Part 3:
Yuvraj's POV:
I was sitting in bed. I'd just gotten home from work and I was tired, as usual. Maa made me eat dinner by sitting and watching me until I cleaned my plate. It made me feel like I'm 8 years old again. It was a nice distraction to just sit with her and forget everything I was feeling. I went to our room and showered. I changed and got in bed. My phone buzzed and I checked it. It was a message from Vikram. Knowing that he worked with Suhani, I felt compelled to check it just to make sure she was alright. I answered the call.
"Hey Yuvi, um you wanna come see a movie tonight? Me and a couple of my coworkers will be there, and maybe my brother and sister too...if they can make it. One of my coworkers really wants to see you again dude, I mean...you know what I mean?" He laughed.
Now which coworker was this? "Who?"
"The one with the short hair...Anjali..."
Well that wasn't the answer I was hoping to hear. I knew if I stayed home, I'd only end up thinking of and missing Suhani desperately, so I agreed. I changed again and drove to the particular theater which Vikram told me about.
I saw Vikram at the entrance.
"Where are the others?"
"My bro's out of town and sister is sick, so it's just the other two girls and us two guys..." He smiled.
I nodded. "Right..." I had a feeling I knew who was among those two girls. I clenched my fists.
We walked into the theater. The movie hadn't started yet and the lights were on. Vikram guided me to a row of seats. He walked into the row first and I followed. Then I realized that he was sitting next to Suhani. The other girl, Anjali, got up and shook hands with me and smiled.
"Hiii..." She said. She was beaming. I looked down at Suhani and she met my eyes with an unreadable expression. I and sat down. Vikram was sitting next to Suhani and I wasn't. Nothing felt right. I felt my temperature rising. I was sweating even with the air-conditioning on. The movie started. I couldn't even text Suhani. I was completely uncomfortable. These were the kinds of situations when I needed Sharad the most. He was the only one who could keep me calm under such circumstances. I couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion I was feeling. It was something like what I felt whenever someone touched my things without my permission, but a whole lot worse. It was more consuming. I don't know which movie I watched and when it ended. I kept trying to look over Vikram's shoulder and in fact his entire presence just to see Suhani.
When it ended, I got up and walked out and they all followed. Suhani tripped on someone's foot and Vikram caught her hand and steadied her. I just watched it all incredulously. I couldn't believe what was happening and what it was doing to me. Suhani looked at me as she steadied herself. Vikram left for the restroom and so did the other girl accompanying them.
Suhani and I were alone.
"So, I didn't know you liked horror movies." I said.
"I just wanted a change of scenery tonight." She replied. "You seem angry to see me here..." She added.
I laughed sarcastically. "You can read me so well." I said.
"What is your problem?" She asked.
"Do you like him?" I asked her.
"Who?!"
"There's only one other male I could possibly be referring to and that's Vikram."
"I do not." She replied.
"Well, he definitely likes you." I said.
"What? How do you know?" She replied.
"I know. Anyway, I'm not going to tell him anything." I said.
"Fine, then don't. Neither am I. It would cause problems for both of us both personally and even professionally." She said. I agreed. Vikram came back and he put his arm around Suhani.
"Are you ok? Hope you didn't trip again." He smiled while looking into her eyes.
"I was here, watching her...trust me, she didn't trip." I answered him. Vikram smiled again. He sure did smile a lot, but something about him just rubbed me the wrong way tonight. There was something of a hurry about whatever he did or said. I didn't like the way he looked at Suhani. This guy just wasn't as simple as he seemed. I hoped that I was wrong. Was I jealous of him? Was my jealousy triggering my suspicion? I really thought I saw something in his body language and the way he talked which gave away the fact that he was interested in Suhani, but maybe I was reading too much into it.
The other girl, Anjali joined us and walked next to me and asked me a series of questions which I answered mechanically. She seemed pleased and asked me my number. I eyed Suhani. She looked away. I smirked. She was jealous. I smiled at Anjali and gave her my number. She missed called me and told me to save hers. I saved it as "Suhani's annoying coworker", but Suhani looked hurt. I had the right to do at least this much if she wasn't going to wear her mangal sutra or sindhoor, and if this guy who was my friend was going to put his arm around her at every chance he got.
We exited the theater. Vikram offered to drive Suhani home and Anjali gave me a hopeful look. I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes at her.
"Um, Vikram...thanks but, my sister is coming to pick me up from here. I'm going to her place tonight." Suhani replied. Vikram looked disappointed. That disappointment was clearly written on his face. I enjoyed it but at the same time it confirmed my suspicion. He did like her. Vikram was a tall guy, slim, and very confident. He was funny and ambitious, and he had a nice smile. But beneath it all, I sensed something else too, which I still couldn't quite pinpoint. I told Vikram that I had to meet a client tonight, which was a total lie, so Anjali was just as disappointed as he was. I saw Suhani's tiny smile of approval at this. Vikram drove Anjali home and Suhani and I were once again alone.
"Bhavna's really coming here?" I asked.
"Yes. I haven't seen Di for a long time..." She said. She looked sad. Suhani was wearing a purple saree. It was simple, just like she was. Seeing her sad tore my insides up and I moved a few inches closer to her, protectively, to shield her from anything on the outside, even if I couldn't heal the wounds she had within. I didn't want to leave her side till Bhavna arrived. We stood in silence. The wind blew her hair. I inched closer to her. I watched her while she looked down at the ground. She wasn't ready to talk and fill the silence. I cleared my throat. She looked at me. Our eyes locked for a few seconds.
Bhavna came. Her husband drove her there. I looked at Suhani because it meant that we had to be parted again.
"You can leave now..." She said, as if it had been a burden on me to stand there with her for a few minutes. I was hurt by her tone.
"Yeah, I'll leave...I guess you would have preferred Vikram's company." I said. She looked stunned.
"Whatever it is, just try to make sure he keeps his hands off you. It's not professional." I said. Bhavna and her husband saw us together. Both of them waved at us but I waved back and left immediately. Before I entered my car, I took one last look at Suhani before I drove away.
I went back home and felt like breaking everything in sight. For the first time in my life, I felt like going to a bar and getting drunk. I needed a release. I needed an escape from the fire burning within me. I was furious. I was livid. I couldn't cope with anything I was feeling right now. I couldn't cry and I didn't know what to speak at a moment like this which could possibly help me deal with what I was feeling. Sharad was sleeping. I didn't want to wake him up just to cry on his shoulder about my complicated issues.
A part of me wanted to call Vikram and give him a piece of my mind. I wanted to clear his confusion up and let him know that she belonged to me. I wanted to teach him a lesson so that he wouldn't look at her in the wrong way again or touch her at every single goddamn chance he got. I slammed the door shut and went into our room. I threw a glass out the window in frustration. I changed and sat at the edge of my bed. I wanted to go and bring her back home tonight itself so I could keep an eye on her, but tonight she was with Bhavna. I didn't have anything to worry about tonight.
I finally admit to myself what emotion it was that I was grappling with and which was consuming me. I was jealous. I was so jealous and the feeling of it was poisonous. I couldn't get rid of it. It stuck to me like glue and I couldn't shut it off. I tried to sleep but I felt her absence just as I had the past three weeks since she had left. I wanted to message her but at the moment everything was a mess which needed to be straightened out. I didn't know what to say to her. I was consumed by jealousy and hatred for Vikram, who had become my friend when I started working at the office. He didn't know I was married. He didn't know Suhani's last name was the same as mine.
Was it his fault? If he was genuinely interested in Suhani, then I couldn't fault him or blame him. How could I stop him if he didn't even know that she was married to me? But the thing that bothered me more than his interest in her was something in his temperament. There was something about him which worried me. I thought about it a long time and then I began to figure it out. Vikram seemed like a very controlling guy. He was one of those people who were nice as long as things their way. I noticed the look on his face when Suhani told him Bhavna was coming to pick her up. He wasn't only disappointed; he looked like someone had just ruined his plans. It was the strangest reaction, almost like he expected Suhani to follow his orders.
My blood boiled thinking of all this. The next day was uneventful. It was an off day. I called Suhani and she told me she was still staying with Bhavna. A few days later, I told her to meet me after work. I waited outside her office building. She came out and Vikram was by her side. MY eyes widened at the sight. He touched her arm every now and then and was animatedly telling her something. She nodded. He side hugged her and she hugged him back lightly, and then he left. I waited for him to disappear before I drove closer to the building. Suhani saw the car and came forward. I opened the door and she got in.
Udne Ki Aasha
Cricket
