I Am Guilty

26. Dilemma

Arjun stood by the window and looked at the trees swaying by the warm breeze.
With his hands in his pockets, he was trying to wrap his mind around the words of his mother. His was trying to put a meaning to Kunal's words too. But nothing was clear.

He turned around slightly when the door of his room was pushed open slowly and a head skeptically peeked in. He parted his lips in surprise when Bansi took a few silent steps in. She could see him standing by the window in the dark room.

She suddenly realized that he was not on the bed and froze on the spot.

"Bansi?" He called out and she visibly gasped.

He immediately walked to the bed and turned on the bed side lamp.
He looked at her and stood there holding her kurta in a tight fist.

"You did not sleep? It's late." He asked softly.

She licked her lips.
"I wanted to see you. I thought you must be sleeping by now."

He gulped.
"I came back in the afternoon, you could have come to see me all through the day."
He did not know why he felt like he could vent it out on her.

She blinked with misty eyes. She did not have the heart to say that she could see him hurt and so could not find the courage to see him.
But she chose to keep quiet.

He regretted saying those hurtful words. Stepping forward  he stroked her hair and a tear slipped from her eyes.
"I am fine."

She could hold herself no more and wrapped her arms around his torso and cried bitterly. Arjun too, engulfed her and stroked her back. She was the same scared innocent girl that he left behind.

"Don't cry, Bansi. I am really fine." He whispered.

She looked up at him with tearful eyes.
"Why did you come back, Bhai? You don't belong here. I am sorry, I messed up everything for you."

"Hey, calm down." He wiped her tears with his thumbs.
"It's not your fault."

"It is my fault. I shouldn't have told you anything. I shouldn't have contacted you in the first place." She sobbed harder.

He pulled back to his chest and gulped down the lump in his throat.
"At least I now know what exactly happened that night."

She cried again.
"I am sorry, Bhaiyya."

He pulled away and held her face in the hollow of his palms.
"Tell me, Bansi, do you regret talking to me?"

She blinked at him within her tears.

"Because, I don't."

He placed a kiss on her forehead and wiped her tears again.
"You are most beautiful thing happened to me. I can never be sorry for those stolen moments, Bansi.  You don't even know what those tine moments meant for me. It was like a splash of cold water on a tired dry day."

She could not help the fresh wave of sobs.
He stroked her for a long moment, until she calmed down.

He then pushed her hair behind from her forehead and chuckled.
"You are going to be the first doctor in our family. I am so proud of you."

Bansi looked up with now red puffy eyes.
"You too wanted to be a doctor."

He laughed, sadly.
"But you are living my dream. Study well and don't let anything distract you."

Bansi furrowed her eyebrows.
"Why do you sound like you won't be around?"

He shrugged his shoulders.
"Because I won't. I will leave tomorrow. After... After a few formalities."