PreeRan TS - Farak Padta hai ** Part 3 on Page 5** COMPLETED - Page 3

She reached home and made herself a cup of tea for her throbbing headache. No way did she expect Karan to be there and then seeing her in this mess. Karan would not let this die down. He would make sure that he knew what was troubling her. What was she supposed to tell him? I was upset because you ignored my calls. How petulant did that sound? I was upset because you didn't call me. He wasn't her best friend that he would call her. So what on earth was she expected to tell Karan Luthra when he brought up the topic?

She didn't want to ponder anymore on this. She changed her clothes and lied down on her bed to sleep. Sristi, Maa and Dadi had gone to Pragya's house for the night. She was glad she could be alone atleast tonight.

It was 11pm when she heard her phone ring. She was receiving call from some unknown number. She wondered if it was Deepak trying to speak to her? She ignored the call and put her phone on silent. At 1130pm she checked her phone and saw 14 missed calls from the same number and 1 message. She opened the message:

Kareli , Pick up the phone

She called on the number and Karan quickly received the call.

Kya hua? Itne calls?'

Normal log 1 call mein utha lete hain. Tum toh mental ho jyada calls lagte hain'

Argh ! Karan please mujhe aaj jhagda nahn karna hai. Ab batao kya baat karni hai?'

Acha.I will be at your place in the next 10 minutes. Ready rehna. I'm on my way'

Kya Karan? Maine sone jaa rahi hun. Abhi kya kaam hai?'

Tumhari memory kaafi kamzor hai. I told you I will speak to you post event. Just get ready. We are stepping out for a bit and don't argue.'

Saying this Karan Luthra hung up leaving a very stressed Preeta. She quickly changed her clothes and kept playing various scenarios in her mind. I was upset because I had a headache. I was crying because I couldn't help Dadi with her pain. I was crying...

Door bell rang and she quickly opened the door.

Karan Luthra stood there with his goofy grin.

" Hi ! Jyada miss toh nahn kiya? "

" Karan. Tum bataoge itni kya emergency hai. We could have spoken tomorrow. Karan it is really late , she reasoned with him

" Natak band karo aur chalo mere saath car mein. Jaldi se lock karo ghar ko. I know aaj no one is at home.

She knew it was pointless arguing with him right now and locked the house and sat in the car.

"Where are we going?, she asked him as she put on her seatbelt.

" Some place where we can talk minus distractions, he told her as he started the engine.

They drove for around 20 minutes and Karan turned the car into parking of some cricket stadium.

"Yeh toh cricket stadium hai?, she told him

" Haan. Aankhen theek kaam karti hai tumhari, he said as he locked the car

She looked at him.

" You wouldn't have liked if I had my car parked outside your house at this hour. My house is swarming with people so there is zero privacy. We could have gone to some caf or a restaurant but you get really uncomfortable with unwanted media. Only place I could think of was this. The players are all done with practice and we should get our peace here, he told her as they stepped inside the stadium.

She had never been to a cricket stadium before. She had watched a lot of cricket matches on TV but had never set a foot inside the stadium. As she stepped in, she was greeted by a half lit stadium and some 40000 empty seats. The enormity of playing in such a huge stadium hit her. She turned to ask Karan something when she saw him smiling serenely.

Bahut pasand hai yeh jagah?', She asked him as he sat down one of the seats and she joined him

" Bahut jyada! This is my place of worship. As soon as I step inside the stadium , I cease to be Karan Luthra the star. I'm just Karan, a player who will always give his best. I could never cheat here. Mere liye yeh stadium, yeh pitch meri maa ke samaan hai. I worship this place. he told her as if in a trance.

"Tum hamesha se cricket khelna chahte the? she asked him. She couldn't recall the last time she had this sane a discussion with him. She realized how little she knew him intimately.

"Haan. Hamesha se. When I was 5 years old, main sab ko line se bowling karata tha. Every birthday I made sure I was gifted a cricket set. Kareena bua was my running partner. Rishab bhai wicketkeeper the. Those were crazy days, he recalled his childhood.

" Bus ek baar ka guilt lagta hai kabhi. When dad fell ill , Rishab bhai took it upon himself to manage everything. I should have shouldered some responsibility. Rishab bhai ek raat mein bade ho gaye aur main bache ka baccha hi reh gaya., he told her as he soaked in the dim lit stadium.

" You make him very proud. Rishab ji is super proud of the man you have become. Woh jab bhi tumhare bare mein baat karte hain toh unki aakhon mein chamak aa jaati hai, she told him.

Thank you Preeta, he told her honestly.

The guard came and handed Karan two cups of tea and a plate of sandwich.

" Thank you Kaka, he told the guard.

" Yeh lo, Miss, Preeta Arora humhare stadium ki popular chai aur sandwich, he told her all excited.

Preeta felt strange, good yet strange. Karan was sharing a part of his world that was very close to him. A part of his world that was sacred for him. She stared at the sight infront of her. It was beautiful. It seemed as if the world had stopped for the two of them.

She took the chai and bit into the sandwich, "This is really good.

"I told you. This beats any fancy caf high tea, he told her

" I thought stadiums are locked at night, she asked him

" They are locked for outside public. Ground staff sham ko field ko paani detein hai. Field ki watering aur thoda bahut upkeep ka kaam hota hai. Players ko bhi restricted access hai, he told her.

"Really? You call this restricted access?, she pointed to them being alone in the huge stadium

" This is my safe haven. When I want to escape the madness at home and just be with myself I come here alone. This place calms me down. This stadium has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Karan Luthra, he said standing up from the empty seat and stretching his arms embracing the moment.

Preeta could not help but smile at him. His smile was a joy to behold. How could she have ever misunderstood him? He was simply the nicest person there was. It was humbling that he thought she could share his safe haven with him.

" Preeta, apni aankhen band karo aur ek lamba saans lo. Tumhe gilli ghaas ki khusboo aayegi. Stadium ka woh shor sunaye dega jo dil ki dhadkan badha deta hai, he asked her closing his eyes. She followed his lead and a wave of tranquility washed over her.

"Bahut special jagah hai Karan. Thank you for bringing me here, She told him as he sat down besides her.

" Tumhe pata hai tum pehli insaan ho jisko main yahan par laya hoon. I mean when there is no match. Aaj tak kisi ko lane ka man nahn kiya, Karan admitted to her not meeting her gaze.

" Rishabji ko bhi nahn?, she asked him

" Nahn. Bhai se main ghar pe hi baat kar leta hoon. Yahan main khud se baat karne aata hoon. Kyonki yahan par main jhooth nahn bolta. Yahan par mujhe meri dil ki awaaz ek dum saaf sunaayi deti hai, he said and stared at her.

She stared back at him unable to look away. Karan Luthra was unsure and in that moment she realized this was as difficult for him as it was for her.

" Kya keh raha hai tumhara dil?, she whispered to him.

He took her hand and placed it on his beating heart. She felt the rhythmic beating of his heart.

" Preeta, farak kyon padta hai, he asked still holding on to her hand

"Pata nahn!, she mumbled. He was playing havoc on her mind.

"Mujhe miss kiya?', he asked her a little unsure of her answer. She nodded her head.

"Kam ya jyada?', he asked her with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Jyada!, her mind and heart had stopped listening to her and were answering on their accord.

"Maine tumhe phone bhi kiya magar tumne mera number block kar rakha hai. I went crazy trying to get in touch with you. I called you , messaged you but you didn't even bother acknowledging, she answered angry as she snatched her hand from his.

" Mujhe call kiya? Are you sure, he asked.

" Of course tumhe call kiya. Main ek hi Karan Luthra ko jaanti hun

" Oh tumne mujhe Mumbai number pe call aur message kiya. Actually right before I was boarding my flight I lost my phone. So, I borrowed my manager's phone and that's how I got in touch with everyone at home. Didn't anyone tell you at home, he asked her all confused.

Now all this made sense! She never asked anyone how to contact Karan.

"Toh tumne mera number apne phone pe block nahn kiya hai?, she asked him

" Of course not. Main aisa kyun karunga, he told her flippantly.

" Thank god. You have no idea main kitna stress ho gayi thi. I thought ki tum mere se naraaz ho. I kept thinking ki what have I done and why is that you have blocked me on your phone.I kept thinking about you the entire time aur Issi chakkar mein main tumhare kamre mein galti se chali gayi jab ki jaan mujhe dadi ke kamre mein tha aur main apna phone wahan bhool aayi, she told him not realizing what she was admitting.

His smile became wider and then it hit her as to what she had confessed.

"Toh isliye aansu baha rahi thi?, he asked her

" Maine aisa bhi nahn kaha, she tried to cover her verbal admission.

"Acha! Toh kya hua tha. Dukh hua ki main jaldi aa gaya, he challenged her to continue with her lie.

" Of course not! I'm glad ki tum jaldi aa gaye. Dadi , aunty , Rishabji all must have been so happy to see you at the event, she told him intentionally keeping her name out.

"Aur tum , Preeta?, he asked her directly.

" Of course , mujhe bhi khushi hai. Tum jaldi aaoge toh sab khush ho jaatein hai aur dadi ka treatment bhi acha hota hai, she lied.

" Bus isliye?, he asked her again. He was making it extremely hard for her to continue with her lie and mask her emotions.

" Haan bus isiliye. Aur kuch nahn hai, she told him avoiding his gaze.

Karan got up from his seat. His eyes were blazing with anger. Here he had bared his soul to Preeta and she was hell bent on lying about her emotions.

"Main parking se gaadi nikalta hun , wahan par aajana, he told her as he started climbing the steps to the exit.

"Karan...

"Parking lot mein aa jao, he cut her short and continued his walk to the exit.

Preeta knew she was not being fair to him. He had been nothing but honest with her today. This was it ! This was about her choosing her happiness.

" Haan. Bahut khushi hui. Tum nahn the toh sab kuch dull lag raha tha. Sab kuch veeran tha. Har kisi ko main Karan bula rahi thi. Har kisi ki gaadi mujhe tumhari gaadi lag rahi thi. Har baar tumhare kamre mein pahunch jaati thi. I was beginning to lose my sanity. Itni mushkil se I had controlled my emotions. I couldn't comprehend ki ho kya raha tha. Aur jab maine tumhari awaaz suni toh a wave of relief washed over me and I couldn't hold back my tears. Khush , sun liya sach, she asked him as he halted midway.

He turned around and walked right towards to her. There was not a hint of amusement on his face.

"I missed you crazy too!, he said and engulfed her in a hug.

"I thought I was the only one losing my mind. I couldn't wait to get back. Main event pe sirf isliye aa raha tha because I knew you would be there. Event toh sirf ek bahana tha, he told her as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

" Tum bhi yeh pehle bata sakte the?, She asked him as she rested her head on his shoulder and took in his woody fragrance. This felt good!

" Chalo pehle bol deta hoon. I love you Miss Mental, he said tenderly cupping her face in his hands.

" Karan, yeh kaise hoga?, she said biting her lower lip.

" Huh?, he asked not understanding what she meant.

" Tum Karan Luthra ho , Thee Karan Luthra. I mean how do I fit in? Look at me kisi bhi angle se tumhe match nahn kar sakti. Yeh impossible hai, she pleaded.

He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

" Tumhe pata hai, tum puri pagal ho. Do you even realize how special you are? Puri flight mein main soch raha tha ki do I even deserve telling you that I love you? You are this perfect blend of beauty and intelligence. I was so unsure. I took hold of one flight attendant. Usko maine puri flight mein pagal kar diya. She finally told me that I at least should let you know once. he told her smiling.

"I picked this place because yeh mera lucky spot hai. I scored my first century here. I get a confidence boost here. I was sure ki tum atleast thapad nahn marogi' he told her honestly trying to gauge her reaction.

" Tumhe sach mein laga ki main tumhe thapad marungi? she asked him incredulously resting her hands on his shoulder.

" Tum mental ho. No idea which way you swing, he smiled at her. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears.

" Karan , this will be very tough. Bahut mushkil hoga. Families hain aur phir..., he cut her short as he placed his lips on her. Her lips formed a perfect O and blush creeped on her cheeks.

"This is a far better way of getting you to shut up. Thoroughly enjoyable way, he smiled at her.

" I love you Miss.Preeta Arora., he said as he took her hands in his.

"I love you too Mr.Karan Luthra, she told him as threaded her fingers with his.

They were going to make the impossible possible!

Long winding journey but an enjoyable one!