The girl next door - Ch 103 - pg 108; note pg 109 - Page 33

Originally posted by: Nanthini9

I do not know waht to say...each time I read ur update I want to read more. Im addicted to your writing! Please update soon :)

You know you are being a little too nice to me...but I'm not complaining. Thank you :)

Her smile...it was soft...sweet...subtle...and warm just like the early rays of morning sunshine and without conscious effort, just by looking at her, his smile imitated hers.

hey awesome update...

Chapter 57

It was late in the night when she was walking back home on a deserted lane. There was not a squirrel to be seen let alone any human. She didn't have a good feeling about it...and chiding herself for walking this late all by herself didn't help much. She thought of all possible things that could happen to her. Her heart skipped a beat before it started beating a bit faster as she heard a rustled noise from behind her. She paused for only a brief moment before striding forward. She could feel her heart pound in her chest now and she didn't know whether it was from her pace or the fright that crept in on her. Even though she didn't look back, her ears became vigilant in anticipation of an attack. She was moving forward but her entire focus was on the rustling noise that came from behind her...now even more clearer and nearer. She clenched the shirt on her chest with such force almost to a point of ripping it apart...as if it would make whoever was following her go away.

She walked a couple blocks more with her follower right behind her...she could see his shadow wherever there were street lights and knew he wasn't far behind. She prepared herself mentally for the attack then, hoping she had enough strength to at least scream or kick but when she looked up, there were no buildings along the street. So scared was she that she could feel the thudding of her heart through her ears. What confused her more was why he hadn't attacked her yet...she didn't know if she should be relieved about it or whether she should fear the worst.

She walked couple more blocks before changing her path into an unknown road. It was beyond her why she had chosen to change the course...that too towards an unknown path. This new road was surprisingly well lit...with trees lined on either side of the street. As she walked further into the street, she noticed it was even more illuminated with colorful lights, the sides were adorned by small shrubs that gave support to the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. She was so absorbed in admiring the beauty of the scene that she forgot she had been running from her follower.

And then she suddenly came to a dead end which she didn't know was ahead of her and stood still in her tracks when realization dawned on her...that she was trapped. She felt as if a wall had been placed in front of her forcing her to the end...that there was no way out. With no escape in the front, fear racing through her body, she somehow managed to turn around to face him. Much to her surprise, she saw him standing at a distance from her, contrary to what she had expected. She could barely keep her eyes open because his whole body emitted light. For a moment she stood there startled as she took note of her surroundings...everything around her was radiant and beautiful. The luminance around him was so powerful that light reflected from every surface around them...even her skin. As curiosity took over, she started walking towards him on her own accord. Even though her mind kept telling her not to go further, she could not make her feet stop...it was as if his radiance was pulling her towards him with exceptional power.

Her feet stopped a few steps away from him abruptly...it was like she had been signaled to do so...as if the pulling force was suddenly cut off from her. The closer she got to him, the more curious she got and the more she wanted to go to him. So captivated she was by his radiance that she started walking towards him again...this time not feeling any other compelling force other than her own curiosity. When she came face to face with him, barely a moment passed when she saw Rohan's face clearly in front of her before she fell into his arms...jerking her awake from another of her dreamy experiences...

amazing! it is hard to tell if it is N or K (but ill go with K)...

i hoping this was K... it better be!

Chapter 58

She was once helping Keerti fold clothes after laundry while hers were still in the dryer...they were sitting on her bed chatting away about a lot of things when simran saw a cloth tucked halfway underneath her pillow and pulled it out.

"Yeh kya hai?" she asked holding it up. Keerti didn't know what else to say except that it was a shirt, which she knew was bound to raise a 100 more questions. As expected, she heard her ask again "I can see that. But whose is it?" She looked at the shirt closely and without waiting for an answer she spoke again "You know I've seen this shirt before..."

Keerti had to look away to hide her nervousness. If she knew Simran any better, she would have known that she always has her ways of knowing things. She pretended to be engaged in folding her clothes and replied back not looking at her "I don't know. I just found it in the living room."

Simran raised her one eyebrow and tilted her head as she asked "What is it doing under your pillow then?"

She had to think of something...she had not expected this question to come up. Oh come on...think. think...it's here because...because...

One of them was wondering what to reply while the other one was scheming of ways to to make her spill the beans. Within seconds she had guessed it was Rohan's shirt but wanted her to admit it herself. She looked at Keerti who still seemed to be making up an answer in her head and took this time to sit up as she said "Oh I know. This is Aditya's shirt. He has been looking for it since so long. Let me take it..." she took the shirt and made to get up with a smirk on her face. Countdown started mentally then...5...4...3...

"It's not Aditya's. It's Rohan's.." she spoke in a single breath. Simran was pleasantly surprised to hear that...he had that effect on her that she didn't even wait long enough to come up with something better? She was expecting to probe her a little longer but she gave in before time. She sat back on the bed and pretended as if she didn't hear what she had said "Whose?"

"It's Rohan's. He had given it to me to wear when we were returning from Dorchester. I just keep forgetting to return it." she thought this was a plausible reply and was sure Simran would buy it. Besides, what she had said was true..except the last bit...but that was also not entirely untrue. She had been forgetting to return it to him and then she had decided to keep it since he had never asked for it and seemed to have forgotten about it himself. Whenever she would wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares, she would just hold the shirt close to her. It had provided her much comfort...and then slowly it had become a habit for her..to hold his shirt while sleeping.

"Oh okay. But then what is it doing under your pillow?" she asked making a curious face. Keerti closed her eyes when the urge of banging her head to the wall came to her mind. Simran often did that to her... sometimes she would ask so many questions that it seemed easier to bang the head on the wall rather than answer her. She abandoned what she was doing and looked at her giving her an exhausted look "It must have come there by mistake. Okay? Now please...can we stop this interrogation?" with that she went back to folding clothes.

"Okay okay. I'll take it with me and make sure to give it to him when I see him..." she said as she took the shirt again and Keerti immediately snatched it from her shouting "No." Simran raised her eyebrows at her and this time she gave in..."I love him" she said with her eyes closed.

"You WHAT????" Simran asked completely shocked. She did not think she would confess her feelings so soon...least of all saying I love you. Keerti slowly opened her eyes and Simran noticed she was shy now...she must have realized she said it in haste. A small smile started at the corner of her lips then and she looked down feeling embarrassed. Simran sat back on the bed and lifted her face by placing her finger under her chin so she would raise her eyes to meet with hers but she didn't. "Keertiii?" she called out in a low elongated whisper hoping she would look up sounding a little curious and a little concerned. When she did, her eyes had en expression she had never seen in anyone else's eyes before. She looked at Simran only for a moment before she looked away again..

"I knew it. I knew it knew it knew it...This is so awesome. Yay!!! I can't tell you how happy I am..Rohan is an awesome guy and you both will make a lovely pair. Gosh this is so exciting..." she kept on and on like an express train while Keerti only bit her lip in shyness looking away. When the overenthusiastic Simran paused for breath, she took notice of Keerti's current state and hugged her tight.

"But I don't know how he feels about me" she said quite honestly and Simran gave out a loud laughing surprising her. "You don't know how he feels about you? You don't know how he..." she laughed again making Keerti wonder if she had really said something that amusing.

"Duh! He's fallen head over heals for you...and you don't know how he feels about you?" she widened her eyes at what she heard..."He feels for me? How do you know that?" she said not attempting to hold back the surprise from her tone.

"The throw you love so much to put on while sitting there...was put on you by him...it wasn't me. At fresher's party he was dancing with me, but his eyes followed you wherever you went. How do you think we got to you after the party all of a sudden? The moment you left the party, he did too, taking me along with him. And the police siren that you heard was from his phone...not from an actual police vehicle. He saved you that night! He stayed up all night ogling you. I kept coming in to check on you...and one time I saw him push back your strands while tears rolled down his cheeks. I was careful not to be seen...I never asked him why he cried that night...nor did I ever bring it up with him. And why do you think he came back from the west coast to spend the new years here with us in this freakin cold weather when he could have enjoyed it better there? For the same reason you flew to Caribbean only on 1st rather than spending your entire vacation there...because he wanted to start his new year with you. And you still don't know how he feels about you? Don't you see these things?"

Her mouth was agape and tears were flowing down her cheeks by the time Simran finished talking...she didn't know if it was from the knowledge that he felt for her...more than she did for him, or from knowing that he had saved her that night without letting her know..and so many other times, or that she meant so much to him. Simran was smart enough to realize she needed her space to pull herself together, so she quietly left the room...leaving an emotional Keerti behind to slump on her bed clutching his shirt crying.