To Love Again !!!

Chapter - 42

Abhay drove the car but he kept glancing at the sleeping figure in the passenger seat. He had realized about fifteen minutes ago that Amrit had drifted off to sleep. In the little light that was provided by the passing vehicles on the highway Abhay could see her face. It looked peaceful and she had a faint smile on her face as she slept on. Abhay smiled too.

They had had a wonderful day together. She had smiled a whole lot more than she usually did. Was that an indication that she was getting comfortable with him? Maybe. She was much more relaxed now than she had been before. As if she was starting to trust him, believe in him. He knew from being with her in the past three days that she was a very caring person. Warm and loving. Generous too but not when it came to forgetting or forgiving. She had changed his bandage in the morning and he had felt slight anxiousness. And all because he had been worried if something was wrong when she removed the bandage she wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Was he scared? No. But he remembered when she had said if anything happened to the stitches she wouldn't care for it. Despite that he knew she would. It was a complex contradiction in her nature. Just when you thought you had her figured out she would turn around and say 'try again'.

But he liked her. More than liked her. He could feel this strange emotion taking root inside him. Why did he worry for her? Why was he so concerned about her happiness? And he knew it had nothing to do with his failed first marriage. Not anymore. It was because he couldn't see her upset. Whether it was his nature or it was her he was still in the process of figuring it out. He thought about what she had told him when she had tried to open up yesterday. She didn't like Varun or Simrit primarily because they were pretentious and selfish and Simrit had been somehow responsible for Amrit's broken engagement. What had she done? He had been thinking about it since last evening but he couldn't come up with one right answer. Another question bothering him was why? No matter how selfish or hateful one was to go to the extent of breaking one's sister's engagement was stretching that emotion a bit too far. They were blood sisters not step sisters or cousins. Why would Simrit do that? Was she in love with that man? But then she had married the man she loved, Varun? Wasn't it? He knew the answer was hidden in his questions but it seemed he couldn't point it out.

He looked at Amrit again. She slept like a baby despite all the bumps from the road and the passing rush of traffic. She was tired. After all he had made her do, rock climbing today, as it is her legs had given her a headache yesterday what with all the walking she had done in excitement. In the morning he had challenged her and she had taken it up with just as much enthusiasm and she had proved she wasn't delicate at all though he knew she would complain come morning. She didn't work out so her muscles were only going to get more sore than they had been today. He had been surprised to see her in jeans and t shirt. She couldn't really climb the rock in a salwar kameez and dupatta she had said. He had always seen her in traditional suits but she had looked right at home in her western attire. And she had climbed that rock, though it had taken her an extra hour to finish it but she had. And he had admired her grit and determination. Later he had treated her to a nice lunch and after loitering around the mall road a bit they had started back.

It seemed he was on an adventure. Everyday brought new facets of her to light. How could anybody not see the person she was? There were so many layers to her it was unbelievable. And he was enjoying each one of them. The way her eyes shined when she was excited, or flashed when she was angry or the twinkle when she was smiling or up to mischief. She was a fascinating person and the most surprising aspect he was enthralled by that brain of hers. He had yet to meet a more intelligent girl. Her knowledge on the subject she taught and associated subjects be it history, theories or philosophy was amazing. He liked reading himself but the way she saw things and he did were almost always opposite. The shocker of course was that as and how he was spending more time with her he was realizing that he couldn't compare her to Natasha anymore. Because you really cannot compare two people that have nothing in common, no similarity whatsoever. And he hadn't thought of Natasha in two days.

Abhay hoped he would be able to get Amrit out of the little shell she was determined not to come out of. She tried of course to poke her head out but then she would go right back in the second something spooked her. He had hoped to learn more about her past today but she had resolutely refused to even think of the topic and he had let her be not wanting to spoil their first outing together. They had time. She was like a tight bud if you try and open it forcefully the petals would break, one needed to give care and warmth for it to unfurl on its own slowly but steadily petal by petal. And he intended to do just that.

The problem was destiny did not have much time and it seemed she was going to take matters in her hands soon if the two did not come clean.

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