Tu Dua Hai

Chapter 24

Frustrated, Darshan ran a hand through his hair and instantly winced. He had lifted his bandaged hand by mistake and sharp pain had erupted from his forearm. Cursing, he reached for the bottle of alcohol, but then Gauri’s hurt and angry face came in front of his eyes and he withdrew his hand. He spent the day pacing his room and trying to control himself. He had noticed that all Gauri’s stuff was missing from his room and Gauri too did not return home the whole day. He had gotten so used to her staying close to him all the time that now it felt odd not having her near him. He missed her and even though he did not want to admit it even to himself, he was worried about her. He left his room around 9 PM late in the evening after all the servants had left and noticed that Gauri was still not home. He even checked the guest room but it was empty except for Gauri’s stuff. He was tempted to go inside and have a look but he resisted and sat in the living room waiting for her. He was annoyed at himself and his hypocrisy. He didn’t want her to help him or worry about him and here he was, worrying about her just because she was late. Maybe she had a late night surgery, maybe she was busy with some patients. He tried to reassure himself, but it increased his worry even more. This was new for him, he hadn’t cared like this for anyone except for his family and .. Ayesha. He sighed and stared at the bandage that Gauri had so carefully tied that afternoon. It seemed a long time ago now. Why was he getting frustrated if he didn’t care for Gauri? He wanted to drink and forget about all this, but somehow, he just couldn’t bring himself to drink. Whenever he touched a bottle, Gauri’s face would float in his vision and he would immediately withdraw his hand. Finally after 11 PM Gauri came home.
She opened the latch with her key slowly, trying to not make any noise. The living room was dark and she sighed. “Darshan peeke so gaye honge.” She whispered to herself and began removing shoes. “Ya phir shayad wo aapka intezar kar raha hoga.” Suddenly a deep voice spoke up and the lights were turned on in that instant. Gauri almost screamed and stumbled. Darshan chuckled. “Why the hell did you do that?” Gauri asked him clutching her heart and breathing heavily. “Tumhe darane ke liye. Aur kya.” He laughed and extended his hand to help Gauri up as she had fallen down because of the shock. Gauri stood up and glared at him. She was about to ask him why he waiting for her and why he had not drank alcohol that night but then she remembered that she was angry at him because of what happened in the afternoon and she was not supposed to ‘interfere’ in his life. So she kept her mouth shut and turned towards the guest room. She wanted to stay alone and away from him, at least for a while. But suddenly, she felt Darshan grab her hand and pull her backwards. Shocked for the second time, she turned around to find him looking at her guiltily. “I am sorry; I was rather rude this afternoon. I didn’t mean to… offend you. Really. Listen, all this.. this marriage thing is weird for me. After my first marriage I just.. I can’t really bring myself to trust people, especially girls. But this doesn’t give me an excuse to be a jerk after you almost saved my life. I would have died if you weren’t there to help me. So thank you, thank you so much.” Darshan stopped talking as Gauri was looking at him in a funny way. “Darshan? Are you ok? I mean do you have fever or something? Split-personality disorder maybe?” She asked sarcastically and Darshan chuckled. “I know I am a jerk and I maybe in depression, but I surely don’t have split-personality disorder.” “I know its fine. I know you might find it hard, but you can trust me and I really do understand your situation. So I forgive you. But it is only because this is a small mistake and you apologized nicely.” Gauri grinned and Darshan flashed her smile. “Maybe because I am handsome too and you are my fan.” “Shut up Darshan. Ok now.. can you..err…leave my hand?” She asked, pointing to her wrist which Darshan still held tightly. Darshan looked down and his smile vanished instantly. “I..err..didn’t realize….sorry.” “It’s fine.” Gauri waved him off and started walking towards the guest room again. She was tired and hungry and all she wanted was rest now. Dealing with Darshan was rather exhausting too. “Wait, Gauri…I…are you..hungry?” Gauri turned around again in surprise. Darshan was looking a bit shy and embarrassed at the same time. “I actually am. But why…?” She trailed off as Darshan blushed even more. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Darshan was actually blushing. But why? “Darshan?” “Listen, it’s nothing great, but I…errr…made dinner for you…us. It is something of an apology. So if you want, we can…you know…eat together.” Gauri was speechless for a few moments, but then she nodded. “Alright. I will just freshen up and we will eat. I am starving. Give me 5 minutes.” The dinner was silent except for Darshan asking Gauri why she had been so late. Gauri told him that though she had taken an off, she had got a call asking her to assist in a rather complicated c-section. It was a messy affair and had taken most of her evening. They wished each other good night and went to their respective rooms.