"Eeey, chashmish," Abhi said with a grin, suddenly thrilled to be back to the old and familiar. She was wearing her dark purple umbrella anarkali, and her glasses were a bit crooked. "We need to talk."
Pragya took Abhi's hand off her elbow and stepped back from him "I don't think so. You can talk to my lawyer. We're not even supposed to see each other," she said, crossing her arms defensively.
Abhi shook his head. "Yeah, that's not going to work for me. Chalo, Chashmish, this is no place for a conversation." He reached for her hand, but she shifted away from him. The stairwell was small and narrow so there was still hardly any space between them. He could smell the scent of the sweet almond oil she used after her morning showers, that fresh clean fragrance that he'd almost forgotten about in the weeks since she'd left, so different from Tanu's perfumes...
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Pragya huffed. "I don't have anything to say to you, Abhishek. I don't know why you came out here -"
"To apologize," Abhi cut in, hoping to derail her lecture, but she didn't immediately notice.
"But since there's nothing left for us to - what?" Pragya looked up at him with startled eyes.
Abhi smiled. "Yes, Chashmish, I came to apologize. And to tell you that you are crazy. Now come on, let's go somewhere that double battery can't burst in on us."
"But - but I don't understand!"
"Hanh toh main explain karne wala hoon, na?" Abhi spoke slowly in a calm soothing tone, as if he was talking to an overwhelmed child. He was feeling light and happy just to be bickering with her again. As she struggled to respond to him, he simply took her by the shoulders and guided her down the stairs and back to the street.
Pragya allowed him to lead her out without protest. She was too busy staring at him in amazement to notice how he was holding her.
When they made it outside, Abhi took Pragya's hand and started walking back to his car.
Pragya suddenly stopped walking when she realized they were passing her house. She tried to pull free from Abhi, but he kept hold of her hand even as he turned impatiently to see what was the matter.
"Arre aap mujhe kahan lekar ja rahe hain? Maine kaha na, hamare beech koi bhi baat nahin honi chahiye?" Pragya demanded, still trying to twist her hand free from Abhi's.
"Kya chashmish, why are you being so difficult? I told you I want to apologize, so come on." Abhi continued walking, pulling her along with him.
"But where are we going!" Pragya tried to get him to stop walking by pulling at his sleeve, but Abhi ignored that.
He had not actually thought about where they would go. He had expected to find her at her mother's house, and to make her tell him the whole truth right there, even in front of her family if they were at home. Hearing her talk about marriage with the double battery had knocked him out of his determined focus on getting answers, and now he just wanted to get the both of them away from there. He knew she wouldn't agree to go home with him, and anyway that would not be the right place for the conversation they needed to have.
Suddenly he realized the perfect place they could go to be private and to clear the air between them. When she impatiently asked again, "Abhishek, where are we going?" he glanced over his shoulder and answered, "To the beach!"
"The beach?" Pragya repeated in bewilderment. "Why on Earth -"
"Arre, daro maat, Chashmish! Main tumhe dubaana waale nahin ho, I promise," Abhi teased. He felt a stab of regret as he remembered telling her she wished she would drown and disappear from his life, but he shook it off. Now was the time for answers, not regrets.
Pragya's steps faltered as she tried to understand what he meant. "But - but..."
Abhi slowed down and let her draw even with him. "Daadi ki kasam, we're just going to talk," he assured her in a softer voice. "Please just come with me."
Pragya gave him a dubious look, her confusion and reluctance clear in her expression. But she didn't say anything, and followed him quietly after that, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
When they got to the car, Pragya automatically reached for the passenger door, and Abhi made his way to the driver's side. But then Pragya hesitated. She dropped her hand from the door handle and said, "Dekhiye, aap ko jo bhi kehna hain -"
"Oho, not here naa! I told you, at the beach!" Abhi came around and opened the door for her, nudging her inside with a hand to her shoulder.
"Lekin - Abhishek!!" Pragya tried to protest, but he ignored her.
When they were both in the car, Abhi turned the radio on to the station that Pragya didn't like. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but she didn't react.
As they drove to the beach, Pragya tried again to ask him what they were doing. Abhi told her to be patient. His song "Happy Love" came on the radio and he started to hum along to it. She sighed in exasperation and pointedly turned to look out the window.
Abhi smiled to himself and kept driving.
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