They walked back home with Khanak responding in monosyllables to Shaantanu's futile attempts to make her spill out the truth.
He still didn't get it why she all of a sudden had started acting all aloof and strange.
Finally. he too gave up.
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Shayeri had rushed to tell her about the two the moment she heard a bed creak...Auntie had woken up.
"He took her out!!" Shayeri literally sang.
"What?" Auntie was still getting up..
"Shaan took Khanak out for spending alone! Gosh! These two are such lovebirds!" her eyes gleamed with happiness.
Auntie sat up...eyes wide with surprise, "Don't tell me!! They meet after 10 years like they are meeting after 10 hours?"
"Hmm!" Shayeri still seemed to be in her dreamland..
"Oh dear! Even I couldn't ever expect these two to be so much in love!"
"'Love' hai Auntie...aap nahi samjhoge" she teased.
Auntie pretended to be offended, " Don't come asking me for guy-advice from now then!"
Auntie and Shayeri chatted away like two teenagers discussing their first crush. The bell was an interruption.
"Must be them! Go!!"
Just outside the gates, he held her by the shoulders and looked staright into her eyes.
"I can't force you to tell Khanak. But I deserve to know in case the reason is me."
"You need to see the reason yourself, if you really care that is." she walked towards the door and pressed the bell.
"I care? You're acting unreasonable Khanak!" he followed. He wanted to say more but Shayeri opened the door...
Khanak swiftly made her way towards the bedroom only stopping to bid goodnight to Auntie on the staircase. Shayeri and Shaan still stood at the doorway perplexed.. failing to answer Auntie's query "Did something happen?"
As they all sat in the drawing room...Shaan told them about their conversation and everything that had ensued.
It was a while before anyone spoke. And when she did, Shaan gave her one of his "Are-you-in-your-senses" look.
Shayeri suggested while handing Shaan his coffee, " You need to woo her all over again."
"This is ridiculous!" Shaan declared.
"Arre! You want her back, right? And she is angry and upset, so don't you get it?"
She looked at Auntie for supporting her argument...and she did.
"Shaan, she isn't just angry with you..she is angry with herself too..Upset because she had hoped once she meets you, everything would fall in place for her...she didn't realise that so much time has passed and you two have become distanced. There is a difference in the way both of you have been brought up. difference in the ideologies or simply in the way you approach each other. It's not a fairytale romance, Shaan....What did you think, a childhood love story?" she smiled as she added the last part as an afterthought.
"We don't have an option, Shaan! Khanak is a girl...all girls like all this" Shayeri again tried convincing.
"Khanak always wanted to be loved" he nodded at her comment..Auntie continued," So, if you know it, you give it to her too!"
"Still I would 'typical girl' " Shaan murmured earning a glare from the two ladies.
"I've always loved her! If I didn't love her so much I wouldn't have waited all these years for her!"
Shaan tried reasoning but all in vain.
These two were hell bent on making him prove his love for her and as Shaan said before leaving "making his life more complicated than it already was"
While leaving, he told Shayeri as if he had just realised it," She is immature. Yeah!"
Auntie spared a glance at him and mumbled something that sounded very similar to "Look, who's talking!"
He talked to himself all the way back home...one point he considered going back and talking to Khanak without these two to interrupt...The car was subject to his anger and exasperation alongwith those on road.
He didn't spare his dinner either. He walked straight to his room, kicking off his shoes, threw his shirt in a lump and flopped on the bed.
"They are mad if they think I am going to do anything of this sort. I love her. I know it. She knows it too. She is the one acting girly."
A small voice whacked him "She is a girl Shaan."
He adjusted his pillow lying down to sleep not before deciding to "give her sometime to get back to normalcy"
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Khanak had cried herself to sleep..not bothering to even change or switch on her night lights.
Auntie and Shayeri peeped in...saw her buried into the pillow lying flat on her stomach.
"I'll take care of her..Shayeri you need to work with Shaan.."
"He is such a guy Auntie! Stupid. Doesn't he understand his Khanak as he calls her?" she did the quote unquote movement.
"Both are acting stupid dear...they both acted immature and blind in love....didn't realise so much time had passed..they had grown up and....changed. They will fall in love all over again..I just hope they never get into their past."
Shayeri looked at her.Auntie appeared serious for some reason. She dared to ask, " Why?"
"Its painful." that was all she revealed before hugging Shayeri goodnight and retiring to her room.
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Shaan woke up after an hour or restless turns, switching sides and changing postures.
"I won't get sleep today. Am so sure! This girl will be the death of me! Maybe those two are right...I should try and win her back again...back? She was always mine! How can I win back somehting that has always been mine? Shaan, you're losing it. You should've never fallen in love. It's all such a mess. Khanak has also changed. But Khanak is still my darling! I still love her more than anything." a softness spread over his face.
Read the letter.
The last thought intrigued him..the voice seemed to come from within him. Confused and unsure, he got up.
Following the advice, he went to his briefcase, took out all his files, removed the newspaper that covered the bottom...fishing out a yellow sheet of paper...the ends torn...opening it...careful to not tear it from the folds and sat down on the floor itself to read.
Khanak!
I hate missing you!! Dad has shifted me to this new school here in Ooty. It is such a horrible place...I hate everything about it! And the worst part is, he didn't let me meet you for even one last time..I couldn't even explain Khanak!
I miss seeing you in the mornings when that stupid bell goes off..I miss you in this class and the fun we used to have...I miss you seeing in the afternoon..I miss you 'cuz there is nobody to say goodnight to.
We had each other for so long and suddenly we're drifted apart..it all feels so incomplete..
I know that they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I go to bed with tears every night waiting for the moment I can hear from you. I don't know this feeling - I have never experienced it. I want you by my side. I could never get tired of being near you whether on the phone or talking in person. I miss you more than words can say.
I love you.
Shaantanu.
It was a short letter...but he still remembered the day he had written it..Tearing away atleast 4 drafts before he had finally written this one..and then one phone call from Dad had drained him of all the courage to post it and await a reply.
It was again the same day, he felt, they were apart...and unknown of the reason of being so. He had tears, the paper was smudged again...it was the same everytime he read it.
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