UNREQUITED LOVE

New Beginnings

The panjiri was nearly on the verge
of completion, it's traditional nutty flavourful aroma gradually wafting through the air when suddenly the glass wall of the kitchen faintly glowed up, signaling someone's arrival at the other side.

"Bahar light on hue hai, lagta hai Shaurya aa gaya..." Ahir said and walked out of the kitchen with Anokhi's timid footsteps following him behind.

The other side as Shaurya stepped inside, it felt like a stranger to him
in his own house.

The once homely place now felt foreign to him. Shrouded in an eerie silence and bleakness, the surrounding gushed an unfamiliar sense of detachment on him.

He stood still there, taking in the unsettling silence for what felt like an eternity. It was the exact same place where things were pretty alive and vibrant the previous night but then things fell apart unknowingly.

With a heavy sigh, he extended his hand to find the light switch and suddenly, Ahir emerged from the shadows startling him. "Tu pagal hai kya Shaurya... bina bataeye kaha chala gaya tha..."

Shaurya went blank, clearly not expecting him and before he could have even processed his presence,
his eyes raked behind him only to be more startled upon finding Anokhi entering the place.

Shaurya felt time slowing down in that moment. Stood fozen at his place he was unable to fathom at what he was seeing right now.

In particular to the nasty things that had culminated this morning today, he had somewhere convinced himself anticipating Anokhi's absence beforehand but she hadn't left him, neither she had abandoned this home, this fact was harder than anything else to believe for him right now.

In that fleeting moment their eyes met but Shaurya faltered to hold back his gaze on her.

Averting from her, he cautiously
took few steps inside, his footsteps betraying, reflecting his unease as he was unable to face her, post what had transpired in the near past.

"Oh... hello Bhaisaheb mein aapse he baat kar raha hoon..." Ahir snapped his fingers in air to break the ice around....

"phone bhi off tha tera... pata hai Anokhi jee kitni pareshan ho gaye thi..." Ahir completed and Anokhi's eyes nearly bulged out of it's socket.

Yeah she was heck worried for him, but still this piece of info was never supposed to be shared with him.

She looked at Ahir, and back at him, only to find him already looking back at her.

A fleeting mutual gaze danced in that moment and both averted their eyes simultaneously.

"University gaya tha mein...."
Shaurya paused to gather himself while setting off his boots in the shoe rack and moved to his usual place on the couch....

"waha convocation ceremony ko lekar kuch pending kaam wrap karna tha..."

"Sunday ko...???" Ahir immediately shot him a death glare but looking back at him, he said nothing.

"Per tera phone kyu unreachable tha, aur bata ke jana chahiye tha na..." Ahir sighed asking again, why his friend has to act so reckless everytime.

"I forgot that in the car... Shaurya feebly muttered while reaching out for his sipper from the side table...

"and lower basement parking mein network issue rehta hai, Isiliye sayad phone not reachable raha hoga..."

"Aur bata ke jaata... kisse batata ke jaata bhai..." He casually shrugged while twisting the neck of the bottle and gulped down few sips of water from it.