Ps: This was a short story and will end in a few more parts.
R A K S H I T
It had been days that I went for fighting and maybe that was the reason why I barely had any money to satisfy my daily requirements.
Walking towards the ring I played the sweet memory from a few days back. The night that we returned from the carnival and Varun asked me to bring my face closer to him.
His lips met my skin and were instantly withdrawn back to whisper in my ears 'I love you too now Raksh, from the very first day I liked you, good night' in my ears. That was a surprise me because from the past five years nobody told me that I was loved.
This was one of the best moments for me and as soon as he said that, I stood up in complete shock but followed by peace of mind. To add to that bliss that night, I held Drishti in my arms. Never in my entire life did I have a physical contact with any girl. I felt her shivering at my touch and this came with another feeling;
Maybe she liked me too.
It had been two months that I had known them and we had grown pretty close in that span. Drishti and I had been meeting frequently in the cafe that she worked, walked home together with Sia's permission and sometimes joined the mother and son and gardening too. Divya and Sia would also caught up with us at times and it was progressive. I felt myself being happy and not feeling lonely anymore. Everything seemed to be perfect but there was a fear stuck in my head.
What if I fell in love with her? Will she accept me if that ever happened?
We all know what we feel and studying my feelings carefully I could find myself feeling a little more than what was required. I wanted the company of a friend, she became one. If I wanted her to be with me for a lifetime, will she ever be able to do that?
I did not have a proper job, I can get highly injured during any fight which will give her nothing but pain. She had always wanted her son to be in a good company, and I can't say that I could be one of the best. Will she even like me when she came to knew what I do for a living?
Holding these thoughts in my head, I entered the ring and looked at the opponent who was jumping back and forth on his toes, preparing for the fight. The money at stake was about five thousand dollars and my mind did not want to let it go.
The crowd cheered as the fight began. My mind was still clouded by her thoughts, her smile and the hidden blushes every now and now when she would meet me. This made me unfocused, leading to the opponent get a hold on me.
He punched my face, making me stumble on my steps. I shook my face to flush her thoughts out if my mind and focused on the thing that drove human anger.
Hatred
I remembered my mother, the things she did to give make sure that we never lived peacefully. I remembered that so random person who told me that I was just a lonely aimless man who was devoid of all love.
Another punch landed on my face, I tried dodging it but failed because I was quiet busy in distracting myself and letting the anger pile inside me.
It is funny how love can fail to drive us but hatred mever failed. Even if the impact could be little, it surely existed and made us react in a little sophisticated way.
The third punch, directed to my stomach sent me on my knees, his knee hiting my jaw and blood starting to come out of my nose.
Half of crowd gasped at my falling down but the other half cheered for the opponent. Whatever happens, one should never celebrate too fast, this overconfidence could be lethal.
The opponent started looking at the crowd, overwhelming on their cheers and that was going to make him pay. Taking the opportunity I stood on my feet without letting him know. The moment he knew that I was on my feet once again, it was too late to prepare.
Tucking my hands under his stomach, I ducked him over my shoulder and threw him from my back. The below of his nape region striking the ground and the crowd changing side in a split second.
Snatching the money from the refree, I went out of the ring and threw my black jacket over my shoulder, exiting the miniature arena while cleaning the blood off my nostrils.
Ok, my nose was sensitive.
Counting the money to make sure it was exact the amount, I started thinking if I should make myway towards Lily's cafe for the fifth time this week, turning into the other version of Collen.
Except for the annoying part.
He's good as a person but just no when he tries sticking to Drishti!
By the way today was fifth day of the week.
I entered the cafe and looked around for two people; one who worked here and the other who found this time the best to visit the cafe. That's when my eyes went there.
"So, what are you free after this? We can go for a little ice cream or something" I don't think that I need to name the person.
"Collen please, I have told you so many times that Varun is at Sia's home and Sia have to go out soon. I have to return home. I'm sorry" Why did he have to come here every single day?
Whenever I passed by I found this leech sticking to the counter shelf and talking to Drishti. One could tell by seeing her that she was least interested in his jokes he tried to crack but Collen sir was so innocent that he couldn't comprehend he had told her the same about ten times.
Yeah she told me that he would crack the same joke over and over again.
I walked towards the counter and smiled gently at both of them. She smiled at me back, coldly, but the same could not be said about Collen. That man literally did not like me.
"Here's your marshmallows" she handed me my regular order and Collen his regular order. The staff was growing usedto the both of us visiting at the same time, talking to the same girl.
It felt weird that for talking to Drishti I had to undergo the problem in which Collen stood like the barrier between us. And the best moment was always when Drishti would sit with me instead of him, lol.
Today she was wearing a baby blue tank top with white jeans and matching white sneakers. The only question was that why was her top sparkling in slight silver color. Anyways it looked magnificent on her.
"Rakshit, Collen, can you two please stop looking at each other like this" Drishti grabbed our arms and dragged us towards the table. "Everyone is looking at you two"
"He started it!" I complained while Collen shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't. He gave me bad looks so I looked at him that way"
"That is not an explanation Collen" Drishti sighed and sat on the nearby chair, Lily bringing her drink. "Now sit down, both of you"
"Why he?" Collen and I said in unison.
Excuse me? I was her neighbor, her friend and she sat beside me most the times so your question was irrelevant. My question had relevance!
"Fine then, I am leaving" Trust me this was not good, at all and when I say at all, you need to know that I did not have any idea on how to console her after this. She did not even drink her whatever that was, I could only see chocolates, and went outside the cafe.
"Drishti wait!" I screamed a little and followed her outside. "What's wrong?" Matching my pace with her, I grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards me. "What's wrong? You never did this" that's when I saw a crystal shaped tear falling from her eyes. "Drishti what's wrong?"
I tried wiping her tears off but she pushed me, not allowing me anywhere near her.
"You're seriously asking what's wrong?" She yelled, leaving me confused. "You are wrong that is happening this time!"
"Me?" I gasped and looked at her, who was at the verge of crying. "I think you have a little misunderstanding Drishti!"
"There is no misunderstanding Rakshit. What's near your nose?" She asked me. I literally forgot to wipe the remaining blood of my nose but how come Drishti be angry at me without knowing anything.
"Just a bit of bleeding" I lied. The plain lie was hard to catch and it should have worked on her but instead, she walked to me held my collar, looking straight into my eyes.
"Do you fight for money?" How the hell she came to know about it? "You have hurt yourself several times in the process, right? Just like that day when we first met. Do you have any training in this? Any idea what it could do to you? Some of them can be professionally trained and you just go in there without training without proper diet and without any plan!"
I looked everywhere but her. She knew that it wasn't something so wrong but when a person close to you gets hurt, that moment haunts you and you start taking the blame on yourself that you should've tried understanding when you know that you were not at fault.
But heart does not know logic, does it?
Surprise painting every part of my face was read by her. She faked a laugh and left my collar, holding my shoulder by one hand and using the other to turn my face towards her. Her peaceful but moist eyes bore into mine and everything else got blurred for it. It was just her who stood in front of me, nothing else succeeded to enter my frame of vision.
"Don't be surprised. I even know that you ran away from home" She sighed and cupped my face with one hand "Don't do this to yourself. I know that you don't do this because you like it. You wanted to be a painter, right?"
As she completed I tried letting her go but we were standing in a corner and she was not leaving me so easily. I was not comfortable with the situation because she had the knowledge of some part of me, maybe she knew something more.
"Don't run from me, please" she pleaded and wrapped her arms around me, concern screaming through her body language "I care for you Rakshit. You deserve a better life, a family, love and what not. Please listen to me Rakshit. For once?"
"Okay" I agreed to her and held her, rubbing her back to comfort her. "But, how did you get to know this?"
"Because we told her" a heavy and highly emotionalized voice came from the other corner.
I could forget everything in this world but not this voice.
We broke the hug and looked in the direction. Holding emotions was another thing but when emtions rushed in as a tsunami wave, we lose control. My eyes felt heavy and vision half blurred, tears trickling down when I tried to close my eyes and clear my vision.
In front of me, stood Romi and Arjun, after five years.
They Came