FF-meri padosi...updated part 17 A on page 51... - Page 11

Khanak woke up the next morning as the morning sun caressed her face…

She analyzed her surrounding and realized she had slept on the floor itself…

She felt her head heavy and her eyes tired…she was clutching something into her left hand…

it was the photograph…while in the other hand she was holding her phone…she remembered the text Shaan had sent her the other night…her lips had unknowingly formed a smile after reading it…

Khanak came out of her room after getting freshed up…she took a little extra time today to hide the dullness that was very much evident on her face due to lack of proper sleep…

Khanak: Good morning mama!

Mrs.Kapoor: Good morning beta…(looking at her) are you alright…? You look tired...

Khanak: I m fine Mamma…baas thodi thaki hui thi…kal shyam ki wajah se…

Mrs.Kapoor: waise tumne mujhe bataya hi nahi…kal tum dono kaha gaye…kya kiya..?

Khanak: kuch jyada nahi…bas humne…pav-bhaji aur ice-cream khayi….phir…(she paused for a while as she remembered the incidents of last evening…her proximity with Shaan…)

Mrs.Kapoor: phir?

Khanak: phir kuch nahi…gh..ghar aa gaye..(she tried smiling)

Khanak looked at her Mom who was dressed up…and ready to leave somewhere…

Khanak: mamma…aap kahi jaa rahi hain?

Mrs.Kapoor: bhul gayi…..aaj Maninder ki shaadi hain na…wahi jaa rahi hoon..

Khanak: oh..ya…

Mrs.Kapoor: Shyam tak aa jaongi (she said as she was wearing her sandals)…maine tumhare liye khaana bana ke rakh diya hain..kha lena…

Khanak: alright..mamma…

Mrs.Kapoor started to leave but turned back and hugged Khanak…

Mrs.Kapoor: (still hugging Khanak) I love u beta…I love u…

Khanak: (took a deep breath as she felt she might break down again)…I love u too mamma…I really do…and I m sorr…

Mrs.Kapoor: "shhh"(she placed a finger on Khanak's lips to stop her from saying anything further)I m …and will always be proud of u….(they hugged again)

After around a minute…they broke the hug and Mrs.Kapoor left…

…………………………………………………………………..

It was 1 in the afternoon…Khanak was reading a novel…when she heard the doorbell…

She opened the door only to find Shaan there…

Khanak couldn't make up her mind on what she felt after seeing him…

She was initially surprised, then embarrassed and unknowingly happy to see him…while Shaan was just looking at her…he realized she had cried last night …her face looked pale…her eyes looked tired…she had got a little bit of dark-circles…

"even these couldn't make her eyes look less prettier" he thought.

Shaan: uh..hi!

Khanak: hi! (not looking at him)

They stood there silent for sometime after which Shaan finally spoke…

Shaan: kya main andar aa sakta hoon..?

Khanak gestured him to come in…

Shaan entered… he sat on the sofa…while Khanak sat on the adjacent chair…he looked around to see where Mrs.Kapoor was…

Shaan: aunty nahi hain ghar main…?

Khanak: nahi woh bahar gayi hain…

Shaan: oh!....

They both were silent again…but this time it was Khanak to break the silence …

Khanak: kuch kaam tha Shaan?

She finally looked at him…but said this in a stern voice as if telling him to leave if he has come without a reason…

Shaan wasn't happy the way she was behaving but calmed himself down and said with a smile…

Shaan: main actually yaha kuch der ke liye rehne aya tha…

Khanak was confused…

Shaan: ghar main aaj se painting chal rahi hain…and my head goes dizzy with that smell so…

Khanak: painting …achanak se..?

Shaan: achanak nahi yaar…kabse decided tha…aaj se kaam shuru hua hain…

Khanak: toh jab tak unka kaam khatam nahi hota..tum yahi rahoge ..?

Shaan: sirf 1 se 6 baje tak…

Khanak got really nervous…she didn't want to spend time with Shaan alone…not so soon atleast…but could not refuse him as well…he had always helped them whenever they needed…

Shaan: Khanak…don't worry…main …main kuch nahi karunga…I will just sit here and do my work..(showing her his laptop)

Khanak: alright…

Khanak went back to reading…while Shaan started working on his laptop…

Shaan kept stealing glances at Khanak…he wanted to talk to her…but she seemed too engrossed in the book…Shaan couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke…

Shaan: so Khanak…u love to read..?

Khanak: (head down in her book) yes.

Shaan: toh tumhare paas kaafi kuch hoga padhne ke liye..

Khanak: hmm..(still not looking at him)

Shaan: jaise?

Khanak: (keeping the book down) tumhe kuch chahiye Shaan?

Shaan: well..yes..

Khanak: kya?

Shaan: tumhare paas…koi kavitaon ki kitaab hain…hindi haan..

Khanak: kavitaayein..?

Shaan: ya..poetry..

Khanak: are you sure?

Shaan: tum aisa kyu keh rahi ho..mujhe poetry nahi pasand aa sakti..?

Khanak: nahi..bas woh…(she thought for a while)ok I will get it..

Khanak went inside her room to get the book…while Shaan waited for her there…

It had been 10 minutes since Khanak left…

"ek book lane main itni der..?let me check" Shaan thought and went in Khanak's room to check what took her so long to return…

"Khanak" Shaan called out as he entered…and was surprised to see her on a stool standing on her toes…trying to get something from the top of the cupboard…

Shaan: (running towards her)Khanak..get down…tum yeh kya kar rahi ho..?

Khanak: book nikal rahi hoon…iske upar rakhi hain…(trying to rise on her toes)

Shaan: tum utro …main nikaal ta hoon…meri height tumse badi hain…

Khanak: bas ho gaya…

Shaan: Khanak get down…you will hurt yourselves …you are already standing on your toes…(He ordered)

Khanak: alright…

She asked Shaan to move aside as she carefully stepped down…

Shaan: stupid girl..agar kitaab upar rakhi thi…toh mujhe kyu nahi bulaaya…ye sab stunts karne ki kya jaroorat hain..?

Khanak: maine khud kitaab wahah rakhi thi…toh main nikaal bhi sakti hoon….

Shaan: haan..haan…tum toh suraj ko bhi chu sakti hon…

Khanak was a little annoyed but let it go…

Shaan stood on the stool…his hands reached the top of the shelf easily and he got the book…

Shaan: dekha kitna asaan tha…khamakha…action heroine banane ki koshish kar rahi thi…jabki real hero…bahar hi baitha tha….

As Shaan said this he tried getting down from the stool but his leg slipped…

He lost his balance and was about to fall…Khanak made an attempt of saving him from falling by putting her hand out for him…but as he held her hand…she herself lost her balance as they both fell on the bed with Shaan on top of Khanak…

Unknowingly Shaan held Khanak by her waist while she clutched on to his collar…

After a brief moment…he tried to get up but at the same time she made an attempt of getting up as well…and they both bumped into eachother …and fell again…

Khanak as a reflex had tightly closed her eyes…but Shaan immediately held both his hands besides Khanak's face to stop himself from crushing her…

Shaan looked at Khanak who had her eyes closed…she looked scared…

"Khanak" he said assuring her of her safety…

She finally opened her eyes only to find Shaan too close to her…he was helding his hands protectively around her… as if his life was dependent on it…He looked at her…she was looking away…

Both of them became conscious of their proximity with eachother…

Khanak tried to move a little …as she did this her arms brushed with Shaan's…she felt a weird sensation at his touch…she started to breathe heavily…he could feel her breath on his neck…and clutched the bedsheet…she felt his movement and looked up at him…

He looked back at her… her eyes…" they look so innocent" he thought…

He held her gaze… not wanting this moment to end…not wanting to let her go away from him…

She felt the need to look away…to break the moment… but was unable to do so…she felt surrendered…just like the way she had felt yesterday…

She was lost into him…she was unable to understand what she was feeling…?and …why was she feeling so…?

"Shaan …get up!" she finally managed to utter…

Shaan got back to his senses as he carefully got up and so did Khanak…

Shaan: Ah..I m …sorry..

Khanak: you should be…tum mujhe abla nari samajh rahe the…aur khud hi gir gaye..

Shaan chuckled a little at her statement…he knew she was trying to act casual to divert her mind from what had happened moments ago…

Shaan: yes you are right…I need to polish my skills a bit…(he smiled)

Khanak: right..! ab..book mil gayi hain toh ..padh lo…

Shaan: sure…

……………………………………………………………………

They both came back to the living room…

Khanak got back to reading while Shaan just kept the book aside and started working on his laptop again…

Khanak: itna kuch karke..woh kitaab le aye hum..tum padhoge nahi..?

Shaan: padhta hoon na..woh bas mujhe kuch important kaam yaad aa gaya…

Shaan smiled at Khanak and began to type a mail on his laptop…

Khanak tried hard concentrating on her book but was unable to do so…she couldn't help stealing glances at Shaan…

He had a couple of times noticed her looking at him… but decided to ignore to not make her feel awkward…

Khanak eventually left the idea of trying to concentrate on her reading and decided to make herself a cup of coffee…

Khanak: main coffee bana rahi hoon…tum loge?

Shaan: sure ..why not…

Khanak went inside the kitchen to make coffee for herself and Shaan…

"send mail" Shaan clicked the option and closed his laptop…

He decided to help Khanak with her coffee and went into the kitchen…

………………………………………………………………

Shaan: (noticing Khanak standing near the kitchen table) well…sirf coffee se maza nahi ayega…toh maine socha kyu na kuch khaane ke liye bhi banaye…(Khanak turned around to look at Shaan) aur main aisa ladka toh hoon nahi…jo ek khubsoorat ladki se akele kaam karwayu…(he said walking towards her)

So I have come here to help you…

Khanak: coffee ke saath..?..kya khaoge..?

Shaan: (looking around the kitchen)…hmm…let me see..?(noticing a Maggie packet on the table) mil gaya…

Khanak: kya?

Shaan: Maggie..

Khanak: coffee ke saath Maggie.? Pagal ho gaye ho…?

Shaan: pagal kyu yaar? Aisa kahi likha hain kya ..ki coffee ke saath Maggie nahi kha sakte..?

Khanak: kahi kikha toh nahi hain..par..coffee and Maggie suna..bhi nahi hain..

Shaan: toh aaj try karte hain…try karne main kya problem hain..?

Khanak: (in a defeated tone)alright..lets try…

Shaan started to make the Maggie even after Khanak offered to do it herself…"let me help" was all he said and she had agreed…

The Maggie was done and so was the coffee…Khanak went to get the plates as Shaan started to pour the coffee in the mugs…

He accidently touched the hot vessel with the bare hands…

"ahh…" He screamed…

Khanak: Kya hua..? (running towards him)

She saw Shaan shaking his hand vigorously and realized he had burnt it…

"tum bhi na…dhyaan se nahi kar sakte" as she said this she grabbed Shaan's hand and held it under the tap…

"maine kaha tha main kar loongi…lekin nahi…tum sunane waalon main se toh ho nahi.." she carefully looked at the burn…it was red…"dukh raha hoga na..?I will put some ointment…"

She took Shaan into the room…made him sit on the bed…got an ointment from the drawer and carefully started to apply it on his burn…

While she was doing so… she alternately blew air on his hands to try to soothe his pain…

Shaan had not spoken a word until now…he was only looking at her…the wound was on his hands…but looking at her he felt as if she was injured…he could feel…she felt the pain as well…the way she was blowing air on his hands…as if to soothe her pain only…

Still looking at her he spoke"How can you expect me to believe that you are not a good person Khanak?"

Khanak did not get what he was trying to say…

"Somebody who cannot see someone even in slightest pain…how can she purposefully hurt someone else…?"

Khanak remembered what she had told Shaan the other night…about her not being a good person…

"It's him right?" He held the photograph in front of her…"It was in your room…on the floor…"

She looked at the picture in his hands…she could not speak anything as she felt herself overcoming with emotions…