Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 58. I just know

"Don't ever do that again, Sandhya. Stop worrying about others when they can't even trust you," he reprimanded.

"Sorry."

"And you don't have to apologise for what you did, okay? I didn't know the reasons that's why I was ignoring you but I knew you wouldn't have done something like that without any reason. I was just waiting for you to tell me."

"Thank you, Parth."

"It is okay. I am your friend. Stop crying now." He smiled at me.

Surbhi joined the hug and they both crushed me between them. They told me to tell them everything and if I ever kept a secret from them, they would never talk to me again. I hugged them more tightly when they said that.

I had already lost a lot of friends. I didn't want to lose them too.

We all pulled apart and Parth said that he would make sure that no one troubled me. He would talk to Shree but I stopped him. I told him to not say anything since it would cause trouble in their friendship.

What happened with Mahek's matter was still fresh news. And I had no evidence to prove myself, so even if I knew that I was right, no one would believe me. So, we should just forget about that matter and move on.

"Okay, if you say so," Parth agreed.

I thanked both of them and then Parth left to play his soccer game while Surbhi and I decided to just sit there and watch others play.

"Will everything be okay?" I asked.

"Chill, dude. Those who want to believe, will believe. Not all the people are the same, Sandhya," she replied.

"Hmmm. You are right."

After that, we chatted about random topics and since we knew that Parth's birthday was coming soon, we discussed about what we could gift him. His girlfriend, Kasturi was also coming for his birthday and I really wanted to meet her.

Soon, the last bell of the day rang and we got up to leave for our homes. I decided to go to the gym directly since I had some other plans in my mind. Surbhi and Parth left after saying goodbye and I hailed an auto instead of taking a bus.

I reached Rajeev's gym and after paying the driver, I got out of the auto and made my way towards my work place. Rajeev was out of town for some work and his cousin, Dhruv was in-charge for the time being.

I had noticed that Dhruv was not so fond of me and I accepted it without arguing with him. He could have his own reasons for that and currently, I was in no mood to ask him about that.

I entered the gym and started my work. In my break, I searched for Faiyaz on social networking sites. I didn't know his surname so such a simple task had become really difficult too. I just wanted to know if he was okay or not.

But unfortunately, I couldn't find him on any of the sites. I sulked and continued with my work. Surprisingly, Dhruv was in a good mood today and he didn't get in an argument with me.

I completed my shift and left the place. I still had time on my hands so instead of going to my home, I decided to go to a nearby park. I bought some samosas and jalebi and sat down on a vacant bench. Innumerable thoughts were passing through my mind as I munched on the snacks.

I didn't even realise that someone had come and sat beside me. I was lost in my thoughts, most of them related to Rashi and her boyfriend. I felt so bad for them. Just because I couldn't keep myself from poking others' lives, I managed to ruin their relationship.

I knew I could do nothing to solve that but I just wanted to apologise to Faiyaz directly and maybe tell him what exactly happened. But it was a lost case. I didn't know anything about him; no surname, no phone number and no address.

I relaxed in my seat and shook my head at myself. I really regretted my decision of not listening to Surbhi when she had already warned me. I always made things worse and then tried to fix everything. I started hitting my head and cursed when I remembered Rashi's crying face. She really loved Faiyaz.

"Sandhya?"

Did someone just call my name? The voice was eerily familiar.

I turned my head to my right to see who it was and I couldn't believe my eyes. Faiyaz was staring back at me with a worried expression on his face.

Oh no. I had started imagining things.

"Are you real?" I blurted.

"What?" he asked and I realised that he was actually sitting in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I almost yelled.

"I live in this area."

"But..... wait.... ummm... are you okay?" I fumbled.

"Yeah. I am okay."

I looked at him in disbelief. I thought Rashi's brother would have beaten him up but he was fine. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Didn't Rashi tell you what happened?" I asked.

"That she slapped you?" he questioned back and I nodded but pursed my lips when I remembered that memory.

"She shouldn't have done that. I scolded her a lot for that but she didn't listen to me and we haven't talked since then," he said pensively.

I raised my eyebrows at him. He took my side? But why? He should be angry at me but he wasn't.

"Don't think too much, Sandhya. I know you will never do such a thing like that."

"How can you be so sure? You don't even know me that much. We met just one time," I said.

He smiled at me. "I just know. And that's why I was trying to make Rashi understand too."

"Thank you, Faiyaz. I am really sorry for causing all the trouble."

He told me to relax and that he didn't blame me. I was amazed that he trusted me when my own friends didn't. He didn't even know the whole story and he still believed in me. So, I offered him some jalebis and he thanked me in return.

I didn't want to seem overbearing, so I just asked him if he could give me his phone number. He didn't hesitate at all nor doubted me. I told him that if he got in any trouble, he could call me and maybe I could help him. But it was all his decision. I didn't force him.

I had already learned my lesson. If he wanted my help, he could ask me himself. I wouldn't take the charge and act like an idiot. I was just glad to know that he was safe and sound.

He took his leave after few minutes and I felt a big load being taken off my shoulders. I could now go home and sleep in peace.

All is well. I repeated this dialogue to myself and got up from the bench. I went to the bus stop and waited for my bus.

I just wished my friends also showed some trust in me like the way Faiyaz did. But sometimes, we should be careful of what we wish for.

Not every wish comes true and being sad about it or just accepting it, depends solely on us.