Shalini
“You are late”
Seema shouted at me. she is my best friend and our friendship has been long as the first day when she threatened Rahul my 1st grade bully.
She has always been badass and a little part of me wanted to be like her.
“You know you are staring at me and you will miss your train”
pulling me back from my thoughts she said to me. I looked at her and the old clock on the wall
“I still have time”
the train will leave at 10:50 pm and now it was 9:50 pm.
“I can reach station on time”
“You can never trust Delhi traffic” she replied
After almost getting late, god Seema is always right.
I was in my seat looking at all different people. I have always loved traveling in train, being a writer, it helped me find a story.
There are all kinds of people in trains, people with all kinds of past, present and future and each of them with their stories to tell.
I was out of my thoughts when I heard someone enter the coach, A man around my age enter the coach, he came in and checked his seat number and put his bags under the seat.
His seat was the one in front of me, As he sat, he looked at me, being polite I smiled at him and he flat ignored me. Fine I thought and decided to read a book I brought with me.
A few minutes passed when I heard sound of a lighter ,then I saw him lighting a cigarette,the smoke from the cigarette soon filled the enter coach and I was coughing, I asked him to throw out the cigarette immediately.
He was ignoring me or was he simply an idiot, I thought to myself. I looked at him and realized that he was both, he had his head phone on and had no idea that smoking was illegal in trains.
A TC enter the couch and in order to help the idiot I took his head phone from his ears and told him to stop smoking. He stared at me and finally, he tossed the cigarette away.
“Don’t you know it is not allowed to smoke in a train and”
“give back my headphones”
He sounded angry. I was angry, I did not do anything wrong but was still shouted at but I controlled my anger and gave back the head phones. The man left the couch and went out of the train.
As the man left, I heard a couple enter the coach with their kids. They looked in their 40s and both of them smile as they saw me in my seat, being the good person, I was, I smile back at them. They took their seat and then seated their two were beautiful girls. The man re-entered the couch as the train was about to leave
As the train started, the couple looked at me and the very unfriendly man who was still busy with his phone and introduced themselves.
Kamal Malhotra was a school teacher and Jai Malhotra was a chartered accountant. Divya and Tanvi were still in school.
I introduced myself and we all waited for the strange man to introduce himself. For some odd reason I thought he would not tell his name but to my shock, he introduced himself “Rudra” he said.
The TC entered our couch and checked our tickets, as he left Komal opened a homecooked tiffin and offered all of us. I also opened the tiffin Seema packed for me and offered it to them, which they accepted and then I offered to Rudra, he stared at me again, like seriously what was with him and staring. He simply declined
Fine was the only word that come to my mind with his refusal as the time passed, we all were ready to sleep, which included me and the Malhotra family, I can’t just say anything about Rudra, he was just strange. Lights are out, and the strangeness has started.
I and Rudra are facing each other or more like the berths are. The girls have got the upper berth and Mr. and Mrs. Malhotra have got the side berths. making me and Rudra parallel to each other.
I am trying to sleep but can’t, his phone light is super bright, he and his stupid mobile. Now I am the one staring and he is on the receiving end of it.
I can’t help but think what his problem is. Just then I hear a very faint voice “need help”. I looked and saw Rudra looking at me. I was too shocked to say any think and shacked my head no and he went back to his phone. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
I was not able to sleep, and my phone stared to buzz.
I checked the caller id and saw the name i wanted to avoid the most but i has to pick the call .
......
This is my first book , sorry if it has any mistake . Just started something new and will like to know your thoughts.
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