secrets woven in moonlight

chapter 24

Purvi held onto kavin's shoulders as she was seated behind kavin on his bike, which stopped by a university campus, surrounding buildings of different academic institutions left and right. Purvi got down in front of the building for the department for physics and astrophysics, with documents and books covered up in her arms. Kavin took a glimpse of her once, after putting the brake on the bike. 

"ok then, all the best...." stated kavin as he genuinely smiled at her, and she too smiled back. 

"thanks...." replied purvi back, nervousness becoming too apparent as she looked around her surroundings, which kavin noticed. 

He was quick to place his hand on her shoulder, making her focus her gaze at him, and his keen gaze ended up meetings her astonished. 

"you'll be fine. trust me." stated kavin very calmly in a way that ended up being slightly reassuring, as purvi nodded blankly in agreement. 

"itna darro mat, college hi hai, bhoot bangla nahi...." joked kavin to lighten up her mood, as she only rolled her eyes at him, letting out a momentary chuckle. 

"honestly, i'm just scared i'll go in there and find out mujhe kuch nahi aata hai..." confessed purvi, letting her worries out, as kavin looked at her sympathetically. 

"trust me, mujhe office mein hamesha hi lagta hai ki mujhe kuch nahi aata...more often than not, woh bas mere dimaag mein hi hota hai...and in your case, i'm 100 percent sure baat wahi hai..." explained kavin with a straight face, as purvi just glared at her. 

"seriously yaar...tumhe agar kuch na aata tum yahan nahi hoti...just have a little faith in yourself." assured kavin, as purvi seemed a bit more convinced now of him. 

"ok then, i'll go inside, then let's see if you are right..." responded purvi, flashing a smile at him, waving him goodbye, before she turned back to walk away, while kavin smiled watching her leave. 

                                                               ***

The tea simmered in the pot placed on top of the flame of the gas stove, placed on the counter her hands rested, while she stared mindlessly, waiting for the tea to get ready. She seemed to be lost in her thoughtless emptiness when a sound from the back brought her back to earth. 

"ishita..." called dushyant, as ishita turned back to look at him immediately. 

"huh?" she replied in a perplexed state, as he sighed, knowing all too well what was going on. 

"kuch yaad aa gaya phir?" asked dushyant concerned, crossing his arms, standing in front of her. 

"woh...main jia ke liye doodh garam karti thi subha sabse pehle...ajeeb lag raha tha naa karna aaj..." replied ishita helplessly, unable to stop herself from drowning in the pool of grief inside of her. 

"mujhe toh yeh shaanti itni ajeeb lag rahi hai...." confessed dushyant, as ishita too just sighed deeply. 

"zyada der nahi rahegi...abhi bas dinn nikalne dijiye, kal joh dukh manake gaye hai, chaar logon ko batayenge, aur phir woh chaar log aur kuch log lekar aa jayenge...apne nakli aanson ke saath..." remarked ishita in disgust, as dushyant couldn't help but nod in agreement. 

"baatein banane ko chahiye hoti hai unhe....aa jaate usse dhoondte..." stated dushyant in a matter of fact way, as ishita just facepalmed herself in distress. 

Dushyant noticing this, thought of something, and after taking a while with it, he called her name, making her look upto him. 

"didi hai hi yahan...woh dekh lengi sabko....hum chalte hai yahan se...aaj ke liye..." suggested dushyant, as ishita looked at him hesitantly. 

"par kahan jayenge...hum..." asked ishita, as she let out a slight chuckle, surprised slightly. 

"kahi bhi...yahan abhi reh paane ki na tumhari haalat hai na meri..." expressed dushyant his thought, as ishita wondered for a second. 

"didi kya kahengi...matlab aise jaana...acha nahi lagega..." expressed ishita her hesitation, as dushyant just looked at him in disbelief. 

"acha toh abhi waise hi kisiko nahi lagne waala..." retorted dushyant, as ishita slightly chuckled. 

"trust me ishita, log aapna drama karke tumhe aur hi bura feel karwayenge...it's never worth it..." stated dushyant, serious in his tone, as ishita nodded in agreement. 

"theek hai phir par pehle chaye nashta karlete hai....ab bana toh di hai..." remarked ishita, turning back to the tea pot on the stove, as dushyant agreed. 

Nimrat, who stood behind the fridge placed right next to the kitchen, smiled coyly, as they had no idea she was listening. 

                                                                       ***

A serene and aquatic  green tiny waterbody with huge and green trees surrounding it on one side, and a grassland in the other, just a few miles away from the monument of Humayun's Tomb. 

 Ishita was just quietly observing the waterbody, feeling her tranquil breathes, comfortably spreading herself to be seated on the grass, when dushyant walked in, holding two glasses in his hand that she had no idea what for, handing her one, before seating himself beside her. 

"oh my god! yeh juice abhi bhi milta hai!" exclaimed ishita, slight joy erupting in her voice, making dushyant smile. 

"haan...thoda hi door hai thela bas..." pointed dushyant, as ishita took a sip from her glass. 

"thank you so much....i love it!" expressed ishita her joy, as dushyant just shrugged, taking a sip from his glass. 

"mujhe bhi shuru se pasand hai...in fact, mere ghar mein meri didi ko chodke sabko yahi waala juice pasand tha...isliye unhe yahan aana pasand nahi tha...toh jab bhi mera mann karta tha isse peene ka, toh papa mummy didi se chupake mujhe yahan laate the..aur main jaan bhujke na unhe chidhane ke liye batata tha ki mummy papa bas mujhe lekar gaye aapko nahi..." recounted dushyant, as they both couldn't help but chuckle. 

"achi yaadein hai iss jagah mein, isliye dukh zyada hone pe yahan akela aa jata tha..." admitted dushyant, his voice getting slightly heavy, as he looked over to ishita. 

"pehli baar laya hoon kisiko saath...aur....acha lag raha hai..." stated dushyant to ishita with a deep gaze and a light smile, as a wide smile crept up on her face. 

"toh ab hum yahan saath hi aayenge..." stated ishita, as dushyant nodded in agreement, their gazes still fixed onto each other.