Weaver's Den =) *updt 12/15* Pg 9

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Pebblez

@Pebblez

Voyager

+ 5

Posted: 15 years ago

#31

Madam jee, main idhar reserve ker rahi hun, instead of there :D

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@spln

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 15 years ago

#32

Apologies everyone, this is coming in 2 times 24 hours the later being how long i was supposed to have taken - but my hard disk suddenly decided to come up with a head of its own and started threatening me with smart failures and all - i freaked out pretty bad, cause there is so much of lab stuff on this ONE hard disk, that i couldn't even think of letting it crash and die out on me ... spent a good 10 hours from yesterday to today backing up my data and its all done now!

To cut my rant short, just like i had anticipated, the short story doesn't finish here, in 2 chapters ... but it will in the next one for certain!

Which, shall also come in the next 24 hours =)

Aite, enough from me - enjoy reading! AND, don't forget to leave the feedbacks - because i really missed them for chapter 1 :|

[ps: Thanks for your input Ayehsa! since you're the only one who commented so far, i'll dedicate this next chapter to you 😳]

Ecoutez Moi, Love!

~2~

The snow flakes were falling big and heavy but they never made a sound. Softly, each flake touched upon the brown and gray contours of the ground. To disappear into anonymous few drops of water. He grudgingly marveled the ease with which they lost their identities. If only it was possible for him ...

The over cast skies were so low upon the city, so ready to open up and let go of what they had held back upon too long - Abhimanyu wondered if nature was conspiring to become a reflection of his present state of mind. He quickened his pace keeping his head low and burrowed into the raised collars of his over coat, while his feet, which had once upon a time been accustomed to these icy sidewalks and unpaved inner trails alike had not forgotten the trained caution in their steps, without his active attention now.

It was only late in fall for the first snow to already have been falling all day today. Certainly, the winter was come far too early this year.

He thought back of the time he had been a student in this same campus - late nights out and repeated snoozing of the morning alarms, the grudging awakening when the sun finally became too bright to avoid even with eyes tightly shut, the sight of the white blanket from the dorm passage windows which would make one stop in their step and smile the silly smile however groggy with sleep one may be, the mid day snow fights on the Central Diag in between classes, the range of snowmen with all kinds of props imaginable usually built by girls and occasionally by the guys who were talked into the kiddie play by their pouting sulking girlfriends ... it was four years ago that he had last witnessed the falling of this first snow on the campus he had graduated from. And four years ago, that life had been only ever as complicated as it could be on a night before an exam one was most likely to fail, or the morning after a drunkard frat event which gave horrible headaches and occasional memories to be embarrassed and teased about ...

For all the emotional welling Abhimnayu had fought to keep at bay, a strong sense of nostalgia filled him. He missed being a boy now that manhood had been completely attained. And momentarily his eyes stung threateningly. In an undertone he cursed the frigid air and blinked rapidly before regaining his overt composure again.

So many times, over the last few months, he had heard her talk of professors and lecture halls, take home tests and anatomy lessons, campus cafes and bar crawl Fridays, and so much of everything that had been as much a part of his own life as it was her own now. Except, she didn't know one real thing about his side of the story. His, for her convenience, was the make believe world of Armaan Malik, a Med student like herself, enrolled at an esteem midwestern Med school. When fact was that the hospital unit of the same college was where he had been a fellow for over a year, before being hired on their staff as a surgeon. He was over six years her senior, as opposed to the one year she had been led to believe.

So caught up in his thoughts between the past and present he was, that when he finally stood at her doorstep, he realized he hadn't been quite aware of the roads and streets crossed while making way from the hotel to her apartment. For a moment he just watched the snow flakes fall and melt upon the little shrubbery beside the pathway to her door. Finally, grim, but resolved, he pulled his cell and speed dialed her number.

*********
Nikki stood mulling over thoughts, while occasionally stirring the contents of the pan, absent mindedly, her gaze stuck mid air, unblinking. She'd been trying to gather the pieces of facts she knew, and put them together to make sense. A rather futile attempt, considering she didn't have all the pieces yet. It didn't stop her from endlessly contemplating. Awaiting an explanation was hard, and here she couldn't even figure what the explanation was to be for?

Somewhere in the background, she had the kitchen radio playing, to an empty kitchen, barring her, its inattentive audience ...

It had been Christmas time last year, when they met the first time. A bunch of high profile Christians who happened to be major donors to his college hospital funds had succeeded in getting the administration to organize a festive season Cancer Awareness week, which in addition to the few talk sessions that were typical of any cause oriented event, had included much else, remaining considerate about time of the year and the consequent mood of the participants. A smart decision for their fund raisers - the Christmas day fete, couple days of rally around the four campus quads, and ... the eventful winter ball on New Year's eve ... had raised quite an amount for their cause.

Why she had chosen to be there instead of spending time with her own family in the south, while additionally escaping the bitter winter, was not one reason to explain - although the prominent one could have been her unwillingness to spend another break shuttling between the homes of her real mother and step father, and real father and his current girlfriend. The only reason she ever went back to visit her scattered family was to spend time with her twin step siblings, both boys and 7 years each, whom she was absolutely fond of. But somehow, last winter, even that had not persuaded her into not spending another holiday without experiencing the spirit of celebration in the air, unaffectedly. She knew being alone was something she had not tried before, but when she'd seen posters of the Cancer awareness week outside the office of her Department Chair, she had proceeded to take her chance and volunteer. She had never been to that side of midwest before anyways, and if nothing, she could spend time exploring a new city - what better time could there be than Christmas.

Looking back at all the things that had led to her participation in the week long events, she had always found herself pinning it down as a fateful decision to have made, one that had eventuated her meeting Armaan Malik.

A shrill ringing from her cellular, tore her out of the reveries of the past, and she most certainly missed a beating of her heart before registering it as such.

"AM," she muttered, leaving aside the laddle, the pan, and its contents, not before she had lowered the flame of the stove, and rushed to get it from the TV couch across from the kitchen in her studio apartment.

"Hey!" she said, somewhat rushed. "You called ... " her eyes checked the wall clock and she completed, "In 19 minutes!"

"I did say I wont hold you up didn't I?"

"You did." He could hear her smiling through those words, and it did good to his nerves, which weren't relaxing no matter how much he tried. "But there are times you don't keep your word, so I can't be certain." The tone of her blame was only of harmless teasing, but given his own prevalent thoughts, he couldn't help feeling guilty.

"Are you done cooking?" He could do with a good filling meal, and he could do with a temporary change of topic.

"Its getting done, but I can keep talking. Or you can, and I will listen." It was a mild hint from her, a hint of unassuming assurance, cause whether he had said it out loud or not, she had sensed his need to talk. As in, him talking, her listening. Would he ever find a way to be worthy of this girl? Clearing his throat, he rung the doorbell, heard it in person, and heard it resounding in his phone.

Then promptly, he quipped, "Someone's at your door ..."

"There is ... wow, you heard the bell?"

Double heard, he wanted to correct her but didn't, even if she was this close from discovering his physical presence so close to herself. And for that one moment, he couldn't help a small smile from warming his otherwise cold lips - for the instant, before the gravity of the evening would set in and begin to play spoilsport, she was bound to award his person at her doorstep with the most priceless reaction he could imagine. Because even the brief happy anticipation of meeting her did little to ward away the chill that was settling upon his now stationary form, he shuffled his feet, and nestling the headset between his ear and the right shoulder, gave his hands a rub.

"Go on and get the door!" he urged her, then realized it was a little too much urging to sound impersonal, and added hastily, "I mean ... it must be freezing outside with the snow and all ..."

"Snow? How did you know it was ... snowing here?" Her suspicion was not misfound, and he wished she would be a little slow to catch on things once in a while.

"I ... er... from the weather forecast."

"You had time to check the weather in New York, but not call me once?" This time, there was an edge of complaint in her words, in addition to the suspicion. He rolled his eyes, and rubbed his hands with greater vigor than before.

"Nikki, sweetheart, can we talk about all my insensitivity after you attend to your doorbell? Cause however callous I may be, with your own considerate attributes you cannot allow a guest to freeze and die upon your doorstep."

"Hmm... yeh ..." she murmured making way towards her main entrance, and he could hear the shuffling inside of the door on his phone, given the stillness outside. Then abruptly, he thought there was no movement.

"AM ..." she started tentatively, "Who would it be at this hour on a Friday night? I mean ... I'm certain I'm expecting no one." It took effort for him to keep the curse on the tip of his tongue unspoken. Aloud, that is.

"You're never going to find out if you don't go open the door." He said, not sounding too warm, cause well, how could he, when warmth felt like such a far cry with all the delay.

"I know ... but ... " she paused, and Abhimanyu was seriously tempted to tell her it was him, and if she could please, PLEASE let him inside! "You know what, I'm going to run up and grab my pepper spray first ..."

"WHAT?!"

"Hush! Stop yelling!"

"Why?!" he said unable to cut the sarcasm, cause this was getting tiresome now, "You think the stalker on your door may have supersonic auditory skills to detect my pitch from inside of your phone?"

"Hush! No! Its cause I thought I heard someone's voice outside just this second ..." she paused, then grasping his mean remark a tad bit late, retorted back, "And you will do yourself good by not being mean to me after ignoring me two whole days!"

Awesome, he thought resignedly, just awesome! Why were girls oh-so-impossible to deal with!

"Fine," he said in a whisper, not just to obey her bidding, but because it was him she had heard outside of course. Although, come to think of it, why was he hiding the existence of a human on her door ...? "Exactly!" he exclaimed, "Of course you can hear someone, cause hello? ... you just heard your door bell ring, and that can only happen if someone is at your door to ring it, right?"

"That's very enlightening Armaan Malik. What would I do if it weren't for you?!"

It wasn't her jab that reminded him of his primary purpose, but the name she had called him. At least she would stop calling him that after tonight, he mused, although there was a bright possibility that she would stop calling him anything at all after everything ...

"Well are you going to open the door or not?" He asked her simply.

"Actually, now that you put it that way, maybe I wont. Whoever it is can just tire of waiting and go back." Oh no, he thought desperately!

"But ... what if its someone you know. I mean, it could just be a harmless unexpected guest ... you know?"

She didn't answer him right away, and he prayed something would make her open the door and let him in ... or he was so going to tell her it was him - why wasn't he already doing that again? ... No bright reason ... except, the surprise was better this way, and he still cared about catching that reactionary expression on her face ...

"If it is someone I know, they can call me and say they are at my door and ringing the bell ... yes. Someone I know would do that ... I'm sure."

Abhi inhaled with effort, to calm himself, and also because breathing was becoming laborious with the extreme cold descending upon him. It would have done him good to be more prepared for this weather - say a hat, gloves and an extra thermal inside ... but his plan had been so sudden, he only had the one over coat upon him which he'd worn yesterday morning while leaving his home for the hospital. That time in a well heated car, to be inside a well heated hospital - it wasn't meant to shield him from the weather he was subjected to now!

"Hello?! AM? You listening to me? What do you think?"

"Uh ... yeh ... yeh I am ... Nikki ... I ... I still think you should open the door and see who it is." Nikita frowned to herself, pulled her phone off the ear and gave it a weird look wondering why he wouldn't let go of the issue ... did he not see her point, or was he so unconcerned with her safety? "What if ... what if its ... you know ... " he fumbled on, urgently seeking himself to come up with something convincing, "What if its your neighbors? Yes! The new ones, who's potluck you're missing?" He was relieved, and even pleased with himself to have come up with this ... Meanwhile, having seated himself on the freezing step outside her door, the cell cradled between left ear and left shoulder now, he continued to rub his hands and shoulders to instill surviving warmth.

"You think so ...?" she begun thoughtfully, then went on, "AM, how did you guess that, you could be bang on!" He wanted to tell her there was no intelligence involved in the guess, only dire need ... but yet again, he remained quiet as she continued, "You know I excused myself on the pretext of having caught a chill and ... maybe ... oh I know what!" she exclaimed as if with sudden realization, and he only wished with all his might that she would cut short her talking and let him into the house now. In a much lower voice than the already subdued volume, she went on in the way of explaining, "Why that witch! I bet she's here to check on me, to make sure I wasn't just lying and backing out ... Her gall to be so presumptuous!"

Transiently, Abhimanyu couldn't help chuckle, and be amused. Poor dear missy new neighbor, who was getting cursed behind her back for no real fault of her own! Oh Nikita Malhotra, he thought feeling inevitably fond of her naive ways, you're such a child!

"Well good for her to be freezing outside, that snoop! I'm not opening the door and she can go back without getting the satisfaction of having caught my lie!"

A part of him wanted to laugh out loud, but another part of him felt such immense self pity at her final verdict, that laughing was out of question. Plus he was so cold, he doubted his facial muscles and jaw would be obliging enough to even smile now. At the very thought, his teeth began to chatter.

"AM?!" she said promptly, in obvious concern, and he pursed his lips to stop himself, as shivers went through his entire body in recoiling. "Are you ... were those your teeth ... I mean ... where are you?" It was his chance. He just had to tell her he was at her door step and the worst would be past. He had almost given into the temptation too, but his words seemed to have a mind of their own.

"I ... I'm in my bed ... I mean ... erm ... I just got out of the comforter and ... brrrr ... its ... its cold!" There was no act involved in the latter bit. It came naturally, from how true it was at the moment.

"Well then get on a robe or something duh!"

Soundlessly, Abhimanyu pounded his head thrice with a soft fist. Was there anyway he could convince her to open the door? Anyway that is, without telling he was waiting for her to? Yet again, he shivered, not quite inaudibly.

"Armaam Malik get your robe on before ..."

"I am ..." he cut her short, flinching at the name. Why couldn't she stick to AM? "I am ... looking for one ... I er ... haven't sorted out my clean laundry from yesterday yet." He lied, so easily, that the guilt of his bigger lie returned to turn him grave.

"Someone's organized ..." she muttered. "Anyways ... so ... erm ... you said you felt like a chat?" Another subtle reminder that she was waiting.

He couldn't get himself to be appreciative of her understanding this time, cause here he was at her doorstep, freezing to death, because she had to wreck vengeance upon a mean missy new neighbor!

"Nikki ... I think you should ... "

"Please! Please, do not say you're still hung up on the doorbell." Of course I am, he thought, shaking his head. "She must have already gone AM, cause I don't hear a sound no more and ..."

*DING DING*

"She hasn't I suppose," he quipped hopefully, having taken her cue and rung the bell again.

"Why that little piece of varmint, she can't be serious about ... "

"Time out Nikita Malhotra!" Abhimanyu cut her short. "You know, I'm sorry I suggested it might be her, cause .." he almost got himself to tell her the truth, almost. "Cause, just in case its someone else, you've already had them half frozen to ice age folks and ... and that's not good."

"Hmm." she said after some seconds, and he dared to raise his hopes. "Okay ... maybe I'll go get my ..."

"No! No pepper spray please!" he literally pleaded catching her thought, "You don't want to blind them after killing them most nearly! Is it what against the statutes of the American Constitution to pay you a visit on a Friday night?! Geez! What's the big deal?!"

"Okay okay, peace!" she muttered, taken aback by his sudden reprimand. What was wrong with him! She was being more than nice to him and he ... Argh! On his side, Abhimanyu raised an exhausted head to the skies not so far above tonight - and saw more and more and more snow coming. The fact that he'd lasted so far made him stubborn about giving in now. Then again, how long could he keep on like this? He'd better just tell her and get himself inside.

"Listen Nikki ..." he begun, but this time she cut him short.

"Fine! I'm getting the door, happy?! But please keep civility lectures to yourself, really! After two days of not calling me up when I was so dead worried and ... " He tuned out to her remaining words, concentrating on the sound of movement inside once more, through the phone, and he couldn't help his long sigh! Oh thank heavens at last! Yes yes yes! He'd survived, and he would still manage to give her the wildest surprise of her life, woot! Before the second most wildest, and not quite the appealing way as the former...

"Armaan ...?" she said tentatively, and very, very softly ... so much, that the emotion of her voice, which was definite of worry and fear, distracted him from the agitation of being called the wrong name. "There's ... no ... no one at the door ..." she whispered, and it was now distinct, the fear in her voice.

"What?!" he shot back bewildered, his voice cracking, slightly from the cold, keeping its volume in check. "What do you mean? I mean ... how can ... how can that be? The bell just ... just rang!" Inside his head he was majorly confused. With a start he wondered if she'd moved houses and somehow not mentioned it to him? He'd been here last like over 3 months ago ...

"I know!" she whispered back ... "AM ... I'm ... I'm really scared now ... do you ... do you think ..."

"Hush Nikki!" He said in an assuring voice, cause she was sounding truly worried. Then cautiously, he asked, "How do you ... how do you know there is no one?" The door was still shut. How could she ...

"Well I'm looking through the door eye and I can't see a soul!" she explained. Huh? Oh! It struck him finally! He was sitting low on the step, too low for her to see from the door eye! Ha ha! This time, he really wanted to laugh out loud! Relieved, that he was at the right place, which really he should not have doubted now that he thought of it - cause how eerie would the coincidence of the doorbells be at her different house, same time as his own at this apartment! Ha ha, duh him!

"Er ... Maybe ... maybe its a parcel for you? Nikki, listen to me - just open the door." He said it with a collected assurance, "Trust me ..."

"Okay ..." she replied in a small voice, of a little girl, and he had the instant desire to hug her tight and cuddle her ... just as the door knob made the clicking sound, and the door opened upon him ...

She stared at him, her eyes widening slowly, but surely, as the sight of him took its own time to register.

"Armaan ..."

She finally whispered, sounding highly uncertain of her eyes, and her own voice ... Abhimanyu, this once at being called that name, could only smile. Genuinely. Because the sight of her in the sponge bob tee and pj's had gladdened her heart in a way that not even the name could undo .. for now ... In that one instant he believed he'd made the best decision of his life to fly down tonight ... to come to her ... so he could tell her all and never fear losing her again ...

Yes, he believed it would all work out. Somehow he did.

"Its Abhimanyu ..." he told her softly, getting up from the cold stone step, even as the weather had briefly ceased to affect him. "Abhimanyu Modi." He told her, simply, seriously, and earnestly.

And closed in on the distance between them. His smile widened at her doe like baffled eyes, which sought him, without blinking, and he had reason to believe she hadn't heard him yet. She was still getting over him standing there, before her. As if to prove his point, gently, he pulled her into a hug, and then, because she was so warm, and because the warmth was so welcome to his freezing self, and because it was her ... he couldn't help tightening the hug into much more than a greeting gesture.

"I missed you ... " he whispered into her hair, and the disbelief in her sort of left in that second, cause he found her fit into his arms and relax - like she had always been meant to ...

************

LINK to Chapter 3 & Epilogue

Edited by spln - 15 years ago

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desire_20

@desire_20

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 15 years ago

#33

awww so cute, abhi is adorable, the poor guy was was freezing in the cold only to give her a surprise, thats really sweet, i could totally see him shivering and getting frustrated, if i was him i would've banged on her door and yelled at her to let me in instead of make me wait in the cold while she thinks of all the reasons of why she shouldnt open the door...n the pepper spray? haha that made me laugh, poor abhi couldnt have had a smarter girlfriend....really nice part, i had to stop reading for various reasons, but i finally read it all n it was super cute...plus thanks for the dedication😃

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Sookie

@-Sookie-

Voyager

+ 4

Posted: 15 years ago

#34

I really hope you update soon NJ. I am liking this story till now. Though I felt that Nikki should have opened the door few moments soon, it was good read though. (I am little impatient when I read and I tend to lose it when people become super cautious or rule adhering at the wrong time 😆) I know that it was important for the build up, but I just wanted her to open the door!

In first chpater, I was a little confused about AM thing. But thankfully you spelled it out to naive little fools like me subtly and not on my face by being blantatly obvious. I kinda like that about your writing where all the underlying subtle notions are driven to the surface after you have surpassed them miles ago. And then I go - "Ahh...so that's what it was..." (with a tiny light bulb alit on top of my head)

I have always liked the little nuances you keep adding to your stories; be it the background music in kitchen or explaining mood of a character by using something as mundane as weaher.

Glad you are writing this story (a.k.a mini novel 😆) since I was in desparate need of reading something (the criteria you are aware of and sadly only "Unleashing..." falls into that catagory. I am yet to read LNI...) and to my great happiness, this story is slowly meeting all my expections and the author being you is an added bonus 😆 (meaning I can shamelessly harass/spam you to update!)

So update soon. Me waits...

S

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Reine

@Reine

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

#35

*reserved

I'm gonna comment after I get to read a part of AoL! =D

And Congratulations for winning the IF award for Never Gone!! One of my favorites from all the stories I've read on the forum! =)

Edited by ..Sakshi.. - 15 years ago

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Sunaina

@SunainaTM007

Inactive

Posted: 15 years ago

#36

Heya nj !!

wow ! a new short fic... will definitely read it when i get time... and give in my detailed comments !! hopefully this weekend !! :) :)

hoping to be back soooooon :) :) :)

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desire_20

@desire_20

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 15 years ago

#37

u were supposed to update this within 24 hours of the last one....?

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Sana Mustafa Malik

@sana.samir

Sparkler

Posted: 15 years ago

#38

Hey!
OMG!

Perfect imperfection: Love- That was beautifully written! I had decided to read a chapter or two every night, but I couldn't help but to read the whole FF in one night! I <333333 it!

Will start reading - At Dawn from tomorow!
Take care <3
sana
xoxoxox

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Coffee

@coffee_beans

Sparkler

+ 4

Posted: 15 years ago

#39

Hey NJ !

wow ! that was really amazing update ... loved the story ... though i hardly read any AN story ... but jst fell on love with this one... 😃

cnt soon... m waiting to knw the end soon... thanks for ur pm..

Love
Vini

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lookwhoshere

@lookwhoshere

Explorer

Posted: 15 years ago

#40

hey..hello!!! the reader in me has finally woken up i guess...😆 an AN story was a surprise, yes, but u had already revealed quite a chunk of ur liking towards the couple in AoL, so all i had to do was sit back n have an enjoyable read, which is exactly what i did!!

both the chapters were gr8, especially the "cook pink n green in lavender" sumthing bit 😆, n then the scene on the doorstep was a total riot..😆😆 and u knw, even when u have let us know of more than half the plot already, i still sumhow don't feel sorry for abhi! i mean, wen i think of these two ppl, its like no matter wat, nuthing's gonna go wrong! it is either just me, or the fact that abhi nikki did have a 'happy ending' in the dmg track dat makes me think dat way..

oh pshh! watever! i hate talkin of dmg these days..n u can hardly blame me!

all in all.. a story from u that's..errmm..that's..yeah.. A STRRY FROM U!! a compliment in itself,ain't it?

take care! keep writing!

anu.