The window to the room was opened welcoming cool breezes , as prerna sat in the middle of the room on her bed . She wore her pajamas , her concentration sitting on her eyebrows. She held a knitting cloth , between the helms of a wooden handle. She continuously pierced needles in the cloth , taking it out at regular intervals , sometimes following a cross , and other times a simple line. She tried making some alphabet , or it was just a gateway to a more complex art piece. She had loved doing such things , and had yearned for a fashion designing course . Nobody at her house , ever , gave any attention to her developing interest , and she didn't blame them too, she herself hided it , trying hard to do well taking commerce . She was thinking of helping her father , all this time ,, but now when he is no more , and for the fact she has already completed her B.com , she has filled a form for a fashion designing institute , again keeping it conspicuous. She has started taking tutions , at home and that is enough for sustenance . This has been her story for the past 5 months . She has moved on , quiet a lot . But still she sometimes sees him sitting across the couch . sometimes drinking tea from her cup . Period.
"thud!!" a voice came from the background , earning a grunt from prerna. She walked fast in small installments , still recovering from her inertia. " you be at your place ..." she instructed the non-living. While turning around her eyes fell on the calendar . 27th May – the date circled . Usually such things signify an upcoming important event , and this case was not different too. She smiled , looking down , blushing like idiots. If one day she had a chance on writing her autobiography , she will keep a separate chapter for this date . A lot happened that day . It has been two years now. Nada, nah , not two years but 1 year 300 days, yeah .... She thought to herself , her calculations were not good at all, but do you forget the day you were reborn with a new personality altogether , not really . "I love you ..." she whispered , and closed her eyes. She felt him standing next to her , making circles on the date as her eyes darted themselves in his . Ghosh ! she could smell his hair . This creeped her out sometimes . "Do you ?" she asked him , and all what he did was to nod in affirmation , and she giggled her way along.
knock ! , a sudden voice on the door bought prerna back to real world . She asked her mother to come in , it was a routine. Veena stood with a glass of milk , passing a sly smile to her daughter. "Something happened out there ?" she questioned her mother . Veena came close to her daughter , and tucked up some photographs in her hand. "decide on something ! its high time.." saying these words she vanished from the room , obviously , trying to avoid any excuses from prerna.
Prerna shooks her head , as she rushed through the photographs of youngsters , -nah, wait a minute – prospective grooms, before finally setting them inside her bedside drawer .She would tell her mother , as usual , that she didn't like anyone of them . Shivani's wedding has been a great success , and she couldn't thank god enough . But sometimes , she was jealous . What to do , its human nature . her hardships has been fruitless. It served her nothing but lonliness. She has dreamt of her life with anurag – an imperfectly perfect life . but she got nothing , and it hurts like an extra cover on your nail bed.
her phone buzzed beside her . it was her sister . "shivi !" she exclaimed . "Di!" shivani's voice earned a nod from prerna. " Ma , told me about the photographs , please Di , give them a chance ...." Shivani pleaded , as she really wished for her sister's happiness. Prerna had adopted a weird attitude since her marriage broke last year. She had gone back to her studies and work as if nothing happened. Everything happened so fast , but so low beat. It looked as if it was their mutual decision to not live together anymore . Shivani knew , it was mohini Basu , who had planned this up . Veena also was at peace with this decision , all she had wanted was respect for her daughter , which was clearly lacking in basu bari . But since then Anurag and prerna have really cut themselves from their families. They were not worth there attention. Two lovers , who were never at peace. Veena cried a lot with shivani , she had never expected such a change in her daughter. Maybe she could have supported her , but now she could do nothing to break the wall. Time heals- and veena was just waiting for a miracle. " You know it all shivi ...." Prerna retorted after a pregnant pause , and suddenly swiped left.
"How many times will I tell them ......" she sighed before going back to her work.
"everything's fine !" her phone buzzed with a whatsapp message. its Mr. Bajaj. Prerna smiled a bit . He has been a companion now. A big businessman , but a soft human , Mr.Bajaj. He had tried to take over Anurag's business. He says , he is in love with me - and that is why he left his dream of taking over Basu publications. Because all he had wanted was - My Happiness. This all happened during my marraige days. I was a bit disgusted by his this behaviour but he never crossed the line. After i got divorced , he has emerged as a lovely friend . He knows how to respect me , never has he offered me piles of money- which he obviously -had in tons - but just support.
"Fine to infinity...." i messaged back.
Mohini Basu sat on her dining table as she looked into empty food plates lying near her . She had never felt this helpless before . The clock struck 11:45 to be precise . Anurag didn't have a scheduled time to come back home , but still he ranged it between 12 to 1am . He has been a mystery since the last 1 year , she was unable to get any of his feelings right. And now , the worst part was he avoided her in his best possible ways. Good mornings has no warmth left now, and she could could easily see through his fake smile. He and prerna had come to her , announcing there break out from the wedding . She hasn't been more happy. But still it looked as if there was no spat between them . Their love just seemed to increase with each word they said about not going ahead with this marriage. They were standing together , holding hands, looking into each other as if nothing else mattered. At that time Mohini was hit really hard. Suddenly as if she wanted to know the reason of them getting separated . But her greed to get Prerna out of their lives were so high , that she chided anything which would divert her towards second thoughts.
Anurag entered the Basu bari , almost rushing , trying not to notice his waiting mother. Pretending , was difficult when he was so tired . Mohini didn't try and call him. She followed him through her eyeballs till he disappeared in his room. She sighed , as she herself arranged the plates in a pile and left for her room.
Anurag came out in his night suit. His eyes red of the work load he bore all day long. He is thankful to it , or else it would have been very difficult to survive , all alone without Prerna.
But still he found her everywhere.
When he looked in the mirror to check if the triangle of his tie was perfect or not , she would do it for him, and he could smell her.Sometimes in the middle of the night there was an unexpected warmness around even when degrees dropped outside – he knew she was there. He would keep his eyes closed and tight, early in the morning , so that the sunrays touching his lids , would feel just like when she touched him. 27th may . his eyeballs stuck with the calendar . its coming soon .
27th may , he thought , the day of their first love confession. It was beautiful . Away from any tensions , or better to say , away from the reality of life they had confessed that they loved each other . more than anything they had wanted each other. And then there were a series of meetings and dates away from the family eye. Going back and thinking about this looked a mistake now. They should have involved their families too , from the very beginning. This may look a bit too outdated – thinking its all love that matters. But as they were so connected to their respected homes – they should have told them already. They were really star crossed lovers. Nothing got perfect anytime. Everytime people had problem with their relationship. They tried creating spat between them , thinking that they would fight and get divorced . But before everything ruined them and their families to the core they decided to put it off.
27th may : 4p.m
Prerna's phone buzzed , as her students noticed it . " Concentrate !" she ordered them before excusing herself for a few minutes. The number was unknown but she knew who it was. She swiped right , and stood rooted to her place her breathe going uneven . It has been so long ....she thought to herself. She could hear his breathing too. Her eyes turned into curves , as she nodded her head. There was nothing left to say. "anurag...." She tried thinking of something she didn't know about him . But she didn't find anything .
Anurag was perplexed hearing his name. He didn't expect to hear her voice . " I don't hate you...." She continued as a lone tear escaped escaped his eye. "I don't hate you tooo...." He replied. " we just hate our love I guess, it's , it's just so painful....." she held a cloth piece crushing it in her hands. "yeah world is a cruel place , they would have teared us apart completely...." Anurag inferred . " Hmmm.... Better to stay away but stay together....." she , said , smiling on the irony , as he nodded too. And then there was an instant cut in the call. " your call is out of network coverage..." prerna heard this line , only to shook her head in complete disbelief . And then she believed that he might be thinking the same thing. Its true that they were not meant to be together.
"working income...." She wrote on the board. As the students copied it in there notebooks.
6pm
"Prerna !" rishab Bajaj entered the sharma nivas estatic. " good evening aunty..." he mumbled as veena smiled from the kitchen . "Prerna...." veena called her elder daughter , before offering Mr. Bajaj some water. Prerna came rushing down , as she was a bit surprised seeing Mr. Bajaj.
"Actually....Sneha , wanted to see you... so can we have dinner together...." he stammered a bit , which was quite a rare sight to acknowledge. Prerna passed a sly smile , raising her eyebrows. "Sneha!"
"yeah i mean..." rishab continued further.
"Prerna is coming...." Veena instructed . She really liked this man . He had everything she yearned for her daughter.
"Why only prerna ,aunty....why not all of you, shekhar , mahesh , suman ....i shall feel really happy."Mr. Bajaj insisted , and prerna couldn't help nut support his decision.
"I shall come ....For sneha...and ...." prerna teased him.
"and....." bajaj questioned.
"And for the food..." she laughed , as Rishab joined her in the deed.
time heals. May be 27th of this month , is a starting of something really new , yet again.
The END
Tell me how you liked it ! every type of criticism welcome!
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