Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm back with the next chapter, hoping it is not a let down after so many expectations from the last chapter.
Chapter 30
"We'd have to stay here tonight," Ranveer said to Ishani. "There has been an accident on the other side of the road, and path is blocked by a large tree, so we can't leave tonight."
"And when are we to leave then?" Ishani asked curiously as they sat in a warm room of an inn they had been in after returning from the cafe.
"Tomorrow morning it'll be fine, they're saying. So let's hope we get to go early."
"Ranveer," Ishani said as Ranveer stood up to leave the room.
"Yes?"
"Where are you going?" Ishani asked.
"I'm hoping to find a room; though so far all were packed," Ranveer returned and turned to leave.
"Wait!" she said. "Take your jacket with you." Ishani gave Ranveer his jacket.
"You should sleep now, Ishani; we have to leave early."
"I will, but am I seeing too much?" Ishani asked, observing Ranveer's face.
"What?" Ranveer said.
"Why is your face so pale? Are you alright?" Ishani asked worriedly.
"I think it's due to cold," Ranveer said. "Nothing more than that."
"Don't leave then. Stay here!" Ishani said.
"Don't worry, Ishani," Ranveer said. "I'll be fine. And probably there is a room evacuated by now."
"What if it's not?" Ishani asked sharply while Ranveer only shrugged his shoulders in response.
"You can stay here."
"I can't. I should leave," Ranveer said.
"Don't you start any stupid argument again. And what is your problem, by the way? I'll get bored here alone," Ishani said.
"Ishani, look," Ranveer said but was interrupted by Ishani's ringing voice.
"If I said stay, you have to!" she finished with a tone of finality.
"Alright!" Ranveer said, and made his way towards the couch. "I am not in mood to start any argument either. Too tired for that."
"Thank you!" Ishani said, smiling.
"Don't you think it's wrong, Ishani?" Ranveer said, as he settled himself on the couch comfortably.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Us. We. Like this. I don't think it's right," Ranveer said awkwardly.
"Hello? Don't wander you head to any such places, alright?" Ishani said laughing. "I know what you mean."
Ranveer shook his head as Ishani's last laughter rang in his mind like a music. She was an enigma to him. He thought he knew her well"well enough to make her fall in love with someone else" but realized he did not. The Ishani he saw after falling in love with Chirag was not the girl he knew and afterwards he had only seen a stranger in her until now. He now could see something extremely familiar in her eyes"akin to the affection her eyes always held for him in their childhood years"but which remained missing for a long time. The affection he knew was his life. The affection he knew his life depended upon. What did this mean?' was the question that struck him as he turned over to see the window half open letting a rush of frosty wind inside the room.
He felt comfortable in the place he already was and did not feel like getting up to shut the window off and ruin the snug environment that had been created in a while now. The night was getting quieter and the sound of Thames troubled him deeply. A feeling of envy took over his heart for he was not yet free of his longings of his sorrow like he had wanted to. He always wanted to have a heart whole, loved and cared but that was the happiness that he had always been kept devoid of.
Ranveer lay there for some time, untroubled in his sleep when a sound of Ishani's screams woke him up suddenly. He jumped to his feet wondering what might have happened and heard Ishani screaming, panting and her hand clutched tightly on her heart.
Ranveer rushed to her, handed her a glass of water but Ishani did not seem to be noticing him. Instead she continued to stare in the dark, panting heedlessly and soon Ranveer realized what was missing. He switched on the lights quickly and saw Ishani's terrified face, her eyes wide in fear and tears leaving them continuously.
"Ishani." Ranveer stirred her while she sat oblivious of his existence, and Ranveer's words had no effect on her.
"Ishani," he repeated again and loudly this time. Ishani finally seemed to be coming back as the amount of her tears increased.
"Ranveer," she wept, holding his hands, "I...I..."
"Yes, Ishani. Are you alright? Did you see any nightmare?"
Ishani nodded her head vehemently while Ranveer took her in his arms and caressed the back of her head slowly.
"It's alright," he whispered. "Everything's fine. The dream has passed on."
"Ranveer, I saw you left me. Again," she hiccoughed, her head still on his chest.
"I have not left you. See? I'm with you," Ranveer said separating himself from Ishani while Ishani took a closer look on Ranveer's face. Tears in her eyes had ceased to fall, but left their wet traces on her cheeks.
Ranveer wiped her tears gently, and cupped her cheeks.
"Ishani," he said, staring into her eyes which made Ishani feel comfortable but scared at the same time. "What happened? What did you see?"
"I...I saw you...were leaving me. I cried your name. You laughed at me. I said it's nothing there," Ishani sobbed, "but you laughed and said you didn't care and wanted to go. And I saw you going finally. I called out your name again, but you didn't look back and there was dark. So dark that no kind of light penetrated through. And it seemed a long time passed but you did not return. But now I see you are here." Ishani pressed her palms softly on Ranveer's cheeks, and her eyes were filled with tears once again.
"I am here," he smiled. "And not leaving you in any dark, Ishani. Don't be afraid. Nightmares are common."
"I can't sleep," Ishani whispered, her eyes still staring into Ranveer's, as if trying to make sure he was telling her the truth.
Ranveer placed the pillow and gestured Ishani to lie down.
"It'll be alright," he said. "I'm here."
Ishani looked at him while Ranveer nodded at her. Slowly she withdrew her gaze from his and placed her head on the pillow.
"Sleep now," Ranveer said.
"You're not leaving me, are you?" Ishani asked.
"Not at all," Ranveer responded, smiling. "We have few hours to leave. Take rest."
Gradually Ranveer saw Ishani closing her eyes and falling into a deep slumber, her hands still tucked in his.
*
The morning sun spread its rays on the town of Lechlade in the most generous fashion as the cold before the night appeared to have melted in the daylight's glory. Ranveer woke up to find himself in a comfortable chair while Ishani still lay there fast asleep, her face towards him, glowing in the bright radiance of the white sunlight. The signs of worry from previous night had worn off from her face, for it looked peaceful and lithe. He felt he could stare at her pretty face forever, without moving a single inch but was brought into reality by the sudden movements in Ishani. She stirred slowly and then stretched her arms; her eyes still closed and then she opened them. She smiled looking at Ranveer dreamily.
"Good morning!" Ranveer said.
"Good morning, Ranveer," Ishani returned in an enthusiastic voice. She did not seem to be remembering last night's horror and it was a good thing, Ranveer thought. She had panicked too much.
"When are we leaving?" she asked him, when he said nothing.
"Get ready. We'll soon be there."
In 30 minutes Ishani and Ranveer were in their car and Ranveer's phone kept ringing with calls from various clients and he told them he was arriving London soon. Ishani looked out of the window as the sonorous views of the town faded away, one by one. She looked behind, towards the path that led to the cafe she and Ranveer had been the last night and smiled to herself, blushing silently.
"Can you believe we were here? It's still nothing more less than a dream to me," she said, as Ranveer drove across a path covered with woods on their sides only.
Ranveer did not answer anything but looked at her and smiled while continuing driving.
"Would you come back here again?" she asked him.
"May be, someday. But for now we have lots of meetings that we skipped since yesterday," Ranveer replied.
"Oh yes," Ishani said, quietly.
"You're not happy?"
"I am. I only love this place too much, I think," Ishani said with a sigh. "But I'm excited to return home."
"You can come here anytime you want," Ranveer said.
"I hope so."
Lechlade was left behind in a few hours as Ishani fell asleep once again in this journey. Ranveer smiled looking at her peaceful features and drove away swiftly. Before noon he had to reach London as a meeting was to be attended which had been organized all of a sudden.
*
"Wake up, Ishani. We're home," Ishani heard Ranveer's voice in her somnolent mode.
"We are?" Ishani yawned and saw the white building of her house towering before her eyes. Her face was brightened up with the thought of having a good sleep now. After a long journey and the chaos created at night she could not afford missing a delicious sleep anymore.
"Thank you," she whispered, getting out of the car as helped by Ranveer.
"Take care," Ranveer said.
"Are you going home too?" Ishani asked as she could see he had not slept at night because of her.
"Not yet. But I hope to go soon. In a few hours perhaps," he answered.
Ranveer turned to leave while Ishani stood there staring at him.
"Ranveer," Ishani shouted. Ranveer turned back.
Ishani rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his chest.
"Thank you for everything," came her quiet voice. "I have been so, so happy that I fear it all will be short lived. I can't stand that now."
"Nothing wrong is going to happen," Ranveer said. "Don't worry."
"Are you sure?" She looked up at him.
"Positive." Ranveer smiled. "I should leave now. We'll see tomorrow."
Ishani waved he hands in the air towards Ranveer's disappearing car and turned towards her own house. Her face was alight with a delightful smile that she would not have felt in last many years. So content she felt in that moment that immediately a tranquility took over her and the slumber disappeared in a sudden hurry. In a long, long time her heart bloomed with a strange joy that she had thought to be a part of fairy tales only and never hoped that to have for her own sake. So happy, I?' she thought to herself looking out of the window towards a bird hovering in the sky, twisting, diving in the air carelessly. This feeling was new and in the longest while provided her the most needed comfort.
*
Ranveer would not have known the heavy loss of Mr. Zaveri had he not been here on time. Mr. Zaveri told him there was an urgency and Ranveer had to return as soon as possible. He did. Mr. Zaveri looked more than worried as he told Ranveer how his companies had been bankrupted and he was almost ruined, for nearly all of the properties he held were under suspicion of being a sham. He told Ranveer that he was left with nothing anymore. Nothing except the ones in India. He would have to leave for the country as soon as possible to see if it could help him at all. If he could save his reputation or the last remains of his lifelong earnings and hard work that would be a great comfort and at this moment the greatest gain that he could find. Ranveer tried to pacify the old man but he was already too devastated to react normally.
"Sir, please!" Ranveer cried, as Mr. Zaveri refused to listen to his advices, "don't panic! We'll see through this."
"What will we see, RV?" Mr. Zaveri snorted. "Nothing is left. I'm gone. I'm gone forever."
Mr. Zaveri kept repeating these words frantically as terror became too explicit in his eyes.
"Do you have any doubt on anyone?" Ranveer asked quietly, now handing over a glass of water to Mr. Zaveri.
"No, I have no enmity with anyone," Mr. Zaveri said, shaking his head.
"Anyone in India? Here? Any of your old rivals? It's not a big deal in business, you see?" Ranveer said.
"No, no, there is no one like that," Mr. Zaveri said.
"May be you..." Ranveer said, but paused in between.
Mr. Zaveri stared at Ranveer. "What?"
"Leave it. Sir, you have to recall anything. How are we supposed to find it all out? "
"I don't know," the old man cried.
"Alright. Is there anything you think can help you now? Anything?"
"Probably, yes. My lawyer R. K. Chattarji might have a solution of a temporary remedy for now. He is the only one with full details of my property," Mr. Zaveri said.
"Oh. Why don't you call him now?"
"He's out of town for a week and says he's not coming until Saturday. Why do you think I'm so distraught? There's no way out of this mess." Mr. Zaveri put his face in palms.
Ranveer looked at the man with pity. He was unable to help him, and he himself refused to be helped lost in his misery.
"Sir, don't worry," Ranveer said. "It's a testing time for you. Everyone faces this."
Mr. Zaveri however showed no sign of improvement as he sat there as miserable and bereft as ever.
Anupamaa
Tum Se Tum Tak
Cricket
