Entwined to Eternity;Update on page 74 (3rd Dec) - Page 22

She goes in the balcony to receive the call.. Though she is chatting with her friend... Her eyes are indulge in viewing the handsome hunk sitting in the room whom she has met few seconds ago.. he is also stealing glances at her. Finally their eyes meet... He wants to lower his gaze to avoid the embarrassment but he can't control himself as if someone spell-bounded him to look at her. She is so engrossed in the depth of his eyes that she forgot that she is staring a stranger... Her friend keeps on talking but she was having eye conversation with someone else..

"Do I know you??"

"No..I dnt think so.."

"Than y do I feel as if I am not seeing u for the first time??"

"From the moment I saw u.. I am also trying to find out the reason.."

"Are we really strangers?"

"I don't know... But there is something in u which makes me feel as if we are connected.."

"Connected?? May be.." Se smiled.. Romi lips broadens a bit.. This is the first time his lips tried to do something other than speaking.

On not finding Answer Rach's friend repeats her name on the phone which pulls her back to reality.. She turns around to avoid the embarrassment.. "Have u ever had a conversation with someone without uttering a single word??" subconsciously she said on the call.. "What??" Her friend replied.. "Nothing.. I will talk to u later.." She disconnects the call and leaves the room in hurry.

Romi who is still confuse about what happened looks at her going and reprimands himself for staring at her and forgetting his actual reason for coming there. "u r here to dig out info n kill her.. That's it." He repeated it several times in his mind which was having hard time to forget the girl. He picks up the tattoo he drew, crushes the paper and threw it out.. "And this tattoo.. I need to throw it out of my mind too.." he said while looking at the flying paper going out of the balcony. Frustrated, he comes out of the room and looks at a lady praying in front of Ganesha's idol. "One more devotee praying to the stone... When people are going to understand that this stone is not going to listen them." He passed a snide remark. Suddenly he sees the same lady yelling for help.. He turns around to go back to his room.. He is not the type of person who helps someone but than he thinks that it might give him some brownie point n so he goes to the lady to help her but by the time he can reach he sees lady shouting on his son for scaring her by fake lizard. "Stupid girls.. They are sacred of such small creatures.. But it can help me." He smirked while making another plan and goes to his room.

Rach meets other patients while her mind was still stuck at the guy whom she met today.. She wonders what is happening to her.. She sees Krishna's idol placed in the corridor and talks to it "uffo Kanha... Why dint u stop me from staring at him.. U know how embarrassing it was... U r my best friend naa.. than y u dint stop me... what he will think about me now? That I am cranky?? How will I face him now?? But y I am thinking about him.. Ohh yaa.. I need him for my report... I want to go closer to him for Adi.. So I need to be closer to him. Neways.. can I share a secret with u?? I know I can.. So listen.. That man..Romi.. I felt as if I know him for years.. I felt as if his eyes were speaking to me and I was so lost in him... " She blushes while saying this but than composes herself and continues.. "Haww... don't look at me like this.. It's all ur fault... See.. I am going back in his room so u better stop me from doing any such thing further else I won't share my chocolates with u.. See yaa!!" Rach leaves from there preparing how to initiate the conversation with him..On the way She calls her teammate and informs that she is working on that secret report so can't come office today.

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"Now u will be scared of it and I will laugh on u... This way u will be annoyed and I will sweetly ask sorry from u... It will be the first step towards our friendship" Romi said while looking at fake lizard in his hand.. He practices to laugh loudly so that Rach feels it's natural but fails.. Laughing is not in his nature and hence he quits the plan and decides to taunt her a bit.

He remembers how he asked for the fake lizard from that kid but he denied... Firstly he wanted to take it forcefully or by scaring the kid but than remembered that he has to behave like a gentleman here and hence stole the lizard secretly. He hears the footstep and hurriedly keeps the lizard below the table and starts reading the newspaper... Rach reaches the door and looks at Romi reading newspaper peacefully.. She composes herself and reminds her about her motto, unaware of the fact that he is watching her from the corner of his eyes. She finally knocks the door and enters without waiting for the reply.. Being herself she starts blabbering, "Sorry for last time.. Actually I got imp call from my friend so had to attend it.. btw it's nice meeting u.. Romi right??" He nods in affirmative while looking at the lizard.. Rach continues, "Neways I was telling u that u might not like this place today but gradually u will adjust here. Doctors might have named a lots of difficult therapies and activities to do but let me tell u.. only there names are difficult but they are lots of fun... u will get to meet many people and chat with them.. N I am also there for u..". The last line startles both of them.. Rach knows that she is speaking more than usual but that's her way to distract herself from his eyes but she is confuse whether she really meant that she is there for him.. "I mean I and all other volunteers." Romi nods.. He intentionally drops the glass kept on side table so that she sees the lizard.. As expected Rach notices the lizard but instead of being frighten she claps to shoo it away.. on not finding it moving she goes closer and taps her feet.. still no movement... She takes a closer look and picks the lizard with a naughty smile.

"What kind of a girl she is... Not scared of lizard... The girls are supposed to scream on seeing a lizard and here she picked it up as if she plays with it daily." He thinks while looking at her antics..

"Monu came here??" She asked.

"Who??"

"Sorry I forgot u r new here... Monu i.e. Manav.. A small kid of 7 years. U must have seen him playing in the corridor.. He came here??"

"No.. I haven't seen him in the room.. why??"

"I am sure this is his lizard.." While saying so she turns around to keep it on the table... She stumbles on the table and trips.. In order to save her from falling Romi holds her hand... Her touch felt as if he touched some live wire.. A sudden wave of current passes through his body and he loses the balance.. Both of them fall on the bed.. Rach on the top of Romi.. his both hand holding her arms tightly and feeling the constant current... Kalpi feels the hard grip on her arms and feels alittle pain.. she looks up in his eyes.. and forgets the pain. He was already staring at her face... For the first time he got the opportunity to look at her so closely that too in full light.. They share an eyelock and again the eye talk..

"Leave me.. "

"I am not mad to leave this opportunity. "

"What r u looking at.."

"The sculpted beautiful face.. God have indeed spend a lot of time on u.. U have the sharpest features among all the girls I saw.."

"How many girls u saw.."

"U really want to know??"

She blushes again and tries hard to hide it when they hear someone giggling... Quickly she gets up and look at Monu who was trying to suppress his laugh.

"So.. it was u who kept that lizard to frighten us.. u naughty boy.." She said while running towards him... He too runs back and says.. "No.. I dint."

"Do not lie.. I know u r the naughtiest kid over her"..

"But I am not lying.. that uncle"

Romi stops him from saying further and says, "Leave it Rachana.. He is just a kid". With this he picks him and make him sit in his lap and whispers in his ears.. "I will give u lots of chocolates but please accept that u kept that lizard here. " Monu gives him an astonished look and whispers back, "Not chocolates but I need a remote control car else I will tell her that u wanted to borrow that lizard from me and I dint keep it here. In fact I lost it."

"Grr... I hate kids, I can't just stand by them...n now I have to fulfill this piddi's demand. In what mess baba had put me into" He thought in the mind and replies, "Ok, deal."

Rach who was watching them whispering thinks, "He is such a nice man.. How lovingly he made monu sit in his lap and taking his favor.. I am sure he must be a good man at heart.. he loves kids so much."

"Ok didi.. I am sorry I just wanted to frighten u." While saying so he takes the lizard and runs out of the room.

Rach : "u love kids a lot naa... I can see u already developed a bond with Monu"

Romi(sarcastically) : "Yes.. I love kids a lot.. I can't live without them.. They are so cute naa.. Always ready to disturb others.. I mean to play with others."

Rach : "Ok.. than I will tell Monu to play with u daily.."

Romi(with weird expressions) : "Sure.. I would love it... btw what is he doing in this rehab center... I mean he is just a kid"

Rach : "He stays here only..His mother used to work in this rehab center but she died when Monu was of 3 years.. From than he is staying here only.. This is like his home and everyone loves him."

Romi nods as if he is paying full attention to manav's story whereas his attention was on Rachana and her sweet voice... Her words are like music to his ears.. She asks about Romi when she gets a call from Granny and she leaves saying they will meet tomorrow when she will ask about him in details...Romi replies in affirmative and looks at her going.. He feels like holding her hand and stop her for some more time but he knows that he doesn't have that right... Rach too wants him to stop her but she knows that he doesn't have any reason to do so.. With heavy heart she leaves the room and turns around to wave her hand.. He too replies by waving his hand.. She leaves the building when he rushes to his window to have a look at her.. He looks at her tiny frame going out of the premise and turns around thinking why he wants to look at her till she disappears... Rach too turns around to look at the window but feels disappointed on not finding him there.. She walks away thinking, why was she expecting him to be at window to glance her going and moves away from there.. Raghav once again looks outside the window but she already disappeared. He sits on the bed and closes his eyes.

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Rach reaches her home and asks Granny why she called her so early... Granny have a look at watch and sarcastically replies, "Early?? It's already 8 pm and I called u 3 hours back..If u remember??"

"Granny actually... I.. "

"I know u went to meet Adi and spent 3 hours in hospital... No need to explain, I called u for dinner.."

"Dinner?? u called me at 5 pm for dinner??

"I knew that u won't arrive before 8." Granny chuckled.

"This is not fair Granny..u know I was having important conversation.." Rach stopped on remembering the events of the day and her meeting with Romi...

"What happened??"

"Granny... how u met Granpa... When u saw him for the first time how u felt??"

"Granpa.. Our first meeting was very usual... I was in ghunghat waiting for him in the room with a glass of milk and he entered wearing his wedding sherwani.. I was in my bridal attire.. It was my wedding night.."

"What.. Don't tell me that u saw Grandpa on ur wedding night."

"That was a different time.. Girl dint had permission to see his would be hubby before marriage.. i too saw ur grandpa after my marriage only..."

"Than how u fell in love with him and when?? U started loving him just after the marriage??"

"Just after the marriage it was only about the rights and relationship.. I was his wife and I had to follow his instructions.. I have seen the cruel side of man so I was always scared that he might beat me like my father used to beat my mother but he proved me wrong.. He respected me and hence I started respecting him. I dint know when I fell in love with him but one day I realized that he is my life and I can't live without him. Few months after my marriage, I fell sick badly..It was raining outside n inside I was constantly puking and even spoiled the floor.. My mom in law yelled at me but he.. He came there with a bucket n cloth and cleaned the floor. In high rain he went to medical to bring medicines and was awake whole night just to take care of me... The concern in his eyes for me made me realize that this is what I wanted whole life and if given opportunity I can die for him.." While saying so Granny had tears in her eyes..Rach notices them and hugs Granny apologizing her for reminding her about Granpa. Granny cups her sweetly and tells her to have dinner.

After dinner as always Rach chatted with Granny and Bruno n goes in her room to sleep. Before sleeping she takes out her diary to write..

"kehte hai sab behti hawa hu mein

jo na rukti na thamti hai

jharne se girta pain hu mein

jiski fitrat m na thehrana hai

par aj usne chhua toh laga yahi thahar jau mein

shayad saas meri uski saason mein basti hai

shayad us dil mein hi rehti hu mein

Uski aankho mein thi ek ajib si kashish

Jab usne dekha un nazro se mujhe

toh dil mein machi ek ajib uljhan

hamari khamoshi bhi kar rahi thi baatein

dhadakenein gunguna rahi thi ajib taane

shayad un dhadkaon me hi toh basti hu mein.

Hai wo ajnabi, sirf ab tak uska naam hai jaana

kon hai kaha se aya ab tak hai wo anjaana

Par uske chehre pe ek gam sa chhaya hai

jaise sikha nahi usne muskurana..

Shayad uske labon pe hasi ban kr dabi hu mein."