PART 3
kushi walked absend mindedly, through the mall... she was there to shop for her Friend's baby boy... the 2 year old baby was too naughty and kept Kushi really busy... she didnt notice how and when she enterd the 4th floor, leaving her friend and baby in the kids section...
Arnav walked into the mall, having to meet a new group of designers, who had arranged for a casual meeting in the cafe near the mall...
after failing to find her friend, kushi kept wandering through the floor and finally found a ''LIFT"... unknown to the fact that she had reached the cafe through the corridor inside the mall.
having the meeting cancelled, Arnav wud hav fumed earlier, now it wasnt so... he was numb to any feelings...
he got into the lift, talking to Aman and stood on one cornor, his back facing the door... Kushi was too busy sorting out, the way out, that she enterd the lift, turning again and again to read the EXIT sign indicator...
just as she enterd, the door closed... Arnav turned sideways... but, before he could see her, the power went off... she didnt know, there was another person standing in there... he hadnt seen any one getting in... so they both remained silent... Arnav pressed the alarm button. She thought it was automatic... her fear of darkness was gripping her slowly...
the darkness around made him think of her, her fears... but then, he felt a strange peace enveloping him... a soothing feel that was not there for ages...
she closed her eyes... her heart went racing... she felt the world throbbing, once again...
only breathing sound was there... Arnav closed his eyes... he felt like she was standing near him... she needed him... she was hesitating to call him... why was he feeling like this... he didnt know, when he called her name aloud...
"kushi...''
"ar... arnavji...'
she responded...
Arnav groped through the darkness to reach her... tears kept flowing... not even another word come out, as he chocked badly... she stood rooted there unable to move... unablr to say a word... world did not exist for her now...
as there was no light, both didnt see, what emotions the other lived through in a few seconds...
then, the power was restored and the lift opened...
he looked at her... the face, he etched in his heart...
a look at him and she knew, he hadnt slept ever since they parted...
he saw the invisible lines of dried tears in her cheeks...
still, when they stood face to face, she rememberd "how her AMMA was accused. she may be wrong, bt, she was her Amma... that thought vanished every other emotion and she looked at him with accusing eyes...
his eyes dazzled in hope, then as he felt the pain his mom might went through deciding to give up life, hopes vanished from his eyes and was replaced by a calm INDIFFERENCE...
she walked away without looking back... she knew, if he for once opened his arms to welcome her, she cant hold back...
he turned to the opposite path, knowing fully, that if a drop of tear
fell from her eyes, then that wud break his every resolve... he didnt know what to do after that... he cud hug her, console her with his lips on her forehead... they can hold their hands together... hold their world together... but, after that... what will he do... what can she do...? how will they survive... what lay next is only tears... heart break and...
now, atleast she is existing... though not near him...
Kushi sobbed inside the wash room...
he heard his car take off... this was again an end...
he drove back, tears clouding his eyes... and stopped driving, when he was away from the crowd... he collapsed on to the steering wheel, still hearing her sobs
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