Lekha (Completed)

Lekha 54

Long time guys ... Sorry for the long break. All I can say... it was unavoidable. ... but hopefully am back on track. Thanks for all your patience and still being there for Lekha :)

Seeing the Sheesh Mahal looking quite radiant exhibiting no after effects it had suffered due to passage of time, gave me a jolt. 'It's true...' whispered my heart. I had butterflies running amuck with nervous flutter inside my stomach. I felt too scared to look any further. My heart didn't want to accept the possibility of what now seemed like an established fact... "I had time traveled and things had happened".

I sluggishly started scrolling backward feeling uninterested in the photographs which at one time had excited me. I dreaded reaching 'the one'. It almost seemed like facing him again even though it was just a photograph. The pain which would follow was breaking my heart again in anticipation.

It was worse than I had predicted. My heart seemed to have stopped for a few seconds and I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. I exhaled loudly to regulate my breath as tears rolled down my cheeks. I had not realized how irrevocably I had fallen in love.

I quickly attached my camera to my laptop to get a larger view. It almost felt like he had come alive again and I could reach out and touch him. I hugged my laptop and howled my eyes out. I suddenly felt that I had committed a huge mistake by returning back into my time. I wondered if I could return back, whether the portal would actually work again and take me back to the same time line. There was also a possibility that I might just be too late and Rudra was already married to Roopmati.

The last thought killed whatever dreams my broken heart had started to build out of optimism. I didn't think I would be able to survive that scene. Better to stay here and move on with my life if that is what I had been fated to do.

I selected the best photo reflecting the personality of the man named Rudra and copied it on my pen drive. Cleaning up my face as best as possible so that people would not suspect me of being upset, I went in search of Vaishali to accompany me to the nearest printers. I had been strictly prohibited to go outside alone.

Thankfully I met Vaishali coming towards the room and we were able to go out of the building without much ado as it was still day. She seemed to have noticed the pinkish tone of my nose but didn't comment, for which I was grateful as I was not in the frame of mind to provide explanations.

It took half an hour wait at the printers and I got my precious photograph printed as a poster. Vaishali looked curiously at the poster but kept quiet about it. I wondered when the questions will erupt.

I didn't have to wait long as she quickly closed the door of our room as soon as we entered.

"Now tell me all Miss Lekha Singh Shekhawat ..."she narrowed her eyes at me and gestured towards the poster with her head.

I didn't answer her immediately but bought time by completing what was my top priority at that moment. I taped the poster on the wall facing the foot of my bed where I could see him first thing when I woke up in the morning and the last before I closed my eyes at night with a hope to meet him again in my dreams at least.

I stood staring at the poster as if that itself was going to force him to step out of it.

"Come on Lekha... say something. I am your best friend ... in fact your only friend. I know there was something dicey about the story you told everyone" cried out Vaishali impatiently.

"If I tell you then you won't believe me and maybe you will think that I am hallucinating"

"I promise I won't... " she said pinching her throat as a gesture of promise.

"Even if I feel... that you have gone bonkers... I Vaishali Singhania promise to keep the secret of my 'mental friend'...safe with me" she added with a smile.

Now that I was sure of the proofs I had, I felt that I could at least retell my little adventure to the best friend without feeling like a nutcase. I made her sit down and told her all, only leaving out the parts which I felt were too personal to be shared. I didn't want her pity. I even showed her the photographs I had clicked. Complete silence followed my confession and as I looked back at her, I found her gaping at me with her mouth open.

"Vaishali...What happened? Don't you believe me? "I asked softly, unsure of her reaction.

"You found.... love and had your first heart break without me?"

The first sentence she uttered after coming out of her trance made me smile and feel a bit happy that she at least believed me.

"That is what you come out with ... after hearing all?" I asked surprised.

"Oh... Lekha ... it must have hurt... I wasn't even there to comfort you" she said hugging me tightly. That got both our water works started once more.

"I missed you so much..." I cried.

"No... you didn't have time to miss me" she said smiling slyly and nodding towards the poster, trying to elevate the atmosphere.

We both sat and stared at the poster for a long while.

"What do you plan to do now?" she said breaking the silence.

"Nothing..."

"What do you mean by nothing? Aren't you going to try and at least return back" she said. I found it quite amazing that she was trying to convince me to vanish back to that era despite knowing that I might not return back again.

"No... I would not have come back if I had wanted to follow that path..." I answered sternly wanting both her and my heart to accept my decision and not try to weaken my resolve.

"Then why the poster...?" she said looking at me unconvinced.

I gazed once more longingly at the poster.

"I can miss him and love him from far... can't I?" I whispered with a sigh.

"This is madness... Lekha... I tell you ... you can't love fall in love with a person from history" she raised her voice in distress. "He is dead..."

Her sentence was interrupted midway with a loud slap on her cheek. My eyes went wide as I immediately regretted my reaction.

"Sorry ... sorry... I am so sorry Vaishali" I cried grasping her in a hug as she too seemed to be taken aback.

"You are really in love with him..." she whispered in awe.

I simply held her tight and cried my heart out. All the things I couldn't say till date to anyone came flooding out.

I didn't remember when I fell asleep feeling too exhausted after all the emotional trauma.

I woke up to the bright sunlight and a very hungry stomach. I found him looking down at me arrogantly trying to show disinterest but still a whiff of confusion could be felt in his eyes, as if wondering what I was up-to.  

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