"Are you alright?" her voice was sweet even when heard through the phone.
"Yes, I think so." He replied, smiling to himself.
"Where are you, at your flat?" she asked. He heard heels click swiftly and a faint beep as the elevator button was pressed.
"Yes." he replied. She disconnected the call and he waited for her to come. It took around half an hour to reach his place from hers but knowing her, it might even take less than 20 minutes. The memories of their past came flooding back to him as he stared at the ceiling, thinking. They worked in the same office, he the boss and she his immediate junior. They had spent endless nights together with no body for company except coffee mugs, laptops and files. They shared the common problem of insomnia and were termed as uncaring workaholics by their respective families. He did not know when they progressed from being acquaintances to being friends or how their conversations edged away from bar charts and annual reports to politics, films, jokes and philosophy. He opened up to her, indirectly but the understanding in her eyes clearly said that she was not to be fooled. He had never imagined that he would find an equal in a girl younger to him by about 10 years. He found unordered coffee and sandwiches on his desk when he was undergoing through divorce proceedings. She had turned up with movie tickets for the latest thriller on the day his wife remarried. He could not resist himself, flowing smoothly, allowing her to take the lead.
One night he was working late in the office and she was sitting across from him, helping him. His eyes fell on the clock that displayed 12 a.m. in boldly and then at her. Closing his file, he had asked her casually, "Sometimes the way you behave, I feel that you love me."
She looked directly into his eyes and replied, "Is it that obvious?"
He had intended it as a half joke and his face paled. She ignored his reaction and packed up his things for him. Holding out his bag, she said, "Don't think too much upon it, I don't want anything from you. Everything is great the way it is. Have a goodnight. I will text when I reach home."
She had walked out leaving him dazed. After that day, they never mentioned the night or the confession but a strange mutual liking intensified between them. And he knew that she was maybe the only person in the whole world who cared. And this was the sole reason why he called her up tonight. He heard the door open and looked at it. She stood in the doorway looking scared for the first time. She stepped in and the door swung shut behind her. He continued to survey her slender form as she walked to him and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his knee. Her large eyes were terrified.
"What happened?" he asked her grinning.
"You know that, not me."
"Well'"he couldn't continue as he knew it would break her apart.
She sensed it and looked around for proof and found it- the envelope containing his medical reports. She picked it up and opened it, going through the contents, while he gazed at her lovely face, taking in the minor changes in her expressions, how her brows came together and her lips quivered. He wasn't feeling sad or scared. Just concerned for her. Placing the papers back on the table she took a deep breath and said, "You can't leave like that."
"That's why I thought I should tell you." He placed his hand on her warm cheek. It was for the first time he had touched her like that. She shivered and embraced him. He embraced her back.
"I won't let you die." She whispered in his ear.
"I wish to" he said stroking her hair. "I had my share of happiness tonight. I don't think I deserve to live to enjoy anymore."
End Sur
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
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