Past stories:
-Home Is Where The Heart Is (OS)
-The Cold (OS)
-Sazaa (OS)
-Forever (OS)
- Behind The Mask (12 Parts, Complete)
-Pagalpan (OS Series, 3 Parts, Complete)
Part 1: Missing His Madrasan-
Raman tapped his fingernails on the table, where could Ishita be? She visits him in hospital then leaves without a word and when he tries to apologise for the way he spoke to her, he gets nothing.
He failed to understand how she went from being at the same place as him all the time, to avoiding him like the plague.
Picking up his phone, he threw himself back on his chair and dialled her number
Ishita looked down at her phone, her thumb skimmed over the reject call button, then tapped the accept call button
"Hello Mr Bhalla"
Raman sighed in relief, how good it felt to hear her voice, soft and melodic, comforting his raging heart
"Hello are you there"
"Yes, sorry im here, im just calling to say I miss you"
Ishita smiled, sitting up in her bed "miss me" she asked
"What I mean is, I dont see you around very much, when I am used to seeing you it makes my life feel" he paused, scratching the back of his neck
"Incomplete" Ishita suggested
"Something like that, so Im calling to invite you to a party at my house tonight"
"Sorry Mr Bhalla, I cant make it, I have to host a party of my own"
"Then, then I will come to you"
Ishita wasnt sure what to say to that, there would be no party at her house, and Raman would know that if he came
"No, uh its for close friends only"
"Am I not a close friend" Raman asked, dejected
She wanted to scream, scream to the world that he was her husband but what was the use if he didnt remember
"Theres a place I can meet you, its an after hours cafe and the booths have no light, so we sit in darkness "
"But then I can't see you"
That was the point, if she couldn't be seen, she wasn't breaking the promise
"Do you have to see me to know I am there"
"I guess not" muttered Raman
"Mr Bhalla, one last thing"
"Yes"
"You are more than a close friend"
Raman didnt get a chance to reply, Ishita had cut off
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Ishita sat down in the booth, the darkness made her eyes hurt, she heard Raman's footsteps nearing her, he went to slide in but knocked his knee on the corner of the table and swore under his breath
"Woah, are you okay"
Raman laughed it off "Im fine, how have you been"
It was strange how just being near him could set her whole body on fire, it was a burning heat that travelled in her blood at just his mere presence, like up until this moment all of her feelings and emotions had been suppressed, now coming alight as he got closer
"Ive been good, hows work"
Raman's fingers itched to hold her hand, slowly he moved his hand around until it knocked hers and he held her small hand in his, fitting together like they belonged.
"Work is good, where have you been"
Small talk never really was Raman's thing, but for her, he would do anything if it meant just being in her presence
"Busy, you know how it is, how is Pihu"
"Shes great, misses you a lot" what he didnt say was that he missed her to
Ishita looked down at her watch, pressing the button on the side of it, it lit up, she had to leave and become Shanno. "Im sorry Mr Bhalla, I have to go"
"But you've only just"
Raman's hand felt cold once Ishita had pulled her hand away
Raman looked down at his empty hand and clenched it into a fist, the sound of Ishita's footsteps walking away more painful as they drifted
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Ishita put the last of Raman's shirts away, Raman walked in, brushing his hand through his hair roughly he threw his keys and wallet on the bed and jumped onto the sofa
"Ive just cleaned and youre making a mess again, your shoes are muddy to" her accent thick as she lowered herself and started to remove one of his shoes
"What are you doing" Raman asked, shocked he tried to pull his foot away
"Just let me do it" she tried again, but Raman trying to pull his foot back and Ishita tugging his shoe made her fall back
Covering her face properly she groaned "Shanoo, are you okay, what was the need to pull my shoe off, I could have done it"
Raman pulled her up and she rubbed her head
"You messed up my clean floor"
Raman sat back down and laughed "I didnt know you cared for the floor so much"
"When I spent all my time cleaning it, I dont want it to be a mess again"
She pulled his shoes away from the sofa and moved them, then cleaning up the mud she tossed it in the bin
"From a woman's perspective, what does it mean when you avoid a man"
Ishita smiled "Maybe she likes the man, maybe she is embarassed or nervous or maybe she doesnt like the man"
Raman slapped his forehead with his hand, women were complex creatures and he vowed from this day onwards he would never try to understand again
"Why are you asking"
Raman shrugged "Just a random question"
"Hmm, seems like this is about your Ishita"
His Ishita, he liked that
"Shes avoiding me Shanoo, I dont know what to do"
"Seems to me like youre falling for her" Ishita sung before walking out of the room
"Absolutely not" Raman shouted but Ishita had already left the room
It was time he found out once and for all why Ishita was trying so hard to be so far away from him
9