SS- Beginning of an end. - Page 6

Varad got up slowly from his bed and started towards the bathroom for a shower. He undressed himself and opened his shower, and let the cold water fall on him, to soothe and ease the horror that had happened just before and closed his eyes slowly to feel the rhythm of the water.

"Varad" a sickly sweet voice called out to him...

Varad got shocked and shouted "NO!!!!!!" Covering his ears with his hands to avoid hearing that voice and he blinked open in fear and spun around...to see that no one was there and the only sound was the gushing of the water.

Damnit!!! Why now after all these years...why is this still chasing after me...???Why???? Varad got agitated and banged his hand in the bathroom wall...to make sure he got pained, to realise that he was real at that moment and everything else before was just a nightmare.

He let his mind calm down under the flow of water, gently caressing his skin, giving him all the recuperation he had just needed. After finishing the shower, he felt reenergised somehow, but still an ominous feeling lingered over in his heart, which was not explicable in words. Varad thought it was best to talk to his confidante, someone who shared his ideals, in almost everything, who was his best friend and more than that...his mentor, a person who was very kind and intelligent...his uncle vinayak...even though he was his father's younger brother... they were nothing alike. In fact they were the opposite poles in character and ideals... a fact which varad liked. He fondly called him bhauji...because to him, he was more like his own big brother than his uncle, and moreover they were not that different in ages...

Varad quickly dressed up to go down to talk to bhauji...he also thought that he should see sojal in flesh and maybe that could calm his warring and confused heart.

He came down the stairs and entered bhauji's room... bhauji was reading a book...he closed the book on seeing varad enter the room; he noticed a screen of confusion enveloping his face...

"Varad, what happened??? Why are you so confused???" he asked varad with concern.

"Woh- bhauji...it's just..." varad started in a low voice...and he confessed everything about that nightmare to his uncle.

Vinayak became confused on hearing varad's dream...he couldn't think of how to respond...when he noticed that varad was even more confused than him...

"Why are you confused varad??" vinayak asked him.

"Bhauji...the me in my dream... he was mad, inhumane...without remorse...he didn't seem like me...and it makes me fear...for I don't know if I'll turn into him someday...if I snap my control...I'm scared bhauji...I don't know what I should do...This feeling of fear won't go away..." he said with misery coating his voice...

Vinayak could understand the feeling of varad...he couldn't comprehend the meaning behind that weird encounter of varad...but felt that he should cheer him up nevertheless...

"Don't worry varad...It's nothing to be scared of...think it this way... now that you know your limits...you can do everything to prevent it from happening...okay??" Vinayak said with a reassuring smile.

Varad's heart felt a bit less burdened after hearing bhauji's reassuring words. They were chatting about other things until both of them heard sojal calling varad...

"Oh...right you were here... I should have known..." sojal spoke to varad entering bhauji's room.

"Yeah...what do you want?? What do you mean by you should have known???" Varad asked her...

"Well... I called you for breakfast...and you and bhauji are pretty close no??? So I assumed that you would be here and my assumption was true...that's all...ok listen...your breakfast is ready...come and eat no???" sojal said in a hurried manner.

Varad was just watching sojal all fret up and talk in a lively manner...it was the first time he had appreciated that side of her...and she actually seemed kind of cute to him, which was quite abnormal.

"Hullo??? Are you listening???" sojal was asking varad...

"Wha...ya ya yes...I'm listening" varad replied back.

"Come to the dining table...I'll serve breakfast... and Bhauji ,your tablets are in the table... make sure you eat them okay???" sojal said to both of them..and left for the kitchen.

"You are not coming??" varad asked vinayak while getting up to go for breakfast.

"NO I have already eaten...you go and eat..." vinayak said to varad.

"Okay bhauji... wish me luck in my meeting..." varad spoke.

"I know you'll do good varad... but I wish you best of luck..." vinayak smiled at him.

Varad sat at the dining table to eat. Sojal came to serve him... to his surprise, all the dishes were his favourite... naan and paneer butter masala, carrot halwa, dhokla among his other favourites..and especially.. no Aloos whatsoever and varad was hugely thankful of that.

"Is something special??" varad asked genuinely awed.

"Nothing, why so??" sojal asked sheepishly..

"All of these are my favourites...and there is no aloo in any of these dishes...how did ayii permit it??" varad asked curiously.

"well... actually ayii is out for a pooja today..and also...everyone has already left for office except shlok bhauji.. and he also ate before itself... since you are going out for the meeting... I thought I could prepare your favourites..because I cannot prepare them on my wish as and when...and also..there is no aloo in any of these which ayii won't like...so Only..." she blabbered incessantly .

Varad was literally gaping his mouth...his wife actually knew about his favourites and that prospect made his spine shiver for a minute in shock ... and he pinched his arm to see if all of this was real..

"Ouch!!!" varad cried on feeling the pain from his pinch.

"Varad!! Are you crazy??" why are you pinching yourself???" sojal asked him in a shocked manner.

"no..it's nothing" varad mumbled and started to eat.

Then a thought struck his head.. he had momentarily forgotten about his dream in sojal's weird antics...and the thought of that made him smile.. he completely believed that what he had was nothing but a dream. He continued to eat all his favourite dishes with relish.

Sojal saw her husband eating her cooking with happiness and she felt incandescently happy...so much that she was about to cry..but she controlled her heart...

Varad was immensely pleased about sojal's cooking and the food... he never knew that sojal could cook so well..and knowing a part of her he didn't know before, he felt kind of excited and happy.

"Your cooking is so good, I never knew that...You should cook more like this...It's a pity you don't get chances to cook like this... Thanks sojal... The food was very delicious..." he said with a satisfied tummy.

Hearing varad's words sojal couldn't contain herself... she started to cry... because she was sad and happy at the same time...

"Hey..Hey...why are you crying???" varad asked concernedly.

"Nothing dear... this is the first time you have praised my cooking... it made me very happy to the point of tears...that's all..." she said crying and smiling at the same time.

"Oh...I got worried a bit..." varad sighed on knowing the reason.

Of all the times... Do you see me only now varad??Why now?? Sojal heart was screaming on the inside..but she suppressed her sadness and asked varad.."I have packed your things... shall I bring it down??"

"Yeah... thanks..." varad said.

Sojal left the table to bring his suitcase for the meeting. While she was about to leave she saw the file she had wanted to show varad...Should I show him now??? Or is it too late??? She thought to herself...but her inner conscious replied differently...Would it matter to him??? Is there anything he can do??? History will only repeat itself sojal...It wouldn't make a difference either way..Don't show it to him.. he's leaving for a meeting and this could stress him out, at least spare him that...it said.

Against her better judgement sojal decided not to show varad the file and brought his suitcase downstairs.

She saw varad was ready to leave, she signalled rani to put the suitcase in his SUV, and came to varad to say goodbye.

"Sojal, I am leaving ... I already informed ayii that you'll be attending the wedding through phone, so you can go.." he said.

"Okay, thank you" she said with gratitude.

"so then... I guess bye..." varad said casually.

"Varad...I Love you..." she spoke to varad and hugged him.

Sojal's action surprised varad...he was beginning to get worried again...Why is she behaving differently from yesterday??? Something is wrong...He thought to himself. But he had more important priorities..so he decided to talk about it later..

He went to his car and sat in it. He closed his door and glanced at sojal and said bye again.

"Yeah...all the best. Goodbye varad..." sojal said with a pained face which varad noticed, but it vanished in a split second.

Varad was too busy to think about it and so started his drive...he glanced through the mirror to see sojal waving at him...her figure was reflected in the mirror for sometime...but after a few seconds her figure vanished...and the second it did...varad became scared again...about the unknown future.

Okay guys... bear with me in case of grammatical errors...

will update the next one when I can...

And also... to all my tamil buddies out there... Happy pongal... cheerio!!!😉

part 4:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/99671426