Lights, Camera, SHAKHI !!

35. Dreams turning into Nightmares?

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Next Day

After winding up the meeting with my PR team I was heading towards the exit but in between some visuals on the TV caught my eyes, it was Anokhi face covered with mask and googles but where is she going? then I heard few people whispering

"in fake controversies ki vajah se actors ki zindagi kitni mushkil ho jati hai na"

"khaas kar struggling actors ki, koi galti na hone ke bavajud ese criminals ki tarah chehra cover krke ghar se niklna pd rha h"

"aur ye society ke log bina kuch jane smjhe ghar khali krne ka notice de diya-"

WHAT!

I checked my phone, I had no missed call or messages from her, where is she going to stay? I called her but no response, what if she is going back to chandig- NO, she can't leave me like that, I ran to my car trying calling again and again then I tried Reema, she lives next to her she must have a clue about Anokhi's whereabouts, to my disappointment, she too didn't picked up but I instantly got a call back from her stating that they are at Varun's place

I reached at Varun's as soon as I could, he lets me in

"Anokhi?"

"She is inside.. with uncle... he... he had a panic attack"

"panic what!? when? he seemed healthy yesterday, kese hua ye? ab kese hai vo? mai milkar-"

"Shaurya wait! not now"

Everything was going over my head, first their departure from her house now this and I was kept uninformed all the while... Why?

"Aaj subha mujhe Anokhi ke flat owner ka call aaya, since mere through hi use vo flat rent pr mila tha, he told me that residents association was pressurising him to get tenants out of his flat so he gave his permission..."

"Aur jab mai vaha pohocha society ke log badtameezi se Anokhi aur uske dad se baat kr rhe the... I somehow managed to get them here safely but uncle's blood pressure got too high that he collapsed while getting out of the car, doctor came and treated him he is stable now"

"Why didn't any of you call me? I could've managed-"

"Worsen, you could've worsened the situation Shaurya!
I'm sorry... I know you love her, she loves you too but are you that blind to not to realise whatever wrong that's happening in her life is because of you!"

"Her dad came here, all the way from Chandigarh because of that news and is now in this condition"

"She got kicked out of her house because you visited her last night"

"She is in all this mess because God knows why you... you tried to molest some girl"

"And I don't know what more will go wrong if you meet her today"

He was forcing me to see the reality I've been ignoring all alone, and every word pricked my heart. I thought I was supporting Anokhi but it was the other way around, I'm wrong, I'm stuck and I'm holding her with me, this was all about me, but she was bearing it all. I was still not ready to face this, I wanted to stay in my reality but is that how everyone around me thought of me? Is this why yesterday, Anokhi's dad told me to let her alone? Is this why dad advised me to not to meet her? Because I was the root cause of all her troubles? I somewhere knew the answers are YES but still wanted to hear them.

"Y..ou you really think this is all because of me? You think I can molest someone?"

"Then prove it wrong already"

"Don't you think I'm trying Varun"

"You ain't Shaurya! if you were then you would've solved it already"

"She came here to live her dreams but now going back as if running away from her dreadful nightmares"

"Going back?"

"Yes she is going back to Chandigarh"

S..he she is going back to Chandigarh...

'-kyu takleef de rhe hai meri bachi ko'

'-kyu use niche khichna chahte h..'

'-whatever wrong that's happening in her life is because of you!'

'-mai janta hu uske aur uske sapno ke bich aane vale tum aakhiri insan honge'

She's going back because of me... mai uske sapno ke bich aa hi gya... sbka bharosa tod diya maine... I.. I had options to fix it but.. I chose to wait and see her suffer... This is not love... love is about being selfless but I'm the opposite of it. 

Do I deserve her love? Do I deserve to be loved by anyone?

"One last thing if you care to listen"

"Sometimes you have to step back to make them move forward"

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As he heard her coming out of the room, he took a step back and more till he got vanished in the darkness.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

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