Way To Home

Fourteen

"Now tell me, what happened? Why are you sulking so much?" Niharika asked Sunaina. They have come out for an icecream date after a long time.

Sunaina's pout increased. She lifted her eyes from her oreo shake and looked at Niharika. She pouted even more. Niharika slapped her hand, "Yaah, stop pouting and start speaking!"

"Ouch, you! Who beats her sad bestfriend yaar!" Sunaina complained rubbing her wrist.

"Me! Now tell me why my best friend's sad? Did her boss do something? Do I need to take his class?" Niharika asked.

"Yeah, like you will say a word to your husband. You only take his side. You whipped piece of sh.. Ouch! Why are you so violent woman!" Before Sunaina could complete the slang, Niharika slapped her other hand again.

"Actually," Sunaina started, "Arjun is ignoring me from last few days. I don't know what I have done wrong. But, he is not even looking at me. And it ... sighs... it is bothering me than it should. And I am worried."

"And ...?" Niharika prodded her to say more.

"You know, it feels like something is missing from me. I missing him way too much, which is making me wonder, do I like him? But, how is that possible, right? I hated him. I am very confused about my feelings." Sunaina hung her head low.

Niharika lifted the shake and inserted the straw in her mouth, and Sunaina started sipping on it again. Niharika started, "You heard about enemies to lovers trope right?"

Sunaina almost immediately countered, "But, we are not lovers!"

"Yeah okay, fine, not now. But you can be someday right." Sunaina again tried to counter Niharika's words, when Niharika stopped her, holding her hands, "Ssh, listen to me. Okay, I am accepting that you both are not in love, but you can be friends right. Only someone close can care for each other, right. Don't let your past stop you, Sunu. If his absence is making so much difference in your life, you should atleast confront him right? You should talk to him, and know what's wrong. Otherwise, the Arjun that brings chocolate icecream to your door at the middle of the night is not talking to you! This is something big right. Even if it's a misunderstanding, you should know to communicate and solve right. Okay, if you don't want to care for him, you should care for your peace, right."

Sunaina slowly nodded her head, contemplating Niharika's words.

Two days later.

Arjun went to the office roof for some alone time, with his coffee. The more he avoided Sunaina, the more Sunaina tried to cross his path, and the more he subconsciously hoped there might be something, and hence the more frustrated he gets. All these thoughts made him glare at the void and probably make a hole there, he was sitting on a bench, the intrusive thoughts made him almost crunch the coffee cup in his hand. Thankfully the cup was not of paper, or it sure would've crumbled with his force. He was itching for a cigarette, but he was abstaining from it, he can't make his asthma worse, he had promised Niharika he would try to become a better person.

Sunaina observed him from far for few minutes, before gathering all her courage to confront him.

She went and stand near him. Arjun's eye caught her feet. He didn't even have to lift his eyes to know that she is Sunaina. He got even more frustrated. He made a tsk sound and rubbed his temples. "Can't you leave me alone? What's wrong with you, Sunaina?" He asked in an irritated voice.

This voice was something new for Sunaina, she never heard such distaste in his voice for her. She gulped the invisible lump in her throat. She asked in a calm voice, "What's wrong Arjun? Why are you behaving like this?"

The gentleness in her voice made his frustration go a bit higher. "What's wrong with me? You couldn't stand me with in a feet of you, right? When I am giving you space, why are you so adamant to speak to me!" Arjun's voice rose a octave higher.

"I don't remember asking for any space." Sunaina said with the same gentleness.

Arjun's brain exploded. He stood up abruptly facing her, "What are you doing here, Sunaina? Stop messing around me." He tried to leave from there, his side towards her front, when Sunaina held his hand tightly, the one holding the coffee cup. "I am not going anywhere, neither you are until you are telling me what I have done so wrong that you don't even like to see my face."

Arjun's voice went very down, "Leave my hand, Sunaina."

Sunaina also replied sternly making her grip tighter, "No."

Warmth crawled from where Sunaina was holding his wrist, not liking it a bit, Arjun said more haughtily, "Why don't you go to your Shan Aman and leave my hand!"

He jerked his hand from her grip, and unknowingly his hot coffee spilled all over both of their hands.

Sunaina hissed in pain, making a 360° shift in Arjun's demeanor, "Shit, shit, Shit!" Arjun held her hand gently, dabbing the hot coffee with his sleeved arm, not caring about his own pain. He blowed over her hand. Sunaina's eyes filled with tears seeing Arjun so careful with her, this is what she missed the most, Arjun taking care of her without even asking.

"Is it burning too much?" Arjun asked looking at her. Her insides sighed, "Finally." Their eyes locked into each other. One teary, other worried. A beat passed between them, a wind blew through them. Arjun realised what he was doing, immediately regretting, "See! This is what you do! You make it difficult for me! You just hate me! Where me? I love you like a fool and even after trying so much to not love, I am still getting worried over you! This is what you do to me Sunaina! You love some author, but not me! And if I don't protect myself, you sure will break my heart. Hell, you are already breaking my heart, and I am letting you. So foolish of me."

Arjun was blabbering nonstop, venting out his frustration. But, Sunaina seemed to loss half of her consciousness after his "I love you like a fool" sentence. She looked at his face under the scorching sun, glowing with pent up anger. "He loves me?" She thought to herself. "Why is it making me so much happy and relieved?"

"Does your Shan Aman offer you lifts? Does your Shan Aman bring you icecream? Does your Shan Aman takes you to park? Does he!" At this point, Arjun was rambling.

"So you were just jealous?" Sunaina asked smiling.

"Jealous? I am furious! What so special in him that I lack ? No tell me!" Arjun brought her closer to his body unknowingly.

Sunaina just smiled a bit. "This is not amusing, Sunaina." Arjun warned her pointing his fingers towards her. Sunaina smiled more and kept her head on his chest shutting him up, making him stiff. She slowly encircled her arms around his waist, gently rubbing his back. She nuzzled her face his chest, whispering, "You scared me, you idiotic aubergine!"

This felt right to Sunaina. She didn't know why. But this was the only right thing to do. Arjun's heart was beating a mile per hour under her ear.

And Arjun was stunned. Warmth crept to his chest and bloomed in his entire body, and it has nothing to do with the hot sun above their head.

"This is not fair, Sunaina." His hands were still in the air.

"Everything is fair in love and war. We are playing both, Mr. Aubergine Singh." Her voice was muffled in his chest. His chest vibrated with her every word.

His frustration was melting up real quick. He lost the battle to stay sane, angry and straight. He wrapped his hands around her, hugging her even more tightly. He nuzzled his face in her nape, "I hate you." He whispered in her nape and tightened his hug. Sunaina gently rubbed his back and smiled at his words.