Prithvi... [Vol 5]

Chapter 133

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," Rajeshwari smiled gratefully.

After a short while, Nandini wandered into her mother's room and clambered onto the bed. She wanted to go out in the open for some time, but what if Rajeshwari needed anything...

Leaning against the wall, Nandini stared absently at her interlinked fingers.

From the time she had left Ayodhya, she had hopelessly been trying to analyse each moment of the extremely short – yet interminably long – encounter...to understand...and to also look for reasons to believe that she had misunderstood...

And when she'd walked up the stairs in response to Rajeshwari's request, she had still been obsessing over the meeting, which was divided into two halves in her mind – the part before Prithvi had left the kitchen...and the part that had followed. Nothing had made sense to her from the moment she had seen him, but there had at least been a pretence of normalcy in his behaviour until he had made the coffee. But something had gone wrong in that kitchen in a matter of seconds, and for the life of her, she could not understand what it was...

Lost in her desolation and bewilderment, she'd not realised how irrationally afraid she'd been till now that Prithvi would not return.

But he had called up Rajeshwari and told her he was on his way. So, he actually was going to stay in Shamli for some days.

Why was she still struggling to believe it...

Was it because she had convinced herself long ago that he would not return to this town...as it was the sole way she could quell the excruciating pangs of longing and restlessness that had tormented her...

Nandini got down from the bed and walked quickly to the windows as tears filled her eyes.

She'd become so engrossed in the minor turbulence on the surface that she'd briefly forgotten about the deep reservoir of happiness and tranquillity that his presence had created in her. It  couldn't be disturbed by any external factor...not even Prithvi himself...

She had seen him today morning. She had heard his voice, and had spoken to him. He had made a cup of coffee for her. She was going to see him again in the evening, and he was going to be staying in Ayodhya again for a few days at least. Those were divinely beautiful truths that no one could take away from her.

Nandini's soft, flawless skin acquired a glow and a colour that had been absent for years. A beautiful light shone in her black eyes, and her rose-coloured lips curved up with a lovely smile.

She could already predict the reactions of her mother, brother and grandfather...and Sankatmochan too. Their happiness would be sane and normal. Hers was an unnatural, blissful joy that knew no bounds.

She was accustomed to hiding her sorrows, and had repressed tears and any sign of grief on countless occasions in this house in the past four and a half years. And to think that now she would have to conceal her happiness...or permit only a miniscule portion of it to show...

Nandini walked to the mirror in her mother's room and grimaced on seeing her reflection.

She looked far worse than she'd feared. Feeling despondent, she removed the clip to open her hair, and began to run her fingers unsurely through the lustrous locks.

By way of cosmetics, she only had a packet of black bindis and the sandalwood oil that she applied just to stop her mother from fretting about her lack of interest in beautifying herself. She did not have any nice dresses, and she had not worn anklets or bangles for years. Could she go shopping this weekend? Nishi and Vrinda would collapse with disbelief if she suggested it, Nandini thought impishly. And they would be more stunned to know that Prithvi was back...