The girl next door - Ch 103 - pg 108; note pg 109 - Page 31

Chapter 54

To my immortal beloved - 11

It's already my 11th letter to you and I still don't know how to start. I say so many things to you in my mind, but it blanks out on me when I start to write to you. Every moment spent with you gives me pleasure and pain all the same. Every moment spent away from you gives me pain and pleasure all the same. I'm afraid my heart will soon stop recognizing pleasure from pain...and thus I will eventually become as unfeeling as those that reside in the mortuary. Even yet, I cannot stop loving you. I yearn for you day and night. I love you so much, it hurts...

She was reading it for the third time when Naina cleared her throat to indicate she was approaching...and yet she didn't keep it down.

"That's..." she started, setting the tray with their two cups of tea down on the table.

"... beautiful." Keerti completed for her. She saw the look on Naina's face and realized it must be personal. "I'm sorry...is this personal? It was lying here and I thought...I'm sorry."

Naina couldn't help but smile at the simple girl standing in front of her. They had met only a few times before which had only been limited to a 'hi-hello' type of conversation. And so she was initially apprehensive about her staying over. But she couldn't say no to Rohan...she just couldn't. As she noticed her, something made her feel warm in her stomach...something that made her ease up her apprehension...and so she said "It's okay..."

"Did you write this? To someone special?" she wasn't sure how to ask that and not sound intruding at the same time.

Naina gave a short laugh before saying "I wrote this...but not for anyone in particular. It's like...I imagine myself in certain situations...ones I see on TV or in movies... and wonder what I would do or how I would react...and then whatever comes to mind, I just throw it on the paper."

"You're lonely, aren't you?" Keerti asked much to Naina's surprise. For a moment she wanted to throw her out of her house. First she read her personal notes and now she read her with exact precision. She realized the girl was intruding in her private life too quickly and too accurately and she didn't like it at all.

"I do too..." she said in such a tone it made Naina recall what Keerti had just gone through. Rohan had filled her in over the phone while Keerti was getting her stuff together.

"But why? You have so many people around you..." Naina asked a bit curious.

Looking outside the window she said "Sometimes, you alone are sufficient to keep yourself company and sometimes, even in the midst of ten thousand people, you are alone"

She pondered over what Keerti had just said for quite some time but still couldn't understand why she said that. But there was one thing she acknowledged to herself...that she was sure she was going to have a love-hate relation with her. It had only been a half hour since she had come home and she already went through a myriad of emotions...from apprehension to rage to compassion to curiosity. And she realized why Rohan felt this way for her.

Just then, Keerti turned from the window to face her and said "Thank you for letting me in tonight. I don't know how I'm going to repay you for your help.." She saw slight vulnerability in her eyes then and knew those words had come out right from her heart. Naina felt the strongest urge to hug her then...the girl that she had hated so much only a few days ago...the girl she had envied the most...the immortal beloved of her immortal beloved.

Will read and comment ASAP :)

Edited

I foresee a beautiful relationship between these two. They are so alike in certain ways but from far away you wouldn't think so.

hey I'm back, I loved the interaction between these two, can't wait to see where things go from here

aww naina and kitz scenes were so good...

Chapter 55

Beep: Are you alright? Settled? Just call me if you need anything.

Beep: Yes, thanks Rohan...thanks so much for everything.

Beep: No worries. Just relax and try to get some rest. And don't worry about finding an excuse for Simi. I've told her Naina is not feeling well and needed some support.

Beep: Okay. I will. Thanks again.

Beep: Good night. Rest well.

Beep: Good night Rohan.

She kept reading and re-reading their exchange for God knows how long. His care and concern showed in every word of his. He had never been a man of less words...but at times like these, his every word dripped deep emotion. She remembered the fresher's party night and how he had stayed up all night holding her hand trying to comfort her.

She fell into a light sleep that night for various reasons...she kept waking every hour or so and then couldn't fall asleep for the next half hour. She slept deeply only after the wee hours of the morning, after talking to her parents on the phone. She often did that when she couldn't sleep well, so it wasn't a surprise for them to get a call from her at that hour. She made sure to sound calm and placid, not giving away the anxiety that had been stirring her up, preventing her from falling asleep. Talking to them helped because she was more relaxed then...which helped her fall asleep soon after.

When she woke up the next morning, it was due to his scent. He was leaning close to her and moving the strands of hair that had fallen on her face. While moving them behind her ear, his fingers lingered a little longer caressing the skin on her cheeks. She had been awake by then but only pretended to sleep. She didn't want to disturb the closeness he allowed between them when he thought she was not fully conscious. But something about that touch brought back the memories of New Years Eve where he had felt her skin the same way...and then she remembered what had followed. When she thought she couldn't take it any longer from the fear of giving away that she wasn't sleeping after all, she opened her eyes slowly and as she had expected, he immediately pulled back from her and stood up.

"Good morning. How are you doing?" he asked her softly not wanting to startle her from being in front of her early morning. She was getting a little emotional with what all he was doing for her. His care and concern was overwhelming her...she began to think she didn't do as much as he did for her...that she was somehow getting burdened under his obligations.

She got up from the couch where she was sleeping and without saying a word, threw her arms around him. Just then Naina walked in and saw them like this. As she closed her eyes and stood there trying to bring herself to walk away from there, Rohan noticed her and saw her walk away quickly without giving them another look. He had not yet come out of the surprise from Keerti's hug and now he had to deal with the guilt of unknowingly causing pain to Naina again. That was the first time Rohan realized and acknowledged the hurt Naina had been going through despite being cheerful around him. He instantly knew that all this while, she was only putting up the facade of being "normal".

On one hand Keerti needed some emotional support from what she had gone through the previous day and on the other, he wanted to be with Naina to comfort her aching heart...Torn between need and want, he closed his eyes as he felt the tug of war between two rights that were pulling him on either side ...

😍 oh Roshan oh Roshan where are you? (Trying to find one for myself ;)