She opened the door and stepped inside.
"Mamma, I'm home" she announced which made her mother turn her head towards her. She smiled and took steady steps towards one of the chairs at the dining. She lazily dropped her bag on the sofa and sat.
"Suvi beta, jaa fresh ho ja. Aaj zyada late hogaya. Tumhe bhook lag rahi hogi. Main khaana lagati hun."
Suvreen nodded and got up with her bag and walked towards her room
.
****
"Beta, mere baaton ke baare mein soch toh. Tumhe 26 saal hogaye hain. Aur kitni der beta. Bas ek baar inn photo ko dekh toh lo..."
Suvreen's mother tried her futile attempts again at convincing her for marriage. She was worried as time was flying by so quickly and her daughter had was growing. But, like always Suvreen remains nonchalant and gives lame replies.
"Kyun peeche padi ho mumma...shaadi hi toh hai. Jab mann karega karlenge"
Saying so, she hastily leaves her breakfast and picks up her bag. She always felt uncomfortable at the mention of marriage. For a reason, she felt a tug at her heart and upset.
"Arre beta, nashta toh karlo". Her mother tried to stop her.
"Aapko bhi yeh sab batein abhi karni thi na mumma. Chodiye main office mein hi nashta karlungi"
She picks up her car keys and gets into the car leaving her visibly upset mother behind. Although there was no hurry to reach office, she drove faster than usual. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, her mind and heart drifted back to that one name, which she had scrapped on her desk at school during her eighth standard. Back then, little did she know that, that name she wasn't only carving on mere wood but also on her heart whose marks would stay as long as a decade.
Yuvraj.
The name yet today, had the power to evoke weird sensations in her. She hadn't been a child who had believed in teenage love lasting forever. But, nothing is impossible, in the matters of heart. No one can really control one's heart. It all started as a mere crush that she believed she would let go as years would pass by but, she didn't know why she couldn't let go of it.
Office came by, and she stopped the car and her chain of thoughts. She knew exactly what to do today. Determined, she walked up to her cabin, not before greeting her friend at the reception, who judged her disturbed self through her faint smile. She being angry at herself, for have miserably failed to forget him, for have hurt her mother in the morning sat down to work. Her friend, the receptionist, Khushi brought in a cup of coffee for her.
"Coffee"
She nodded at her and muttered Thank you'. She got back to staring her computer screen studying the data analysis of some other companies. Khushi seeing her behavior chose to leave her alone for the time being and talk to her afterwards. She very well knew, she kept herself deeply engrossed whenever she was angry or upset. She had even heard her boss often joke and Suvreen's laugh to them.
"Yaar tum bata diya karo tumhe gussa kab aata hai. Aise hum bhi kabhi kabar ched denge. Isse auron ka pata nahi par company ka profit pakka hojayega."
In a few hours, she got her work for the day completed. She leaned back into her chair and stared at the untouched coffee mug. Unwillingly, she logged into her facebook account and went straight to the school-friends group.
How she promised every day, she won't do that. Yet again she found herself opening his profile, checking out his status updates and pictures as if it was her daily routine. The relationship status SINGLE' which ogled at her through the computer screen gave her an unknown satisfaction. She took a look at his most recently uploaded picture. Nothing ever changed in him. He still had those messy hairs, well-built physique, those killer look in his eyes, and the charming smile that had the whole school as his admirer. But, this time not his his latest picture, but the caption under it made her eyes twinkle.
"Back in Delhi! :D"
She finally logged off and started working again in a happy mood. The newly found reason of happiness gave her a push to work with more enthusiasm. Finally when she felt it was enough for the day and the next day too, she got up to leave. She also had got a job of making her mother happy again. She somehow felt Yuvraj's coming back would be fruitful to her. She finally decided she would meet him and pour her heart out. After 12 years. Without any fear of rejection. She would not feel bad if she was rejected. She could always pacify herself saying, she had tried rather than being guilty for not have at least tried to, for the rest of her life.
****
She reached home early and took her mother for a movie. Back at home, she spent a quality time with her mother and apologized for being rude earlier that day. Her mother smiled and ruffled her hair lovingly whilst saying.
"Koi baat nahi beta. Tu jo chahe kar sakti hai. Mujhe koi aitraaz nahi. Bas chinta hoti hai teri. Tere papa hi nahi rahe. Woh hote toh itni chinta nahi hoti."
Suvreen's eyes welled up at the mention of her dad.
"Sach mein beta, main tumhara mann dukhana nahi chahti. Tum kaho toh main fir kabhi tumhe shaadi ke bare mein nahi puchungi. Par beta mujhe ye kyun lagta hai tum mujhse kuch chupa rahi ho. Kuch hai toh beta mujhe bol do."
Suvreen hugged her mother and replied.
"Nahi na mumma. Aapse kya chupaungi. Ek aap hi toh ho mere apne. Aap chinta mat karo. Jaldi sab theek hojayega."
How could she now tell her mother, that she had fallen for someone back from when she was in eighth standard. How could she voice it out that she had fallen for such a person who might not have remembered her face even, with whom she had not talked since ten long years. Suvreen let out a sigh at her unfair destiny.
****
Dinner was occasionally filled with nostalgic talks of their family, childhood antics of Suvreen, distant relatives and so on. After dinner Suvreen offered to clean the dishes and asked her mother to go to to sleep. She finished all the chores and came back to her room. It wasn't too late in the night when Khushi called.
"Hey Suvreen. Tum theek ho? Subah tumhara mood acha nahi tha toh socha baad mein baat karlungi. Par tu toh jaldi nikal gayi."
"Haan yaar theek hun. Tum bolo."
"Suno na. Kal chalo thoda chill out karte hain. Kuch school ke dost bhi aane walle hain. Tum bhi aajao na?Please yaar, mana mat karna. Everyone is so excited."
"Chal theek hai. Main aaungi. Tum mujhe venue message karke bata dena. Ek din chutti lene se kuch nahi hoga. Waise bhi aaj kaafi kaam karliya."
"Haan haan, gusse ke wajah se. Anyway, that's awesome. Sab tumhare wait karenge. Miss Yuvi ki deewani" she giggled.
Suvreen could not help but smile lightly.
"Tum logon ko abhi bhi who naam yaad hai?" asked Suvreen a bit surprised.
"Yaar, jis ladki ko uska favourite deo aaj bhi yaad hai uska naam toh zaahir hai ki hum yaad rakhen" she teased.
"Chup raho tum"
"Hehe. Chal fir,kal milte hain.Bye."
"Bye"
After the call ended, she sent a text message to her boss asking for leave for the nest day. Her boss happily agreed since he was a good man, and of course Suvreen was his favourite employee since she was very dedicated to her work.
She got up from the bed and walked towards her closet to take out an old album from her schooldays. She switched on the table lamp and started scanning the old pictures again. Then, she came to picture in which a young boy in a red T-shirt was kicking the football with full force. She smiled at that picture and could not help but go back to that day when she had seen him for the first time.
****
Edited by ..chotu.. - 8 years ago
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