Chapter 4
Kunj tapped his feet against the hard wooden floor. Time was ticking and this girl still hadn't come. His eyes fluttered to the manager of the hotel. Mr. Chopra was it? He looked extremely flustered. When Kunj and Alisha had entered the hotel, he'd approached them with the fakest of smiles. Then when the old man had tried to speak, he seemed to have forgotten his line.
"Uffo. Yeh ladki kaha gayi? Aapki stuff bahut buri hai. Mujhe shopping jaane ke liye late ho rahi hai," Alisha whined, making Kunj roll his eyes. Mr. Chopra went a shade of crimson.
"Voh aate hi hogi, Voh bahut hi acchi hai. Usually time par hi ati hai. Pata nahi aaj kya hua. Aap fikar mat kariye. Voh aajayegi," he rambled.
Kunj's patience was getting tested. There was only one person in the world he allowed being late, and she had long since left him. Funny, even a staff member reminded him of Twinkle. Frankly Kunj wasn't sure if there was anything left in the world that didn't remind him of her. Sighing Kunj looked down at the a heart, that he'd tied down on his wrist like a bracelet. Alisha like nosy with she was, would often ask would what it was for. His reply had always been the "kisi ki yaadon ki nishaani" but in truth it was more than that. It was sense of her presence; of her being in his heart. Gently Kunj brought the heart up to his lips, placing a kiss on the smooth surface.
"Sir I'm sorry I'm late," "the familiar voice startled Kunj. t couldn't be her. He was most likely hallucinating from the nostalgia that the necklace had brought. Did he dare to look up? Obviously. With the utmost of caution, Kunj raised his head up. His eyes were met with the back of her head, a back he'd know anywhere. Biting his lip, he kept quiet.
"It's alright Ms, Taneja but make sure it never happens again," Mr. Chopra said sternly and then looked past her at Kunj, "Mr. Sarna meet Ms. Taneja you're PA for the month."
She turned around and the minute she did everything stopped. The whole world faded and it felt like there was nothing but them left in the world. Just Kunj and Twinkle and their story. Perhaps it was rather clichd moment but who cared. It meant everything to Kunj and he hoped it meant something to Twinkle. Yet Kunj noticed things in her that everyone else had failed to notice. Her eyes were red, the red that happened after you wiped away your tears. It was a barely visible red and Kunj probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been Twinkle. It was what didn't meet the eye that bother him. Her eyes were filled with sadness, they looked dull as if they were missing some sort of crucial element. Her face was ashen and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in days. What angered Kunj the most was the bruise. It was placed right above Twinkle's collar bone and the makeup hadn't been enough to cover it. Where was his Twinkle? His fun and bubbly siyappa queen had disappeared into a shadow of darkness. She was broken and it was his fault. It had to be his fault. Agains his better judgement Kunj had let Twinkle leave that. If he'd stopped her would she have been better? Would she have been more happier?
"Kitni der laga di tumne," and the trance was broken. Alisha's voice seeped through the silence, bringing their presences back to reality.
"Voh main, main...Voh...I'm sorry ma'm," Twinkle said timidly. Alisha's eyes skimmed over here with a look of disdain.
"Mujhe shopping jaane ke liye der ho rahi hai aur voh bhi tumhari waje se hai. Itna time lagati hai koi? Apni jagah nahi janti tum? You're part of the help darling. Apni aukad mein raho. Aisa dobara late hua na toh I won't be this forgiving. Aur apne kapde dekhi hai? So cheap. Kuch acha pehn ke aana next time. Ma ne kuch---"
"Alisha," Kunj said loudly.
"Kunj dekho--" Alisha began again.
"Chup ekdum chup," Kunj said silencing her at once, "tumhe shopping jaana hai na? Jao."
Alisha gave Kunj a pleading look and then shot a glare at Twinkle. Like the model she was, she exited the room with a hand settled on her hips.
"Ha toh main kya keh rahi thi?" the manager began but Kunj wasn't listening. His eyes were transfixed on Twinkle but she was looking away. Her eyes would often flitted over to meet his but look away almost immediately. Knowing her, she was probably overthinking everything. He could almost see the gears turning in her mind.
"Toh main jaati hoon," Mr, Chopra said, finally coming to an end of his drone, "Twinkle aap ko sab kuch samjha degi."
Then the room was empty, leaving only Twinkle, Kunj and a thousand unspoken words. Before Kunj could even start, Twinkle did.
"Welcome to our hotel. Aap ko aur Mrs Kapoor ko joint ya separate room chahiye? Hotel pe dono hi milega aap ko. Zyada dar couples joint room prefer karte hai lekin..."
"Twinkle," Kunj said softly.
"Lekin mujhe nahi pata aapko kya chahiye, " and now she turned and began pacing and Kunj couldn't help but smile. She still had the same antics.
"Aap ko kuch chahiye toh mujhe bata den. Main fatafat aap ko de dungi. Rooms 1 -100 niche hai aur 1401-1500 upar hai. Top kamre se zyada better view milte hai. Resturant looby ke piche hai."
"Twinkle," Kunj said again.
"Bathroom konsa prefer karenge aap? Hot tub sirf premiums mein hai. Lekin sab bathrooms mein hi bahut bar bath tub hai. Aap chahti hai toh main double bathroom vala kamra doon?"
"Twinkle," Kunj said louder.
"Premium rooms mein kitchen bhi hai. Aap ki liye shayad premiums rooms hi behtar hoga. Also agar aap chahti hai toh hum aapko waterbed de sakte hai. Bahut comfortable hai. Aap--"
"TWINKLE!!" Kunj said, his voice raised as high as it possibly could be. This time when Twinkle finally turned, Kunj wasn't surprised to see a tear on the side of her eye.
"Oye siyappa queen tu mujhe kab se aap bolne lagi?" he watched silently as she closed her eyes and let the tear fall. When she opened them, her eyes seemed to have the same brightness they'd been lacking just a minute ago. Kunj didn't know who moved first but all of a sudden they were wrapped up in each other's arms. They were pulling each other as they could as if trying to make up for all the time the had lost. And in that one moment, even if it just was one moment, Kunj found hope.
In your arms I feel a sort of peace,
In your arms I feel free,
But if it's not your arms that I am amidst,
Then somehow I cease to exist.
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