TwiNj 2S: Hello (Completed Pg6) - Page 5

Hello beautiful people. I am back with the second and sadly final part of Hello. I hope it lives up to all your expectations. Let me know.

This one is for Sakshi aka ..Queen

Begin Again

She only agrees to move in with him if he lets her pay half of the rent. And now he is coming home every day after work to the smell of fresh baked Pecan pie and her Sweet Magnolia body wash. He doesn't know what exactly it is but his house is feeling more of a home day by day and for some reason he loves that fact.

Life was going good.

But of course it wasn't always this way.

The day she was discharged from the hospital, they go back to her apartment to fetch her clothes and other belongings. He had only tagged along because Twinkle had quite literally pulled him down to her height by the collar of his shirt and earnestly begged him to come with her. And he promises he would because he wasn't crazy to let her go back to that wretched, cursed place alone.

In retrospect he shouldn't have bought her there at all. He should have offered to go alone and pick all her belonging that he saw fit for her use or that she requested. Because as they walk in the door, they realize that the place was exactly the way it was the day of the incident. Blood still stained the walls and the floor. Cigarette butts were still littered along the place and broken bottles still simmered in the light. He hears Twinkle choke on her breath behind him and turns just in time to watch her scurry towards the washroom and retch her stomach out.

She emerges out a good five minutes later and her frame though weak from vomiting, now had this stiffness that one could only recognize as determination. Her eyes though sunken in her skull, shone with fierceness that scared him for a minute and her face though, blue, black, battered and bruised, was clenched in anger. His words are lost on his tongue, there are comforts and encouragements that he wants to shower upon her but her stomping steps put an end to them all. She runs up the stairs to their bedroom and hastily pulls down a lone duffel bag. The wardrobe door was yanked open and clothes were selectively pulled out at a maddening pace. This wasn't Twinkle. Kunj refuses to believe that the women in front of him was Twinkle. It wasn't. This was someone so mechanical and detached that it shook his system and scared him to the very fiber of his being.

She then stomps over to the adjacent room. It was store room of sorts, but Kunj could tell it was more than that for her. The room had this light essence of Twinkle that was hard to miss. Maybe it was the hint of her Eau de Toilette in the air or maybe it was the poster on the wall but there was a Twinkle touch to the room. She yanks open drawers after drawers from the cabinet by the wall and selectively stuffs her belongings in. By the time she reaches the second cabinet he can see the subtle shaking of her fingers, he can see the tremble in her limbs, can fell the quiver in her soul. He hears her sniff back a cry and choke on a sob and he knows that her faade has been fractured. That memories that she tried so hard to drown in the oceans of her sub consciousness were floating back. That flashbacks were lighting up her visions until her eyes brimmed with tears and then she collapses on the ground.

He is there by her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her, trying to shelter her from the war that was being waged in her mind. She claws her nails against his forearms, crying, trying to anchor herself against this hurricane of emotion. And they sit like that for a while until her breathing is more regulated and normal.

Later she tries to pretend like the breakdown never happened. He wishes he could do the same too.

Her first day in his house, now theirs, and she sleeps on the couch. He doesn't mind. He didn't expect her to make herself comfortable and at home that quick anyway. Second day and it's the same story. Only this time she is clutching the soft toy he had gotten her from M&M world. Third day and the same situation. He doesn't ask her why?' yet. It's the fifth day and she can't turn her neck because of a crink due to sleeping on the couch that he finally intervenes

"I hate orange walls." is all the explanation he receives.

But he comes home from the grocery trip he informed her he would be going out for with two gallons of beige paint only to spend the evening with paint stained fingered sitting in a beige colored room and eating cheap take out Chinese. It was a good evening.

Along the paint gallons, Kunj had also managed to get some staple food item that would hopefully convert his pathetic bachelor kitchen into a more proper functioning adult' one. So yeah, there were boxes of Oat meal, protein bars, fruits and veggies, mayo, frozen mac and cheese and the likes. He also got her one of those adult coloring books, the one with those intricate medallion and Zen-tangle designs that honestly made him dizzy to see. But he thinks it was good idea. It could divert her mind and keep her busy, plus the cover of the book said it could help one relax. So he guess it would be a good investment.

She returns the favor by cooking. And damn he has got to admit, she cooks well. She tells him it was the least she could do for him, given that he had provided her with more than a shelter from the storm, both literal and metaphorical and he smiles though a grimace hoping against hope that one day she realizes that she was worth it. Her staple dishes were baked goods. It was cinnamon rolls and baked omelets for breakfast, the occasional chicken mushroom pie for lunch and salads for dinner. Kunj blames her for his weight gain.

But despite all this normalcy, despite all the brave front she managed to glue on her face, Kunj yet could see the cracks in her soul. Because she might not know it but he can hear her trying to muffle her sobs under the spray of the shower at midnight. Because he can see the dark bags under her eyes that only come from lack of sleep. Because he can see her trying to hide the black and the blues of fading bruises under clothes that were a little too big for her.

He gifts her a fern in a weak attempt to lighten her spirit but more than that he gifts it to her just to make himself feel better. He didn't know how to talk about feelings and with Twinkle he didn't know where and how to start even, he didn't know the boundaries of their relationship and was afraid that confrontation would only trigger her. So he takes the materialistic approach-a gift to calm both their minds.

And to his surprise it works!

How?

Because his phone rings at 1.30 in the night on a Wednesday and he doesn't have to pick up to know who was calling. "Hello?" the customary line muttered in his sleep filled baritone.

"I don't think I am coping well." A straight forward response uttered in her sharp voice.

It's the perfect opportunity to bring up the topic, he thinks and he rubs the little sleep that had gathered in his eyes. "Tujhe aisa kyu lagta hai?"

"Kyuki main adhi raat ko shower mein ro- ro kar thak gayi hoon, kyuki mujhe so na hai, par mujhe dar ke maare neend nahi aati, aur kyuki main bas- I am tired of it all. It's time to move on"

"I think it's time to move on too." He agrees and is glad that they are having this conversation on phone because the smile that stretches on his face would have been slightly awkward in this situation. "Toh kaha se start kare?"

And in true Twinkle essence she tries to lighten up this situation too. "I think mujhe apne naye housemate, Kunj se help lena chahiye."

He can't help smiling now, "Acha? Aur who teri help kaise kar sakta hai?"

She hums, in thought before replying. "Shayad mere saath ice cream kha kar."

"Ice-cream? Iss waqt?"

"Haan. Aur you don't worry. Kunj bahut acha hai, woh maan jayega."

He gives out a thoughtful hum, "Tu badi confident apne iss Kunj ke baare mein."

And she giggles and says that she was. "Kyuki who bahut acha hai. Aur agar maine usse kaha ki, ice-cream would make me feel better toh woh mere saath ice-cream jaroor khayega."

"Acha?"

"Haan ji!" She says defiantly. "Lagi shart?"

"Theek hai." Because he was never one to back away from a challenge. "Aur jeet ne wale ko kya milega?"

"Haar ne wala jeet ne wale ko coffee par le jayega."

It was a simple deal and both knew that the bet really had no loser. It was a win-win situation. So he doesn't think twice before sealing the deal. And just as soon as he does, there comes a knock on the door.

"Haan?"

"Kunj ice cream khaoge?" her voice comes from the other side.

"Abhi?" he asks, sprinkling a little dramatic flair in the deal.

She doesn't respond for a while, and when she does, her voice is low and hesitant. "Haan-mujhe laga ki- chalo chodo. Koi baat nahi."

And he is stripping away the sheets that are tangling his feet and pulling over a shirt over his head in a hurry, trying to get to the door before she gets back to hers. "Rukh!" He screams just as she places her hand across her door handle. "Cookies and Crme ya Strawberry cheesecake?"

She bites down on her growing smile and answers "Dono"

So that's how they end up sitting on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table, sharing Bens and Jerry's from a bowl that was too big to be serving two. And of course she had to sprinkle crushed M&Ms over the cookies and crme because she swore it bought out the cookie flavor more and of course that meant that he too had M&Ms in his ice cream.

"Toh Saturday same time, same thing?" she asks grabbing the now empty bowl and walking towards the kitchen sink.

"Mmm, actually main Saturday ko thoda busy hoon. Meri ek dost ko coffee date par le jaana hai." The first sentence of his had deflated her spirit a bit but then the stress on coffee and dost boosted her back up and she tried oh so hard to keep their pretense going but man, it was difficult and she had to let out that Gigawatt smile before her heart exploded in elation.

"Haan, right! Main toh bhool hi gayi thi. Mujhe bhi mere dost ne coffee par bulaya hai. Silly me!"

And that's really the end of the night, both of them retiring to their respective rooms.

The coffee date was extra ordinarily uneventful but enjoyable nonetheless. She went for the unexpected choice of Americano and he went for the caramel frappe. She devoured a red velvet cupcake while he consumed the more tame butter croissant. The only surprisingly highlighted event of the date was Twinkle pulling out a pencil case from her purse and emptying its contents on their table. Faber Castell's and Lyra's colored pencils fall out in a mess-she isn't bothered by. Next she pulls out the coloring book he had given her. And while this hadn't bothered her either, Kunj had his eyes popping out of his head. She pushes some of the colored pencils towards him, flips up the books, turns a few pages back and forth, and shoves the book mid-way to him before starting to color. She is successful in getting a few strokes in before she notices the lack of action from Kunj.

She raises an eyebrow in question.

He gapes his mouth open and close a few times in response.

"Kya?"

"Hum yaha par, iss waqt coloring karegey?"

She fails to see the reason for his hesitancy and reluctance. "Haan."

"Sabke samne?"

What's the man's problem? It's just coloring. "Haan...toh?"

Kunj doesn't fail to see her lack of care. She had her mind set on coloring in a caf and she was going to stick to it. Self-image be damned. He decides to try her way, self-image be damned, and picks up the violet colored pencil.

To both their utter surprise they had spent 5 hours coloring, had 3 cups of coffee and 2 slices of cakes and croissant. The orange dawn of the day was now a black blanket of the night.

"Shit! Its 9!" She exclaims. "Hum yaha paach ghante se hai! Where did the time go?"

He for the first time he agrees to the saying Time flies when you are having fun'. He tells her this.

And that's how they end up talking about the relativity of time and space on their walk back home. And Mr. Hawking and Interstellar and how they biologically would grow and yet they wouldn't. A playful argument break out amidst them, a simple bicker. They agree to disagree and end the conversation in a mighty, tummy aching laugh when Twinkle quotes that Relativity of time is best proven by seeing which side of the bathroom you are on.'

She is back on her couch routine. Every morning he wakes up to find her dozing on the couch of their living room, the television playing Sponge Bob Square Pants on low volume. He finds this state of hers utterly endearing. She in her pink Minnie mouse shirt and black sweat pants, her smile ever so slightly open, and the M&M top clutched against her chest in a mighty hold. She almost looks like a child. She is a child-in her heart. He wakes her up with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and eggs. And she wakes his spirits up with that smile of hers.

This turns in a routine until the crick in her neck is back again, this time with more vengeance.

"Waise tu apne kamre mein kyu nahi so ti?" he asks over the breakfast.

She stuffs a spoonful of Strawberry oatmeal in her mouth to buy more time. "Raat to Sponge Bob aata hai na, isliye. Kab woh dekhte-dekhte so jaati hoon, maalum hi nahi padhta!"

He hums, almost convinced, but not quite. "Sponge Bob sirf Monday aur Thursday ko aata hai." Fact stated. Criminal caught.

She looks down at her breakfast, embarrassed. She thought she had interestingly defused the situation. But she hadn't and now, she was left with no option but to admit defeat and spit out the truth. "Mujhe raat ko darr lagta hai. Issilye living room mein TV dekhti hoon jab tak mein so na jao."

He sleeps with his door unlocked that night, after clearly instructing her to wake him up if she ever needed it. She sleeps in her room that night, only convince him and herself that she was brave enough to sleep on her own. Come morning and she agrees to herself that she wasn't.

He keeps his door unlocked the next night too, despite her stubborn protests.

But he wakes up to the smell of Sweet Magnolia, hair on his face and a Twinkle, curled up in a fetal position by his side and that dearest M&M toy of hers sandwiched between them.

He doesn't ask her how in the world she got into his bed without even waking him up, nor does he ask her why. And she doesn't explain either.

Now, this became a routine that he didn't mind at all. Every night, Kunj would fall asleep on an empty bed-his bed. And magically wake up with a Twinkle next to him. He now addresses his bed as theirs in his mind.

"Woh Mr. M&M ka har raat tere saath hona zaroori hai kya?" he teases her one fine day. Mr. M&M was the only thing in between them in the dark of the night that kept Twinkle from hugging him.

Twinkle seemingly unaware of the mocking nature of the question answered a definite "Haan! Woh mera sabse important gift hai, aise kasie uske bina sojau?"

It melts his heart to hear that and guilt wells him up for ever mocking her attachment to that toy he had gifted her.

She decides to start working again, once the bruises from her face fade. She tells him the same over Rocky Road ice cream. "Par kaha?"

"Newspaper mein ek Assistant architect ke liye AD dekha, toh socha main apply toh kar ke dekhu. Meri Degree kuch toh kaam aaye."

His mind protests wildly, thinking she wasn't ready to face the world yet. What if something triggered her and he wasn't there to calm her down? What if someone bullies her at work and he isn't there? There were endless what if's running through his mind but amidst all that, his heart whispers You are scared. Not her'. It was true. He was scared because what if he isn't there to protect her, to calm her down, like that one time he was out for a run, and Twinkle had a panic attack after being triggered by CSI: Miami. What if, she needed him and he wasn't there?

But she needed this. Twinkle was an independent girl and the last thing he wants to do his hold her back because of his petty fears and concerns. Plus this was a great opportunity to get her social equilibrium back. She would make new friends, socialize and keep her mind of the rough stuff. Kunj placates his heart after doing a thorough research on the firm.

He insists on dropping her to the firm on her first day too.

"Are you sure, main tujhe andhar tak drop karne nahi aao?"

And she chuckles before realizing that he was serious about it. She quickly sobers up at that and her eyes soften. "I need to do this alone. I need to learn again." He understands.

She places her hand over his that was on the gear shaft, makes sure he looks at her and then mouth the sincerest of Thank you'.

Turns out he had nothing to worry about because she comes home smiling and giddy with happiness, chatting like a child back from an adventure trip. She fills him in on all the details of the firm, her work and her colleagues over dinner and then the crossword from New York Times.

She buys him a watch with her first salary. A Daniel Wellington at that, threatening to quit her job if he doesn't accept it. He was only hesitant because she literally bought nothing for herself. All her salary went in that gift of his and the rest in her share of the apartment rent. He doesn't like this self-regardless nature of hers. She should have bought herself something nice, perhaps treated herself to a spa day but no! She was being terribly Twinkle and wasted all of her first income on him.

Normalcy was now defined as her sleeping with him, Chinese takeout on Wednesdays and coloring marathon on Saturdays. It was also him dropping her off at work every day, her placing delicate kisses on his cheek every now and then and furniture shopping.

It takes a rainy Tuesday, when Twinkle was working overtime for him to realize that she had officially moved in from the apartment into his heart. Life without her now was completely unimaginable now. Is this what love feels like?

Maybe...

Sid invites himself over one evening and Twinkle was ecstatic to finally meet Kunj's Best friend. She had taken a leave from work that day and devoted all her time to cook her best dishes for her best friend's best friend. And in some twisted sense Twinkle felt like she was actually seeking Sid's approval of being considered Kunj's-NO! She was thinking too much. She was not Kunj's girlfriend!

And yet she would mind even if she was...

Well Sid turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He had consistently complimented Twinkle on her cooking, on her amazing company and most importantly turning Kunj's pathetic bachelor pad in to a home-a stylish one at that. He was also dropping subtle hints to them that they were basically made for each other. Things like "Yaar, Twinkle ne toh teri life set kar di hai." Weren't very subtle hints, were they? So, much of the night was either spent in merry laughter or going down in obvious blushes.

But at least by the end of the night Kunj had one thing decided. He was going to propose to Twinkle. They basically were sharing a room and a bed. They ate together, she cooked for him, managed his house and he cared for her and looked after her. This definitely wasn't something house mates do. This was more than that, clearly.

But the question remained, when and how and if Twinkle was ready. However, despite all the questions and self-doubts Kunj found himself staring at the shining shelves of Tiffany and Co. distantly listening to the store employee tell him the difference between a Cushion Cut and a Princess Cut. He forgoes the traditional marquise and settles for a long piece of diamond embedded on a platinum band-the employee tell him that it was an Emerald Cut. He likes it and he thinks Twinkle will like it as well.

He stuffs the black velvet box in his coat pocket and makes his way back home. His pocket feels a million times heavier when he notices Twinkle in the kitchen. He quickly excuses himself to the bedroom and stashes the box in his drawer under a layer of socks.

A week passes by. His plans of proposing and the ring somehow escape his mind.

They were having dinner one fine night and Twinle for some reason was horribly jittery. Kunj had asked her if everything was fine, if something was bothering her at work but she just shakes her head and smiles. He decides that it's best if he lets go, trusting her to tell him when she was ready to.

But then she throws down the napkin on her lap and lets out a frustrated groan. "Ughhh! I can't take it anymore. Kunj mujhe tumse kuch kehna hai."

Taken aback by this sudden outburst he says "Haan, bol."

And as soon as he does, she gets down on one knee and pulls out a black box from her pocket. A bold platinum band and a shy confession.

He says yes.

He says yes by running to their bedroom and coming back out with his ring for her.

And that's their love story. Where it all began with a Hello'.

THE END.

I am kind of devastated to end this. This story has been really close to my heart and now to write The end' brings me to tears. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so must this. All I can hope now, is that you all liked this story as much I did.

Please comment and let me know.😊

Originally posted by: SweetSau

Oh god this was wonderful!

I'll give you a detailed comment after I come back from my walk!

Originally posted by: Sdea

OH MY GOD okkk i don't know how i missed reading this story and i am sooo glad i missed and read both the updates together because i couldn't have waited for the second part.

Its been such a long time that i cried reading a story and am so overwhelmed i can't even decide what to write.

This was purely amazing. You are such a great writer and i am literally speechless and now am rambling.

All i am going to say is you should really write more often.'Where it all began with a hello' - OMG gave me all sorts of feels and reminded me why i always loved reading.Its beautifully written and i loved it.

Originally posted by: .Anjum.

Really vvv osum dear😳

Excellent :)))

Wished you continued more

Greedy me u know 😆

Originally posted by: neverlandspirit

Hhahaa...

Thanks dear!!

Unfortunately this is where I end this story. But the good news is ill be writing new stories really soon.

Hopefully you like them as much as you liked this😉😉

Thanks again😃