No, I knw ye sach hai. Main kahin na kahin apne bachpane me, apni harbadhi me tumhe khone wali thi Adil. Do u realize that? Main khone wali thi tumhe!! (she breaks down by now) Main kya karti tumhare bina? Maine jab socha tab bardasht hi nahi hua Adil. Tumhe ehsaas ho ya naa ho, meri zindagi tumhare ird-gird ghumti hai. Main tum par hassu ya tumhare sath hassu, meri hassi tumhari mauhtaj hai. Tumhari wajah se rou ya tumhare liye, ye aansoo bas tumse hai. Mera gussa, meri nafrat, mera pyar...sab kuch sirf tum ho Adil. Main bahut pyar kari hu tumse!! Aur main tumhe kho sakti thi, sirf isliye kyunki main ek selfish aur impatient ladki hu jo...

Adil now stops her by the finger. She had been crying for too long, and that too for no reason. She was too innocent to think like that.

Adil: Pls Ashna. Don't...just don't say it like that.

Ashna: I'm sorry!! Main bas tumhe nahi khona chahti Adil, main bahut darr gayi thi. Abhi bhi darr lag raha hai mujhe. Papa ko bhi kho diya maine, lekin unke baad tum the!! Tumhare liye mera gussa at least mujhe jeene to deta tha, lekin tumhe kho kar nahi reh paungi main. So just stay wid me Adil. Jitna waqt chahiye le lo, lekin pls mujhse dur mat jana. Dekha jaye to agar main wo sab nahi karti to tum kabhi Pune nahi jaate aur naa hi...

She cudnt continue more. She was crying inceasantly and Adil cudnt hold back anymore. It hurt him to see her cry like this. She was so innocent and soft at times, his heart cudnt help melting away. He limped up to her and hugged her wid his free hand. Ashna willingly rest her head on his chest and hugged him back. They stayed like that for long. Ashna wanted to feel his warmth close to herself whereas Adil just wanted her to relax. He spoke up when he felt her sobbing had stopped.

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Originally posted by: Inu-13

Mera bhi res. finallyy i was checking since new year kab post hoga den chinu told aaj hoga and here i m reserving my first post.. see yu made me mad so much :D