FF: Unloved (Complete) - Page 16

When class came around the following Monday, Rudra was anxious to see Parvati again. He hadn't seen her since the other night, and it was still bothering him how the night had ended. He had tried calling her once, but his only response came from Mami-sa, who said that Parvati was busy and couldn't come to the phone. He didn't call back again. Rudra wasn't an idiot; he knew she was avoiding him. He decided to wait until class on Monday, where he would be able to talk to her.

He arrived at the lecture hall about ten minutes early. There were only a few people in class, and Parvati was not one of them. Rudra went over and sat in his usual spot. He leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the table. He stared at the empty seat next to him, the one where Parvati's being usually occupied. He wondered if she would talk to him today. Rudra didn't care if they didn't talk about her past, he just wanted her to talk to him. Surprisingly, he had become used it, and a disruption in that normality was not something he was comfortable with.

In his own way, he was trying to relax and be patient while waiting for her, but it was getting difficult. Even though he tried to forget, Rudra still hadn't been able to get over how his night with Parvati had ended. Those tears, they shook him. He didn't realize it until much later how much it had affected him. It did cause him to lose sleep. It was evident by the soft, gray circles that were under his eyes and the burning sensation rippling through them. They matched the color of his long-sleeve, thermal shirt. Rudra rubbed his eyes and closed them for a moment.

Rudra hoped that he would get all this sorted out with Parvati. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized when his buddy, Aman, came up to his table and leaned against it. He was dressed in black jeans and a blue, plaid, button-up shirt. As he leaned against the table, he crossed his legs, revealing his black Vans.

"Hey Rudra," Aman said as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Rudra opened his eyes and looked at his friend. Amandeep Singh was a good friend of his. They had gone to the same school together since they were kids. Although they were in separate classes, they hung out together on the playground, during lunch, and in between classes. They still managed to stay good friends, even after all these years. Aman was similar to Rudra in personality, he was easily liked. Being the good-looking fellow that he was, he never had a problem getting ladies' attention. However, talking to them was a whole other matter, since the guy was very shy. Aman was a good-hearted person, and was always there for Rudra when need be. In return, Rudra was there for Aman, resulting in a strong bond with him that was almost brotherly at times.

Aman took note of the exhaustion on Rudra's face. His smile faltered as he asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Rudra gave a half-hearted smile, "Yeah, I just didn't get much sleep."

"Yeah, obviously. You've got circles under your eyes."

"It's just lack of sleep. Nothing big. I'll take a nap in Khan's class."

"Alright. So I didn't see you at the Mela this weekend."

"I didn't go."

"Didn't go? Where'd you go?"

"I was out with a friend."

"Friend...or new girlfriend?"

Rudra shook his head, "Friend. It's not like that Aman. She's not my girlfriend."

"But you were out with a girl?"

"Yeah."

"Who is she?"

Rudra didn't answer, making Aman look at his friend curiously. He found that Rudra's attention had been diverted elsewhere. He turned around and saw what had enraptured his friend. It came in the form of a fairly beautiful woman dressed in a pastel purple salwar kameez with long, brown hair resting in a loose braid on her chest. She was clutching her notebook to herself, not meeting anyone's gaze. She slowly made her way up the steps, but stopped upon seeing the two of them there. Aman looked from her to Rudra. Their gazes were locked. It didn't take him long to realize that there was something going on between them. The penetrating stare that Rudra was giving her was more than enough for both Aman and Paro to look away from him. Aman slowly walked away, knowing that his disappearance would go unnoticed by them.

As soon as Aman had left, Rudra put his feet down from the table and stood up. Parvati caught a glimpse of his actions, but didn't look directly at him. She went around him to her seat. His eyes followed her like a predator watching his prey. He tried to gauge her reactions to him, and clearly she looked as though she wanted to avoid him. Her body language screamed defensive. Parvati sat down in her seat and looked straight ahead, not once did she acknowledge his presence nor did she look in his direction. Rudra sat down, but didn't look away from her.

He had been wanting to talk to her, but now that she was here, in front of him, Rudra was at a loss for words. Not only did he not know what to say, but he also didn't know where to start. How could he apologize for making her cry when he didn't even know why she had in the first place? The image of her tear-stained face flashed in his mind, causing his heart to constrict once again. What was it with her that had the ability to consume him? What was it about her that left him so lost for words? Even now, as he watched her visibly try to ignore him, Rudra felt himself struggling to talk to her.

"Paro," he spoke, which only came out as a barely audible whisper.

She didn't look at him because she didn't hear him. Rudra turned his attention to the front of the class. There was nothing that he could say to her now. He was going to mess up if he tried to talk to her now. He did want to talk to her, though. He wanted to know why she had started crying. It had baffled him. It bothered him badly, and he knew it was because he felt responsible for her state. However, he didn't get a chance to talk to her, not during Sengupta's class, and not during their study session, which they spent in deafening silence. Not one word was exchanged between them, and Parvati didn't give him a moment to. He left college that evening more restless than ever.

~

The following morning, Parvati had woken up early. She had quickly showered and got ready for college. She was dressed in a soft, yellow chunidar with a white accented dupatta. Her hair was hair pinned back, revealing the small gold jhumkas, which matched her nose ring. After having a quick breakfast, Parvati was packing her bag for class when Mami-sa came out of the kitchen. She found Parvati getting ready. Mami-sa found a different kind of silence from her. Parvati had been very silent since she had gone out with Rudra. In fact, Rudra's name hadn't been mentioned since that night. It made Mami-sa wonder if something had happened. He had seemed like such a nice boy, so did something go wrong? Parvati didn't mention anything about Rudra after that night. It made Mami-sa very curious. She had given it two days, but with no response from Parvati, she knew she was going to have to drag it out of her.

"Paro," Mami-sa said. "You didn't tell me. How was the Mela? Did you and Rudra enjoy yourselves?"

Parvati stopped and looked at her, "We didn't go to the Mela."

"What? Why not? Where were you then?"

"We decided to go watch a movie, instead. Then we watched the Mela fireworks."

"Well, that sounds fun. What did you see?"

"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge."

"And how were the fireworks."

"Very nice."

"So I take it that you had a good time."

"It was okay."

"Just okay?

Parvati looked at her and Mami-sa could tell that there was something more. It was clear by the glassiness in the hazel eyes. She could see the emotion within them, and knew what the truth was. Parvati didn't have just an okay time, she had a good time. So why she didn't want to admit it was beyond Mami-sa. It wasn't wrong if she had a good time. It wasn't bad if she admitted that she had fun, but it seemed that Parvati did believe it was, indeed, bad to say it was good.

"You had a nice time didn't you?" Mami-sa stated rather than asked.

Paro nodded, without smiling.

"Well, if you had a nice time, why did you say it was just okay?"

Parvati looked down at her bag in her hand and said softly, "Rudra asked why there was so much sorrow in my eyes."

There was a pregnant pause before Mami-sa spoke again, "And...what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. Rudra wants to know, but..."

"But what?"

She looked at Mami-sa sadly, "He wants to know, but he said I should only tell him when I think he is worthy of knowing the answer. Mami-sa, how can I? I...I have no right to judge someone else's worthiness."

"Paro, you need stop thinking like this! You shouldn't say things like that."

"After everything that had happened...how can I not?"

Mami-sa walked over and held Paro by her shoulders, desperation dripped in her words, "Paro, listen to me. I have been saying this for years now, but you have to believe me when I say you are worth much more than what people have said. Please stop thinking like this. You are hurting yourself by doing so!"

"Mami-sa, I have to go to class."

Parvati moved herself out of Mami-sa hold. She grabbed her bag and began heading out the door. Mami-sa watched her receding figure. How she wished she could change the past, so Paro wouldn't be so lost in inescapable darkness. It had been a big step for her to go out with Rudra, and she had even had a nice time. But when he wanted to know about her past, Mami-sa knew Parvati had shrunk within herself. That was a topic she barely discussed with her. But he didn't force her to disclose the reason for the sadness. Apart from her, no one knew about what had happened to Paro. As much as Parvati didn't want to do it, she needed to talk to someone about what had happened. She couldn't keep it bottled up. And Mami-sa believed that Rudra just may be the one she could bear her heart to, if only she would let him in.

"Paro," Mami-sa said. "Is that why you haven't talked about him?"

She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Have you at least thought about telling him about-."

"No. Rudra does not need to know."

"He does not need to know, but he wants to. He isn't like the others that have judged you based on what others have said. He wants to know from you. Doesn't that count for something?"

"No, it doesn't."

Mami-sa sighed, "...At least Rudra has done something no one else has."

"And what is that?"

"He is trying."

Parvati remained silent, but turned her head back to face forward. She didn't move. She was still listening to Mami-sa, and her hand rested on the doorknob, waiting for the silence to be filled once again.

"He is trying to talk to you," Mami-sa said. "He is trying to understand you. He...he is trying. And I feel that you should give him a chance, Paro."

"...I will see you in the evening, Mami-sa."

As Parvati opened the door, she didn't bother to look back to finish the conversation. There was nothing she had left to discuss with Mami-sa, who was clearly stuck on one topic: Rudra. However, she heard Mami-sa's voice over her shoulder once more, and it did not fail to resound in her mind as she left.

"Give him a chance."

**********

That's all for this chapter! Let me know what you think by leaving your lovely comments and feedback below!

Next update: Will Paro heed Mami-sa's words and give Rudra a chance? Or will she push him away again?

Thanks for reading!