Chapter 28
The nightly rendezvous continued!!
Their days always passed in a flick. Both of them felt like six days passed in just a few seconds. They came to know so much about each other. Their likes, dislikes, family, etc. It had become their routine to talk every night after everybody went to sleep. They had decided not to talk during the day so no one notices them on the phone too much and gets suspicious in any way.
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Anokhi was studying as her mind drifted to one of their conversations from the night before "My father passed away years ago when I was in class 11. I miss him a lot!! Being the youngest in the family I have always been the most pampered one, especially by him."
Shaurya was also thinking about Anokhi, she got so sad hearing about my father and when I asked about her father she almost cried and revealed "My father also passed away, but I was much younger...I was in class 2 only!!" Then sadly she added "I don't remember him much, only a few things. But I do remember that day when he..." She almost choked.
"Heeyy don't cry please, I understand your pain but this is God's will and we can't do anything" Shaurya tried to console her.
They had both lost their fathers and both their mothers worked hard to survive. In fact that was one of the reasons why Shaurya started working right out of college so he could become independent and support his family.
At night on phone
"Anokhi hang up the phone and make your phone's ringer volume very low, I will call you back in a minute" Shaurya said in an instructive tone.
"Uhhh okay" replied Anokhi confused. 'What happened to him?? No hello no hi!!!! Maybe someone was nearby and he couldn't talk' thought Anokhi trying to guess the reason behind this sudden order.
As soon as she kept the phone back after turning the ringer low, Shaurya called back.
Anokhi quickly picked the phone and asked curiously "Hi! Is everything okay?? What happened?? Why did you ask me to hang up??"
Shaurya replied calmly "Because I realized that you have been calling me every night and..."
"So??" asked Anokhi, cutting him off in between.
"So when the phone bill comes you could get in trouble," explained Shaurya. "We have to be very careful about all these things. Our future depends on how we handle things right now. Now is not the right time to reveal our love to anyone." Then Shaurya sadly added "I don't want you getting in any trouble while I am thousands of miles away."
Hearing his well matured and wise thinking, it somewhat bothered Anokhi. She didn't want to come back to reality so soon. Her ears echoed constantly with one sentence again and again... While I am away'... Reality of life was scratching her peaceful, dreamy mind and heart constantly and the only thing she could think about was 'How will I stay without you???'
"But how will I stay without you???" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Then she asked "Do you really have to go?? I mean I know you have to go but...it's...it's just that... I... I will miss you a lot" Anokhi sadly voiced her feelings.
"I will miss you too, more than you can imagine. But now it's even more important for me to go. Earlier I was worried thinking if I would ever see you again or not...but now I think it's good that I'm going because..."
Anokhi interrupted before Shaurya could continue "What do you mean that it's good??" questioned Anokhi. Then sadly she asked, "You want to go away from me??"
"Nooo I don't, but right now we can't tell your family about us...you are too young to get married right now." Then in a low tone he added "If we say anything now it might get taken in a wrong way. Plus right now I'm not even employed. But once I'm settled and have a good job, that too in the US, it will be a big point in our favour when we do talk to your family. This gap will help us... people will forget the fact that I'm your teacher, I'm hoping that after some time it won't matter, the only thing that worries me is our age difference...but one thing is sure that to be together we will not hurt anyone's feelings."
"Yes, I want both our families to agree happily for our marriage" Anokhi added.
"My family won't have any problem...they will be happy with the fact that finally I agreed to get married" he replied amused. Then with worry he added "I don't know how we will make your family agree...but don't worry we'll think of something, for now we need to keep our feelings between us" concluded Shaurya.
"Hmmm" whispered Anokhi.
"Hey!!! Don't worry too much, everything will be fine, it will all work out. I'm sure God will help us, he has gotten us this far, he will surely help us in future too. Have faith!!" Shaurya tried to comfort her, even though he himself was feeling the same. "And till I'm here we will talk everyday, also meet in school and tuition and spend as much time as we can with each other."
"Hmmm!! Do you know when you have to go?? I mean, has any date been fixed yet??" Anokhi asked in a low tone.
"No date has been fixed yet but they are looking for tickets for sometime at the end of next month," revealed Shaurya.
"We only have a month???" asked Anokhi as tears fell from her eyes.
Silence prevailed, they both fell quiet. Both were sad, a couple minutes later Shaurya heard Anokhi's soft sobs and it broke his heart, he too had unshed tears in his eyes. 'I have to make her strong because if she keeps crying like this how will I be able to go??' he thought.
"Anokhi!" he called softly.
"Hmmm" replied Anokhi as she couldn't say anything else through her sobs.
"Jaan, please don't cry. I will come back soon and take you with me. But till then you have to be strong. How will I go if you cry like this??" He said in serious tone.
Anokhi stayed quiet but started wiping her tears.
When Anokhi didn't respond, He lovingly said to cheer her up "Jaan, I'm not there so please wipe your tears for me. I would have done it myself if I was there" his concern touched her heart.
Anokhi smiled hearing him and wiping the remaining tears she said "I'm fine, I'm not crying, I mean not anymore."
'I shouldn't cry in front of him...he gets sad too, from now on I'll just stay happy in front of him' decided Anokhi.
"Good!" said Shaurya happily. "Drink some water, do you have water with you??" Shaurya asked concernedly.
"Yes I have, don't worry I'm fine" said Anokhi smilingly hearing his concern.
"Okay now it's getting late so you go and turn the lights off first, then we'll talk."
"Okay wait, I'll just come" said Anokhi and kept the phone on hold and went to turn off the lights while Shaurya waited.
"I'm back, lights are off" declared Anokhi.
"Hmmm now come inside my blanket" he whispered sweetly.
"Okay, I'm here, happy now??" Giggled Anokhi.
"Yes, very happy. So what were you studying today??" He casually asked her.
"I was doing an accounts test paper, have to finish it before tuition on Monday." told Anokhi.
"Okay!! By the way it's been a week today since we are together" He spoke excitedly.
"Hmmm I know" replied Anokhi just as excitedly.
"And tomorrow is New Year's Eve, what's your plan for tomorrow??" Shaurya asked curiously.
"I want to start my New Year with you, I want to wish you Happy New Year before anyone else and then I'll go inside and wish everyone. Usually every year we all watch programs on TV, wish each other and then sleep but tomorrow I'll just study like everyday before I call you, and after wishing you I'll go inside and wish everyone."
"Seems like you have given it a lot of thought and planned everything in advance" teased Shaurya.
"Of course, this is our first new year together." replied Anokhi.
"Yes it is and I want a gift from you..."
"Gift?? What can I possibly give you on the phone??" Anokhi asked confusingly.
Hint of a smile smeared on his face. "I have something in mind that you can give on the phone too, but first you promise me that you won't say no." He said mysteriously.
"Aap aisa kya maangne wale ho??" (What exactly do you have in mind??) Anokhi asked skeptically.
"Don't worry, I'm not asking for something that you can't give!!" Shaurya replied impassively.
Her eyes sparkled in unknown excitement and at the same time she felt nervous. She worriedly thought hope he doesn't ask for a kiss or something like that, anything else I'll do.'
"So you promise??" Shaurya asked again.
"Uhhh do I have a choice??" Anokhi meekly replied.
"It's not a big deal, I just want you to wish me New Year calling me Shaurya, that's all" said Shaurya making it sound like it's the easiest thing to do.
"Ohhh that's it... I thought you'd ask for...uhh never mind" Anokhi said heaving a sigh of relief. She felt relieved thinking he didn't ask for a kiss or something, But then suddenly she started panicking again when she realized what he was asking. "On second thought it is a difficult thing to do."
"No it's not, all you need to say is Happy New Year SHAURYA, what's difficult in that??? It's just four simple words" Shaurya asked, perplexed.
"Okay okay I will try..." replied Anokhi.
'Well at least he didn't ask for a kiss like I feared, so that's some consolation and he is right it's not that big a deal. Maybe I'll say something else too which he does want to hear but isn't expecting...he'll get even more happier.' Anokhi patted herself on the back for her plan and smiled mischievously.
"By the way what did you think I was gonna ask??" Shaurya naughtily asked, having a clear idea of what she could've thought.
"Uhhh nothing... I didn't think of anything" Anokhi very innocently replied. To change the topic, Anokhi quickly said " You called me JAAN earlier!!"
Shaurya smiled and replied "Yes I did and I see that you noticed??"
"Of course I noticed, how can I not..."
"Hmmm I called you Jaan because that's what you are, MY JAAN" he said lovingly.
"Really!!" Anokhi asked dreamily.
"Yes Jaan, really!!" Shaurya said lovingly.
"So New year's plan is fixed...have you made any other plans??" Shaurya teased.
"Yeah, I have lots of plans, that's what I do all day...make plans..." laughed Anokhi.
Shaurya also softly chuckled hearing her reply.
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This past week has brought them much closer, talking to each other every night helped them open up with each other, especially Anokhi. She is still very shy but at least on the phone she had become quite comfortable with him.
31st December
Last day of the year. Both Anokhi and Shaurya were happy with how this year their relationship took a beautiful and unexpected turn, even though initially they went through some ups and downs but by the end of the year they revealed their feelings to each other and now both were excited to begin their new journey with each other and enter the new year together.
Anokhi practiced and prepared all day to call him by his name. She was feeling nervous, anxious, happy, excited...all at the same time.
'I am already having a hard time thinking how I will give him the gift he asked for and on top it I got another brilliant idea to torture myself with the surprise gift that I thought of to give him. God only knows how I will do this!! I hope I can pull this off tonight.' Anokhi thought worriedly.
After dinner Anokhi went to her room to study. She looked at the phone and smiled remembering how she managed to move the phone to her room.
"Mumma it's only me at home all day and I'm usually sitting in the balcony studying under the sun so whenever the phone rings I have to run all the way inside to pick it up, why not just leave the phone in my room!!" She had told her mother.
'Thank god Mumma agreed without giving it much thought. Lucky me!! I just hope that she doesn't change her mind and take the phone back inside, at least until the end of the month before he leaves.' Suddenly she felt sad remembering that he will be leaving soon...'Who knows when we will meet again?? When will we tell everyone about us?? How will everyone react?? Will Mumma agree?? No no don't think like that, of course she'll agree, we have to make her agree, the only question is how long will she take to agree?? God please make her agree in as little time as possible.' She prayed silently.
She looked at the watch and it was almost time for her to call him. Her heart beats started beating faster as she braced herself for the gift he asked for and also the surprise gift she'd planned for him. With each passing second her nervousness was increasing but at the same time she was very excited about executing her plan. Finally she decided to call him as she knew he must be eagerly waiting for her call.
She gave him a missed call on his mobile as usual and then waited for his call. And as expected he called her right back.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone on the second bell. "Hello" she cooed softly.
"Hi Jaan!!" he replied lovingly.
She replied hesitantly "Hi!!" Everytime he calls her Jaan, her heart skips a few beats and her mind freezes for a few seconds.
"So, ready to start the new year with me?? Not much time left..." He asked in an excited tone.
"Yes, absolutely. " She replied trying to sound confident but she was very nervous.
Shaurya reminded her "Will I get the gift I want??"
"Maybe" Anokhi teased.
"Maybe?? Nooo, I want my gift." Shaurya replied petulantly.
Anokhi laughed hearing his tone. "Okay okay you will get your gift. But before that I wanted to tell you that after wishing you I will go inside and wish everyone and then come back in maybe 15-20 mins or so and call you back, okay??" She explained her plan sweetly.
"Okay sure, no problem!" Shaurya casually replied.
'Hopefully I'll give you your surprise gift as well.' thought Anokhi.
"Hellooo where are you lost?? What happened?? Is everything okay??" Shaurya worriedly asked.
"Yes yes everything is fine...you worry too much. I was just getting ready to wish you. Only 2 mins left now..." Anokhi said excitedly.
"Hmmm I am very eagerly waiting for my gift."
"I know..." laughed Anokhi. 'Hopefully you will like your surprise gift too.' She thought to herself.
"Okay 15 secs left...Let's start the countdown...
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
"HAPPY NEW YEAR" whispered Anokhi excitedly.
"Happy New Year Jaan muahhh. Par mera gift kahan gaya??" (But, where is my gift??) Shaurya asked disappointingly.
"Mil jayega mil jayega, thoda intezaar karo... Intezaar ka phal meetha hota hai" (You will get it soon, have patience...) She chuckled softly after hearing his disappointed tone.
"Okay now I'm gonna go inside and wish everyone and then I'll call you back..." said Anokhi.
"Arre par mera gift?" (Ohh but what about my gift?) asked Shaurya impatiently.
"Ya ya I meant after giving you your gift I'll go inside." Anokhi chuckled at his impatience. "By the way I have a surprise gift for you as well."
"A surprise gift...wow what is it??"
"You'll know soon. Okay, here comes your gift and surprise gift as well." She paused, took a deep breath and quickly said "I LOVE YOU Shaurya" and closed her eyes and continued "Uhhh I will call you later. Bye!" and swiftly hung up without even waiting for his reply.
As soon as Shaurya heard her say I Love You he just froze, he was too surprised, happy, ecstatic, on cloud nine. He never expected her surprise gift to be I Love You. He always thought she would take a very long time to openly accept her feelings and confess like this but he was in no hurry, "We have our whole life together" he had thought to himself. "She can say it whenever she wants and feels comfortable to say it. It's not like I don't already know... I know she loves me a lot. So I'll give her all the time she needs."
No doubt he was eager to hear those three words from her but at the same time he didn't wanna push her, hence he decided to wait for her to say it on her own, whenever she wanted. But this surprise of hers just blew him away.
'And now I have to wait till she calls me back... I know she felt shy, that's why she hung up right after saying that but I don't want to wait. I want to hear those three words again and again. Until now I was patiently waiting to hear these magical words from her, even though I already knew how she feels about me but after hearing her finally say it, that too without any coaxing, I feel like hearing it over and over again' thought Shaurya as he tucked his palm under his chin and waited eagerly for her call.
Anokhi on the other hand was still sitting in her room trying to calm her excited nerves and was repeating to herself trying to make herself believe "I said it...I said it... I really did...Oh my God finally I said it..."
'He must be very happy' she thought as she imagined him smiling in happiness.
"Okay now go inside before anyone comes and finds you smiling crazily all by yourself." After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself she got out of her room and headed inside.
As she entered the room she wished everyone excitedly "Happy New Year" and then hugged her mother, sister, brother.
"You are still awake... I thought you fell asleep, that's why you didn't come to see the countdown for the new year" said Babli as she hugged Anokhi.
"Yeah I know I missed it, I lost track of time, just now I saw the time and came inside" said Anokhi.
"It's okay you didn't miss much, anyway they do the same thing every year...nothing new" consoled Babli.
"Hmmm that's true. Anyway I'm tired now, I'll go and sleep. Good night everyone" and saying that Anokhi left to go back to her room.
After reaching her room she locked the door from inside, turned the lights off and once inside her blanket she pulled the phone inside to call Shaurya.
Remembering how she said I Love You and hung up immediately, without even waiting for his reaction...Anokhi started blushing and smiling. 'He must be waiting for my call, it's been more than 15 minutes... I should call him now' thought Anokhi.
Then picking up the phone she dialed his number.
Shaurya was getting restless with each passing second, the wait was killing him, he was too eager to talk to Anokhi and more than talk he wanted to hear those magical words from Anokhi again. "Where are you Anokhi??" he mumbled as he looked at the time on his mobile. "It's been way more than 10-15 minutes, come fast Anokhi." Just as he finished his sentence he heard his phone ring. "Anokhi's missed call, she's back" he grinned widely and picking up his phone he quickly dialed Anokhi's number.
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Hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter. Don't forget to share your thoughts 😊
Looking forward to hearing from you 😀
Love Preet ♥️
Chapter 29 👇
Cricket
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
O Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera
Anupamaa
