"This flower is beautiful na?", he asked her smiling innocently. She just smiled at him.
" Let me take a picture"
He took his mobile and snapped a picture of 100th flower in the park. For the past two hours, his statements have been similar ones. This flower is beautiful; This leaf is beautiful; this grass, this insect, this tree etc. His list of beautiful things had almost everything in the world.
"Everything is beautiful to you Abhi", she said holding his arm in hers while walking towards the entrance.
"What do you mean by that? They don't seem to be beautiful in your eyes?", he asked her curiously.
"I am sorry Mr.Wordsmith. Shall we go home now without any further discussion on this topic?"
They started riding to his home on her scooter.
"Its just 6pm. Why are you panicking as if its late?"
"Because your Daadi has called me 6 times already"
"But why?"
"Because we started from your home at morning 7 and it has been more than 10 hours we came out"
"So what?"
She didn't reply him.
"When will I get to learn riding a bike? You said that you will let me ride once."
"Its been just one week since you got discharged from the hospital and for the past 2 days, we are touring Mumbai from dawn to dusk. We will finish sightseeing first and then start driving classes", she explained him.
"But", he started again. He was behaving like a talkative hyperactive kid and she struggled to keep his newly found enthusiasm to see things under control.
"Don't keep asking me questions. Let me concentrate on the road", she told him finally. He decided that he can't convince her and decided to look at the things around him.
They reached his home and his Daadi was anxiously waiting for him. He went and hugged his Daadi. She was happy to see him like that but was also worried whether he might harm himself in the process.
Pragya bid bye to Abhi and was about to leave the place when Abhi stopped her by holding her hand. He asked her to stay for some more time. She told him that it was already getting late and her mom would be waiting for her. He replied that he would talk to her mom. She was surprised by his reply because he was the one who usually gets anxious whenever she said mom would be waiting for her. They went to his room.
"You asked me to guess film actors yesterday na? I m ready now. Ask", he said as they sat on the sofa.
"Why? You would have seen all photos on the internet by now", she told him with an indifferent attitude.
"I haven't seen anything on the internet. Promise", he said pinching his throat slightly.
"OK Fine"
She took her mobile and started searching for pictures of Bollywood actors online.
"Stop", he said.
She asked him what. He told her she need not search online and there was another easy way to conduct the photo quiz. She looked at him wanting to know how. He took the TV Remote and switched on the TV.
"Here, you change the channels and I will tell you the actors on screen"
She accepted the remote and changed the channels. His answers were correct. She wondered how could he guess every actor correctly when he hasn't seen them much before. After few minutes, she found out his trick.
"This is cheating Abhi", she said beating him with the remote.
"What? I didn't do anything", he said.
"You are identifying people through their voices, right? That's why you chose TV instead of pictures"
"All is fair in love", he said but hit the back of his head the next second after he realized what he just said. Fortunately, she didn't give much attention to it and ignored his statement.
"Daadi wants me to get married", he said changing the topic.
"So soon?"
There was a sense of disappointment when she said the word 'soon'.
"Hmm.. What do you think?", he asked her looking into her eyes.
"You know I can't talk about this topic with you"
She stood up and tried to leave the place.
"I love you", he said.
She turned back and looked at him. He seemed to be sincere.
"Why now?"
"Please can we not think about the past now?"
"Somebody can't think me as their life partner. They can only think me as a friend. Somebody felt awkward when I hugged them. Somebody didn't like me loving them. Somebody...", she continued talking while he tried to stop her by saying sorry repetitively. He stood up and kissed her cheeks. She was shocked for a second.
"I am sorry. I didn't know that you would be this pretty", he said innocently.
His statement made her furious.
"Pretty? So you wouldn't have loved me if I didn't look like a pretty girl to you", she asked with an angry face.
"Of course, yes"
He started running as she took his walking stick.
"Don't you ever try to lie to me again", she told him while chasing. He bumped into a desk on the corridor and she came to his rescue.
"That's the punishment for lying", she said while they went back to their room. She made him sit on the sofa and sat on the floor. She rolled his jeans upwards and looked at the injury. There was a small swelling just below his knee. She applied ointment over it.
"I didn't lie. You are really pretty", he said trying to joke.
"What a joke! I couldn't even laugh for this"
"I really love you", he said holding her chin up.
"I know", she said. He was shocked.
"How?"
"Your Daadi told me everything"
"Everything means?"
"Everything. How you were so foolish to listen to that stupid friend of your sister and decided that I would suffer if I married you. How you were so stupid to think that you should sacrifice your love for my happiness. Everything. She told me everything"
He sat besides him and looked at his face.
"The fact whether you can see the world through your eyes or not does not change the way I love you", she said in an assuring tone.
"But it changes the way I love you. I knew you had a beautiful heart but now I know you are beautiful outside too."
"Are you trying to flirt with me?"
"You don't like this line? But Meethu liked it. She even kissed me when I called her beautiful", he pretended to be thinking deeply.
"What?", she took a glass of water this time.
"Pragya, I can't run now. I have an injury on leg. No please..."
She poured water on his face before he could finish his sentence.
Anupamaa
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