Part 8
Shlok arranged the funeral and became the strength of Aastha at the time. Aastha was too stunned and lost on the sudden demise of the biggest truth of her life. Yes they were her truth. She remained alone in the world who had nothing for her in return.
But this is called life... you can fight with every situation but you cannot defeat your fate. Once again Aastha was defeated by her destiny. She has been felt cheated and deprived herself. This was the biggest joke played by fate with her.
She was wondered when everyone left her alone with her misery, Shlok became her pillar, he was like a dense tree for her in heated world. He didn't go back to his home since the day. He took care for her. She was depressed and he consoled her. She could cry on his shoulder whenever she need. He was a great friend for her always. In this difficult period they revived their old friendship which lost from some time due to bad incident and this time a bad incident reunite the two best buddies once again.
Shlok brought some food for her. She was sitting in her balcony. She didn't want to eat but he insisted "oh come on cutie pie please have something for me ..."
"Shlok I am not feeling hungry..." she made a twisted face when he set beside her.
"May I ask you why not..." he asked rightfully. She remained silent. He understood the reason
"Look Aastha life is not as easy as we think... you know when I saw your sister first time I thought that life is so beautiful. I was mesmerizing with her pure angelic eyes... when I got engaged with her I felt that I am the luckiest men in the world but I didn't know that what life holds for me in future... I lost my love and every happiness but you know someone taught me that I have to live with reality so now I am trying to live gracefully... don't you want to know who was my teacher?" he asked suddenly after his all talk.
She looked his face with confusion. He smiled slightly and told
"It was you my cutie pie... You told me about my responsibility and now you should learn this thing also that you also have to live happily..." he tried to make her understand slowly.
Her eyes became wet on his words. She said in trembling voice
"But you have your mother in your life... but I lost everyone for whom I should live so tell me why I do live..." she asked in cried voice
"You have still one person in your life..." he replied on her words when she became wondered.
"Who?" she asked confusingly
"You forget about your best buddy... I mean don't I meant for you...?" he asked and looked in her eyes. She was numbed on his words.
"I mean I am your best friend ..." he composed himself as he was also surprised on his words. What he wanted to say and what he said was entirely different.
"Ok ... just leave it you should eat something now and after that I have to go somewhere due to work..." he instantly changed the topic and unexpectedly she obliged due to him so she took some juice and toast. He looked so happy to see her like this.
After their lunch he left for his work while she was thinking about him. Why he was doing all this for her. Suddenly her phone rang and she picked the call
"Hey cutie pie ... I forgot to say something..." it was Shlok who called her.
"What ...?" she asked in innocent voice while he replied
"I want to see you normal when I will come back and I will take you somewhere..." he said and cut the call. She looked her cell phone in confusion.
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Anjali Agnihotri was restless due to Shlok. He didn't return home since the day of Kirloskars couple death. She scared for him. She was her mother and she knew very well that something had been changed in these days. She could sense the danger which came close to his son. Shlok didn't know the real misery which was coming close to him in the face of Aastha.
She knew about his new found interest in Aastha. She was his mother who wanted always his happiness, But If he showed his interest in any other girl. She was the girl who was related to his past no bitter past which she never wanted to remember but now everything was repeating from the past.
She could not control the situation anymore. Aastha was the storm which could destroy her lifetime peace. She was not ready to give up easily against that tiny girl Aastha.
"I will not lose my perfect game in front of you Aastha... I needed you when I had to save my son life but not now you are becoming a threat for my home and reputation so I will stop you to entering in our life on any cost. Your sister was not enough so you also came in our life..." she thought with anger and hate for Aastha.
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"Hey Aastha why didn't you get ready yet... I told you that we will go out..." when he came back to meet her ... he found her in same state.
"Shlok I don't want to go anywhere... sorry..." She excused but he was Shlok Agnihotri.
"If you will not go out with me then I will pick you in my arms and take out..." he warned her but she didn't take it seriously.
He smirked and picked her really in his arms. She was shocked on his action. She tried to be free from his clutch. He smiled and took her out from the house in his strong arms. He put her down on the seat of his car. She was speechless and could not know what to say to him. He was mad.
Someone saw them to go out together. The person also saw that how Shlok took her in his arms. He called to Anjali.
"Mam... they are going somewhere if you order... Should I follow them..." he asked
"Ok mam... I will wait them here only..." The person cut the call.
*********...************
"Shlok why are you doing all this... please I didn't want to come with you..." Aastha made her face when he signaled her to get out from the car.
"But I want to make you happy... I cannot see you devastated so long..." he held her hand and said with concern. He escorted her in the lounge area where he arranged the candle light dinner especially for her only. The hall was empty. None was around there. Shlok signaled to the waiter to serve the food. He followed his order and after that he returned from there. Now they were all alone.
"Aastha I know that you feel uncomfortable with me after the party incident..." Shlok said and Aastha just looked him.
"I am not uncomfortable at all... you helped me so much in my difficult time and please I had forget all things about the past... you should also forget what happen between us..." she said in very composed way as she didn't want to show herself weak in front of him.
Shlok sighed to hear her words. How could she forget everything so easily? He looked in her eyes, she looked calm and composed. He could not search any sign of the moment there.
"Aastha you can forget but I cannot because even I don't know how much I feel for you..." he thought in his mind.
Aastha felt silence so she started to talk about Swati and him.
"I know that you both met in your office first time... she told me that this was first sight love from your side... so do you really believe in first sight love?" she asked in smirked tone.
"Yes... but you are wrong that I saw her in my office first time..." he replied in casual manner but his voice was intense. She looked him confusingly
"What but you guys never told us about that..." Her eyes became widened on his revelation. He smiled wholeheartedly on her antics.
"Because... you never asked..." he replied in same manner
"But you could tell us... you guys shared everything with me but you never told me about your first meet... you both are cheaters... I will not talk to you..." she made her face twisted.
"ohh... my cutie pie is really angry with me but you know that's just the way I am... and you know I shared with you a lot... because you are the only one who become my best friend in real way..." he held her hand and tried to pacify her.
She looked instantly and smiled "ok then Mr. mysterious would you like to tell me... where you saw my sister first time..." she asked mischievously and put her chin on her tied hands on the table innocently towards her. He also set in same position like her in front of her too close to her face and looked into her eyes.
"At the shelter home... I still remember her smile. She was enjoying like angel with the children. She was playing with them in garden with water pipe..." He was telling about the story as well as Aastha was wondering with huge shock because Swati never liked to go shelter home and this was never happened with Swati but it was her who always liked to go there and enjoyed the playing with children in garden.
She became anxious suddenly "oh god that's mean he saw me..." she looked her with shocked eyes who was lost in his memory lane.
"Shlok...please I am not feeling well... I want to go home..." she interrupted him in mid and asked. He looked her worriedly.
"If you are not feeling then we should go to doctor first..." he asked anxiously.
"No you don't worry just drop me at my home... I felt suffocating..." she tried to calm him down.
**********...***********
"Aastha wait... what happen to you suddenly..." he stopped her when she opened the door and about to run inside without saying anything.
"Nothing... I want to just sleep...you should also go back to home... your mother must be worried for you..." she replied without any eye contact. He became irritated to hear that.
He held her hand and pulled her in his arms. She tried to be free herself but as much as she tried he increased his pressure on her arms.
"Please Shlok leave me..." she murmured in pleading voice.
"What happen to you suddenly after hearing me there... I know you are hiding something... Tell me, what you want to tell..." he said in husky tone near to her ear. She shivered on his touch. A cold wave ran in her spine when his hot breath touched her earlobe.
"Shlok please go..." she shouted this time. She could not bear this truth at the time that he fell in love with her in first sight. This was the strange feeling for her. She became reluctant to accept the truth. He affected her so much with his touch.
Shlok didn't move an inch from his place and didn't pay any heed to her shouting. He picked her waist in one hand.
"I know something is troubling you... and I know what is that, but I want to listen from your mouth that it was..." He left incomplete his words while she looked him in utter shock.
"Don't look at me like this my cutie pie... you know when I kissed you first time... I felt something strange and special feeling like it completes me from my inner soul... I never kissed or touched Swati like I touched you." He was expressing himself to her while she was feeling helpless in front of him.
She was staring in his eyes when he cupped her face and claimed her pink petals. She jerked him in shocked.
"just go away..." she pushed him outside and shut the door on his face.