The girl next door - Ch 103 - pg 108; note pg 109 - Page 39

Chapter 64

It had been a week since they returned from Pohick Bay and she had still not spoken to him normally. She had woken up the next morning and had behaved as if nothing had happened...she had guised as a bubbly chirpy girl, something that everyone could see she was not. The rest of her trip went in ignoring him and his questions. She had felt suffocated to be around him by the end of it...even though her mind had not come up with an answer why she was being so harsh to him. She knew she was being unfair and totally irrational in her behavior, but she couldn't bring herself to act otherwise. And so, she had kept safe distance from him, avoiding his calls and texts after their return. She had also reduced her conversation with Simran to a bare minimum...not telling her what exactly had happened that had ticked her off so much. She avoided the library as much and stepped out of her apartment only to attend classes. He could have easily cornered her by coming over to her place but he didn't and she was eternally grateful for that. The last thing she had wanted was to break her control and spit venom at him...which she knew she would do any minute if she was pushed to her limits.

There was only one place she couldn't avoid seeing him and that was at the AID BOSTON meetings for their upcoming fundraising event. She had already committed to participate in it and so couldn't back out on the last minute when the event was upon them. He was still persistent in seeking her out which was apparent when he entered the room and went and sat on the seat next to hers...and she had still not forgiven him for something he wasn't even guilty of because she slid on the seat next to hers which was empty. He felt as if someone had forcefully pulled off the bandage dried on a wound...the pain was that much severe. He closed his eyes hoping that would take the edge off his aching but it didn't.

Once everyone was present and seated, April started speaking, distracting him from his hurt "Alright folks...we have less than a month to prepare so we need to be on the run continuously..specially the performers. Okay, now..." she read at her notes and spoke again "Sanjay is dancing with Rima..they are opening the show. Next is Al and Anne. Next we have Kabir who's doing a filler, a mimicry act I believe..." she said with a smile looking over at him and he gave another one of his silly grins. "Next we have Pankaj and Ruth followed by a filler by Rohan and the show will end with the finale dance by Sharan who...still doesn't have a partner?" She asked looked at him and he shrugged as if to say no one wants to dance with me. "His charms don't seem to be working looks like.." and everybody broke into a laughter then.

Before anyone else could talk though, Sanjay spoke up "Rima is not even here today and she lives quite far from my place, so practicing with her is going to be a challenge. How about..uh... Naina?" he pretended to have thought of her right then after scanning the room but he had been thinking about proposing to dance with her all along. This caught Naina by surprise and by instinct she looked over at Rohan who very faintly shook his head, not to make it obvious to everyone. "Actually I am not up for a performance. I'm only helping backstage and with all the arrangements." she told him in an apologetic tone.

"Alright so you are back with Rima then. And what about Sharan?" April looked over at him who still hadn't a clue what to say and that's when Keerti stepped in as his partner although she had not signed up for a performance. She had shocked not only Rohan by that but also April, Naina and Sharan. They all looked at her in disbelief making her a little conscious then. Sharan put her at ease when he distracted everyone by asking "Rohan is going to do a filler? Are you sure?"

April nodded with a smile acknowledging his disbelief ..."For all you know, his "filler" is probably going to end up being a show-stealer." Shran said with a wink looking at him and he winked back with a wide grin. It was always nice to see their camaraderie. Even though he should have been jealous of Rohan, he wasn't or at least he didn't show it. He had never been expressive about his feelings...ever. It wasn't that he was ever apathetic. But his feelings were waiting to be discovered...

AID BOSTON was Rohan's life...he gave his heart and soul to any and every event conducted by them and so he quickly gathered his small little group for his filler performance and got started. Even though his focus was entirely on the discussion going on in his group, his eyes drifted time and again towards the couple that was practicing only a few feet away. He didn't feel jealous either...because he thought she had done it on purpose to hurt him... but the truth was, she had stepped in only to help her friend out. Sharan had taken good care of her while on the trip and even afterwards. He had kept tabs on her via texts and had made some successful attempts to get a laugh out of her too. She only wanted to help him...

The next several days were crazy busy with everyone practicing their own little act while attending classes and submitting assignments and attending to their on campus jobs and what not. She was glad she still hadn't gotten a job because every spare few moments she had on her, she spent them practicing, either alone or with Sharan. He had been coming to BU to practice with her every evening...they really had less time on their hands and being the last act of the event, they had to make it conquering.

A couple days after their meeting, Rohan had stopped seeking her out, much to her relief...he had finally given up hope. It had hurt her to ignore his endeavor and had honestly wanted him to stop...but it hurt her even when he stopped. She was a confused soul...a typical girl not knowing what exactly she wanted..she wasn't happy with a yes and neither with a no. Everything she did or tried to ease herself up a little would only aggravate her further. The last straw was when she saw Naina walk out of Rohan's apartment at 6 in the morning while she was on her way to the gym...she noticed her eyes half closed, her hair messy and a yawn on her lips. She had suddenly become alerted on seeing Keerti in front of her...she had not expected anyone to see her like this at that hour which was why she chose to go back home at that time...but fate always had its own way and the only person who should not have seen her had seen her. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped...her heart accelerated in its pace and her eyes instantaneously moistened. Naina tried to stop her but she wouldn't...instead of walking to the gym she took off in a run. She didn't stop even when she reached the gym...rather, she kept running around the campus for a whole two hours and halted only when she bumped into Sharan who was standing outside her apartment building...her eyes swollen and red, her feet sore and her lips dry and blue... She stood there looking at him and then burst into a sob when she hugged him...it was only for a moment that she cried because right after putting her arms around him, she fell unconscious...

i can't respond...

Firstly... just wow... This FF just left me in awe...

Hey Laiba...welcome to the girl next door. *does a little dance too*

My reader base is increasing and I'm really grateful to each and every one who has given this story a chance. I'm here because you are here. And special thanks to my friend Aarya who urged me to post this story here on IF rather than just on the blog.

Coming to your comment...I loved it. Thanks so much for reading the story and commenting...I LOVE long comments :) So please continue the trend :)

As far as mysteries are concerned, all will be cleared in due time.

And trust me when I say this..I have helplessly fallen in love with Sharan. Last couple days I saw myself sleeping less and skipping meals because I was thinking about him...and today I made my craze for him official when I missed my exit and had to drive 5 miles extra...I reached late for my meeting. I am not exaggerating at all...I really have become helpless in his love...Phew!

Thanks once again :)

Originally posted by: dolphinUSA

Meaning?

Meaning.. Keerti faints in Sharanz arms -> Rohan sees -> more misunderstnadings ->Rookie farthar apart . Plus, Poor Keerti!

Chapter 65

She saw him hold her face in his hands and kiss her passionately...their desire and intensity bringing their bodies to a electrifying touch. She saw his hands snake down the side of her front and then back around her waist as he drew her even closer. She had seen the same scene umpteen times in her mind...but it was with her and not with her. The air around her strangled her as she saw his hands creep under her shirt raising her to her tip toe while he nuzzled her neck. She turned around and started running in the other direction as fast as she could...the sight that met her eyes was making her suffocated. She ran and ran and ran...all the while turning back to see them still stuck together like butter to bread...and after a while when she looked back she saw they had fused into one.

So occupied was she with the thought of being cheated that she didn't realized she was at the edge of a cliff until it was too late...until her feet had both gone off the ground. But rather than falling down freely into the water, she found herself rise up towards the sky. At first she was bewildered at her rising and she looked down. To her shock there was no water underneath her...she looked up again and saw there was no sky either...she looked over in their direction and they were not there too. All she could see was white light around her...blinding her vision to anything and everything around her. Just when she realized what exactly was happening, she felt a tug on her body and she fell back down with a thud.

When she opened her eyes, she saw black. It was Sharan's hair...he had just exhaled in her mouth again. This time when he parted from her mouth, he let out an involuntary breath in relief when he saw her cough out the breath he had just exhaled in her mouth. It took her a few minutes to grasp her surroundings. When she came back to her senses fully, she saw Simran and Sharan rub her hands anxiously. They let her be for a few more moments...during which she went into the kitchen to fetch water for them while he stood by the window for her to recover.

Her head was aching terribly and she clutched on her hairs tightly in an attempt to massage it. When Simran came back into the room with water, she sat up on the bed to take a sip or two...she was parched. After placing the glass on the night stand, she looked over at Sharan who was still looking out the window before she turned to look at Simran. She saw anger flash in her eyes and knew she had taken it a bit too far this time... but she didn't get a chance to apologize because just then, Simran gave her a tight slap...the sound of which caught Sharan by surprise.

"If you do this ever again, I'll be forced to kick you out of this apartment and find another roommate for myself" she said in a broken voice holding back her tears..but they rolled down when Keerti started to cry. She took her in an embrace then, clutching her tight. She pulled apart suddenly, still sobbing and held her face to say "You stupid stupid girl...we almost lost you." She pulled her into a hug again, not being able to comprehend what would have happened if Sharan wasn't there.

While still holding her tight, she looked over at Sharan with gratitude and mouthed a silent 'thank you'...and all he did was smile. He was glad he got there in time...even he had feared the worst when he had entered their apartment and had placed her on the bed...her face had turned blue and her breathing had agonized, coming in short erratic bursts. Being the only one in the room trained in giving a CPR, he restored her respiration artificially...his own breathing had been erratic until she finally opened her eyes.

When Simran pulled back from her, she had fallen asleep already. Her mental and physical exhaustion had drained her and she was only glad it had made her too tired to keep awake. Sharan left soon after, assuring he'd be back in a couple hours. When she woke up, she felt heavy in her head. Just then her phone rang again...she saw it was him calling. She let it run through..and then saw that there were 31 missed calls on her phone...all from him. She was still feeling heavy in her head but got up nonetheless to type up an email to him before she changed her mind...

PLEASE STOP CALLING ME. I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to see your face again. I wish we had never met...I wish I could go back in time and erase the moment we first met. Don't ever try to come close to me...your touch makes me want to peel my skin off and your presence just brings a negative claustrophobic vibe around me. You can do as you want and sleep with whoever you want, but please LEAVE ME ALONE.

She hit the 'send' before she changed her mind for the 100th time. He had called her 3 more times while she was typing up the email and his calls stopped abruptly soon after...she knew her message was received at the other end. She had ripped her own heart when she had sent the email...but she was convinced there was no other way out. She cut off everyone who had started to talk about him..she had not wanted to listen to a single word about him...and he did not attempt to get in touch with her after that email either...he had not even replied for that matter.

The next two days she spent recovering while Simran and Sharan looked after her...her feet were so sore from running that it took her two days to finally stand on her feet without any help. She apologized to Sharan since she had wasted two days of their crucial practice time because in another two, they would have to be performing. He, however, went easy on her and reduced their intense practice of 3 hours daily to a maximum of 45 minutes the last two days.

On the day of the event, when he came to pick her up, while they were driving he felt obliged to tell her "I just met Rohan. He..." and as usual he was cut off again when she abruptly spoke "I'm very nervous...we haven't even practiced well. I don't know how I'm going to manage." He didn't try to assuage her nervousness...he knew why she had come up with that. He let her be. The rest of their drive was spent in silence...although he had hoped she would listen to what he had to say.

Once they got there, April called for a last minute meeting "Alright folks...Rohan cannot be here. So there is a slight change. Kabir is now performing twice...he'll fill in for Rohan too. He's doing a solo...so none of your performances should be affected. Any questions?" she asked and Keerti immediately asked "Why isn't Rohan here?" She looked at Naina as if saying she is here...so why isn't he? Besides, she knew AID BOSTON was his life and he wouldn't miss an event for anything.

"You've got to be kidding me...you don't know?" Kabir asked in utter disbelief but then shut up when Sharan gave him a look. A look from him was all Kabir needed to know he had to stop. Her heart had started its race again...without missing a beat she asked him "Know what?" Just then she heard Naina speak as she walked towards her "That's what I have been trying to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" she sounded a little irritated and nervous at the same time. She didn't like the feeling that crept on her when she saw Naina and Sharan come and sit on her either side...she was beginning to shiver in her seat as she saw them look at each other trying to decide how to answer her and asked again "What's wrong?" Just when she felt her heart is going to go into a cardiac arrest, she felt Sharan place his hand on hers while Naina held her by the shoulder ...they were making her nervous..she felt her heart pound in her chest the next few moments while Sharan mustered up the courage to answer her "Rohan met with an accident a week ago. He broke his leg..."