NEVER LET YOU GO.:
PART-6
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21st Sept 1996
UNEXPECTED PARTITION
Back in FITE niharika seemed so happy and relaxed after a long time.. It was the same day that We were sharing some coffee, sitting in the canteen on evening..
"kya baat hai madam? Full on josh??" i posed
"aisa kuch nehin vardhaan" she giggled, sipping her coffee! i was awfully lost in her giggles..
"what else could be the reason! It's our truimph over CITE" kabir meddled in, and with in no time niharika stood up and began to walk out ferociously.. I and kabir exchanged cold looks in askance and then my nerve pulse gave a ping to me.."stop her idiot! What are you staring at?" my heart scowled and i followed her.
"niharika.! Just wait.. What happened?" i made her to halt by holding her hand.
"kuch nehin vardhan! I just don't feel comfortable with that guy! It's not that i hate him! I just don't like him" she said with expressionless face!
"but..." i tried to convince.
"suno! Iam leaving home tonight for couple of days. That's what i want to Say.. See you later! and forgot to say, prof.Rag told me to make an announcement that TATA MOTORS is going to hold a summit on automotive technology, and also a automobile expo, coming week here, they are going to extend their support for our dream team competition! Will you please make the announcement for me? You see i am busy with packing" she said in one go.
"aye! aye! Captain." i said and we both burst out laughing.. Seconds later, she bade good bye and left for her room... I too made my way for my room after making the announcement.
30th Sept 1996
FEELINGS UNVEILED
A week passed by and still there was no sign of her, even living with 100s of people around, daily, the lonely feeling mounted on my head was something so weird that i never felt before! Even kabir was not there... I almost turned insane, without her! I wondered whom to ask about her and how to talk to her.. Even i went to the orphanage the previous day, expecting her to be there! But she didn't came,. without her, i don't even felt like going to terrace to watch the lovely sunrise with which once i'd been in love! Oh! Wait!! What i just said? "once i'd been in love with???" right! If it was so, then what it was now?? Is that just happening for true.? I was completely baffled, my head was spinning, i somehow manged to the stairs and sat there. i don't even want to attend the summit that day. My mind continued to make sense of what my heart feels for her! It was trying to get answers for.
Never in my life, i did missed someone to that extent that made me feel like choking every minute., i still couldn't believe that fact... I don't know what went wrong with me!
"vardhaan! Stop being kid! It's your time, the cupid has shot his arrows..." my heart said,.. For some reason i accepted it in very next second. I sat on the steps and was mulling about niha! Her sweet chirpy voice was still reverberating in my ears, her angelic face was still flashing in front of my eyes.. Her soft touch that night my rough palm experienced was still lingering on my palms... I just caressed my face with my palms... I felt her presence and her smell in the air around me! I felt something new, my eyes began to scan 100's of students walking busily in the corridor... I heard her voice somewhere from the corner... I felt like i was hallucinating and i didn't pay any heed at least...
"vardhaan!" came the voice again... Oh my goodness! That happened for real! I am not hallucinating.. I jump stood In the corridor and began to wobble in search of her, finally i spotted her standing in the corner at far other end of the corridor leaning against the wall.. She was standing with her arms crossed against her chest. She donned a cream color saree, and her hair, perfectly combed and left open... Few flocks on one side of her hair was pinned back with a slide. The bindhi and her earrings adorned her face, she raised her brows, smiling on seeing me! I was lost again in her enthralling visage. The euphoria on seeing her after a long time had stuck my heart and my eyes turned moist, i ran to her like a maniac..
"niha... tum... yeha..." i was gasping, and trying to speak simultaneously with my hands on my hip... But she stood there straight, staring into my eyes with her moist eyes.. Our eyes were pleading each other's to blurt on the truth that our hearts were trying hiding..
.
"niha..." i tried to speak but words got struck in my throat
"umm!" she arched her brows... Her eyes smiling and asking me to speak up...
"you... you... you... look so beautiful...!" i said, she rolled her eyes smiling, i knew how stupidly i said that instead of saying what i actually want to say... and i knew how i made her feel low there by! But she was still staring at me in silence expecting something from me but my silence might had annoyed her
"um! Okay... I've to go... You know i am hosting the guest lecture today" she said and made a posture as if she's going.
"no..! wait!" i held her hand, she turned to me, astonished.
"you have any thing to say vardhaan??" she smiled again...
"oh! please niha... stop killing me! you know.. what i want to say... but still" i fell on my knees... the hell i had been... in those seven days with out her began to throng out my eyes in form of water... i began to cry... cried in happiness of seeing her again... cried in fear of missing her again...
"niha! Please... Don't do this again! I am begging you! Knelt before you... I can't handle your absence any more... Don't ask me why and what.. Cause you have the answers with you..." my voice trembled. I looked up... To see her face... She was smiling ear to ear staring at me with teary eyed. I took a deep breath and stretched my hands out
"i love you niha... I am ready to be yours!" i shouted dragging the attention of all the students in the hall way... Every one were then staring at us in awe...
"vardhaan! Utto..." she said trying hard not to blush..
"i need your answer" i said shaking my head side ways...
"arre baba...stand up..." she frowned in amusement making me to let my hands down...
"I LOVEEE YOUUU" i screamed again... Her face turned apple red.. and just when she was about to kneel down in front of me to embrace...
"niharika...the program is going to begin." some one screamed out for her...
"uh-ho! Got to go..." she made a face walking back
"i'll be waiting...!" i screamed she smiled back... and disappeared in the crowd.. I felt so light, so bliss.. So satisfied.. the total day passed in ecstasy... i followed her to the ground where the event of automobile expo and the summit was planned to be held...
She was completely engrossed in her work, my eyes were transfixed on her all the while... Not even a second i let my eyes shift my gaze from her angelic face... Cute little orbs... Lustrous hair... She's really such an angel...down to earth.. Only to be with me, to take me to the world I've never been before.. to make my life more and more worth livable. i spent hours together doing nothing except staring at her, standing in an corner..
hours passed and finally around 4 pm they began the automobile expo and all the students.. professors who were at the stage till then began to walk towards the other side of the ground.. my eyes began to search for my angel restlessly. i so wanted to go to her immediately.. but she was no where.. i thought that she must had tired and must had left for the hostel. i felt so gloomy without her i don't felt like staying there any more and began to walk back to hostel... it was then that i heard her voice.. amplified through mike...
"vardhaan...! you asked me to answer a question that actually isn't" her voice made me turn back... i looked around, there was no one on the stage.. i stood there waiting her to continue her words...
"my answer is something that i want to say in front of every one... Kyun ki... Now am the most happiest and luckiest girl in the world and i want all my friends to envy me.! Cause i have the most precious and valuable one that the others don't have! Listen world!!!! I am in love...! I am in love vardhaan... i love you!" her voice echoed the surroundings and soon all the students in the ground began to murmur. But i stood there searching for her! I was trying hard to look so nonchalant. Cause my heart was jumping and dancing in joy! It'd be little girlish to say! But couldn't help, i even felt flutter of butterflies in my stomach.!
My eyes were searching for her without any hiatus.. Still she hadn't shown up and so i decided to go in search of her.. Just when i was about to make a move. I felt soft hands wrapping me tightly from behind... "i love you vardhaan!" Her chirpy voice made me recognize her.. I released myself from her grip and turned to face her! But her gaze stuck to the ground and she Turned pink again!
"whoa! You are blushing?" i tried to make her look at me...
"shut up! Idiot" she punched me in my stomach and hugged me tightly...and i hugged her back. We were lost in each other's arms that we didn't even remember the world around us... Finally we were brought back to the world only on hearing the lively and cheerful clapping and screaming of best wishes of the students around us!
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Randhir let a deep sigh out and closed the book smiling all the while... wondering on knowing the unknown side of his beloved teacher..
"i couldn't believe this randhir... that he was so nonchalant in his college days" sanyukta made a face as if she was mulling about vardhan sir...
"even i can't believe... this is so interesting" randhir placed the dairy on the floor and stretched his arms to shove away his laziness...
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