Hello lovely people of wattpad. Here's the 2nd chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this.
With all the hopes in this world and moist eyes while looking straight at me, he asked again, "Rani-Pari???"
That was it, I no longer had the power in me to stay silent to that. How could I stay silent to that? How could I stay silent to the call of my childhood friend?
"Haan Balveer.", I replied with a couple of tear drops falling out of my eyes and a smile on my lips.
Balveer and Rani-Pari. No this isn't what we call each other. When we were kids, while playing we used to act like he was Balveer and I used to enact Rani-Pari. We used wands made up of paper. It was crazy. But we were crazy kids together. Out of everything that stuck with us because we made fun of ourselves when we grew up a little and turned teens. We had another member, Shahneel didi. She was little elder to us but got involved in our craziness as if she was younger than both of us. We three were a group. A tight knit group. Best friends. Our families were the reason of this situation.
My father travelled a lot initially to find a perfect place for his business. And that eventually took us to Mohali where we met the Gills. Lakhwinder uncle (Shubman's father) had decided to move to a better place with more connections for a young Shubman. He wanted to move to a place where young Shubman could properly get trained for cricket. He was 7 at that time and while people thought of him to be crazy for doing this for such a young kid back then, we all could see the results of that crazy decision now. The entire Gill family had moved to Mohali from Fazilka, which was probably the best place in that time nearby. They'd moved there a couple of months before us. And when we moved there, we found a place just beside them. We were neighbours. I was very young, 5 years old when all of this happened. All I remember is one fine evening when five years old Aradhana went crying to her mother saying she doesn't like it here because she had no friends here. And that was the moment it all began. My mother held my hand in one of her hands and took a basket of fruits in the other. Both of us went to the house next door. I couldn't make out what was happening. My mother rang the door bell and the door was opened by a ten year old Shahneel. That was the first time I saw her. We went inside and there I met Keart aunty and small Shubman. Our mothers made us friends and bonded themselves as well. Shahneel di and Shubman also had no friends other than each other. And it is from there that all of it began.
There was absolute shock on his face when his brain registered what I'd said.
That was it. He lunged forward and enclosed me in a bear hug. After the hug registered in my mind which took a couple of seconds, I hugged him back. He pulled back and looked at me in disbelief.
"Where were you Aru? Kahan thi tum? Contact bhi nahi kiya.", he exclaimed with a tinge of agitation in his voice.
"I thought tum bhul gaye hoge. Isliye I..". I couldn't even complete my entire statement when he shot back at me.
"Bhul jayunga? Aur voh bhi tumhe? Pagal ho tum? Okay leave me aside for a minute. Mumma Aru. Mumma papa both missed you so much. Kitni baar randomly unhe tumhara khayal aata tha. Shahneel Aru. Oh my God! Voh to pakka pagal ho jayegi ye jaanke ki we've met again. She used to call so much on those two numbers that we had, hoping that someday you'll pick up. But even they went out of service. She missed you so much.
I don't think it would be wrong of me to say that the entire Gill family was my solace. They showered me with so much of love whether it be Keart aunty or Lakhwinder uncle. Shubman was my best friend, my homie. We literally grew up together. And Shahneel didi, she was my go to person for almost everything.
"Bol kuch bhai!!", he exclaimed and with that I was brought back to the current scenario.
"Sorry yaar!". I couldn't say anything more. There was nothing to say. But fortunately Ishaan chipped in and saved me.
"You guys know each other, that is very evident but bhai thode details toh do. Yahan sab clueless hai.", he said while laughing.
"Arre we're friends since childhood. Bhai Mohali mei she used to live in the house next to ours. Aur phir randomly ek din batane aayi ki next month sab jaa rahe hai, properly Delhi shift ho rahe hai. Aur phir madam ne uske baad kabhi connect karne ki koshish hi nahi ki.", he said while looking at me.
"Aru?? Tune kabhi bataya kyu nahi bhai ki Shubman Gill tera bachpan ka dost hai?", Gauri didi said while smacking me lightly on my head.
"Aap maan lete jaise haina?", I said while making a puppy eyes. Gauri didi was the only person I could talk back to. She'd made me comfortable and given me that space.
"But how are you here? You shifted to Delhi right?", Shubman asked me.
"Haan haan. We shifted to Delhi only. Mumbai mei college ke wajah se."
"College?? Kya kar rahi ho tum?"
"MBBS", I said and looked down.
"Bhaisahab. MBBS?? Kya baat hai! Is gadhe ke dost itne smart honge idea nahi tha mujhe.", Ishaan said while laughing and everybody laughed. Shubman also laughed but his eyes looked at me as if trying to ask something but could not. Pushing that away he hit Ishaan lightly with the back of his hand and said, "Saale tu toh baadmei mil mujhe." while laughing.
"Aur tum", he said while looking at me. "Number doh apna chalo".
I was stunned for a minute. I couldn't decide if I should give my number or not. "Aradhana", he called out again while breaking my trail of thoughts. "What?? Number do yaar. Shahneel aur mummy ko batana hai."
"Shubman I.."
"Aradhana I said I want your number, koi reasoning nahi karne waale hum yahan pe." I had to give up. There were too many people around to argue or say anything else and so I gave him my number. He saved it and immediately slid his phone back into his pocket.
"Aur ab agar tumne call nahi uthaya na to mai seedha tumhare college hi aa jayunga. But college hai kaunsa tumhara?" he said while laughing but I knew it for a fact that he wasn't joking.
"King Edward Memorial Medical college." Trisha didi said before I could say anything and Shubman thanked her.
"Ghar pe sab kaise hai?", Shubman asked me and Trisha didi looked at me. I stud there contemplating what to tell him. No, I cannot tell him that or probably I don't want to when so many people are around and so I lied.
"Acche hai sab." I said with a little smile on my face to sound more convincing. Before Shubman could say anything else a person came upto us and told Ishaan and Shubman that they were being called for a small ICT meeting which was important. Thank god. I felt so relieved.
"Humein bhi ab chalna chahiye." Akash bhaiya said. Perfect I thought.
"Bye Shunman." I said and hugged him and then pulled back.
"Apna dhyaan rakhna and all the best for world cup finals. I am already proud of you and the entire team." I said with a smile and looked at Ishaan. "All the best Ishaan, aapko bhi." Both of them thanked me but Shubman had something more to say. " Thank you for the wishes but please make sure ki tum ab touch mei raho. Nahi phone uthaya na ab toh tum dekhna."
"Tum dhamki dena band karoge mujhe? Pitna hai tumhe?" I said and a second later I realized the blunder I'd done. Immediately I started apologizing. But that really wasn't my fault. I really used to hit him back in the days. Just a light smack though and he never said just pretended as if I'd dragged a dagger through his head. Some people might not understand this but for me being able to hit him wasn't just normal banter because I wasn't that kind of a person. It was a testament to our bond, a testament to how comfortable I was with him, a testament to the comforting space he'd given me.
I was still apologizing when asked me to relaxed and reminded me that we're friends and that this is okay. "Chill kar tu and we'll catch up properly once this World Cup is over. bye"
"Haan, bye."
The way back to car was just full of curses and smacks and questions for me. Along with a little laughter. But finally they let me reach my hostel alive.
I was climbing the stairs to reach my room when I received a call from an unknown number. First I thought it might be Shubman but then I realized that he was supposed to be in a meeting. I reached my room while my phone was still ringing. I answered the call and held it between my ears and shoulder while searching for the keys to my room.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Aradhana Singh?"
"Yes, speaking. Who's this?"
"Who's this ki bacchi. Kahan marr gayi thi tu?"
"Shahneel didi!!??" My phone would have literally slipped hadn't I held it on time. Goodness. I heard her voice after so long that it just didn't seem real.
"Haan khoti". Oh that just confirmed that it was Shahneel didi. Khoti in Punjabi means donkey. She used to call me that whenever I made a blunder.
"Didi!!!! Kaise ho aap?? Kahan ho aap? Mumbai mei ho?"
"Mai kaisi hun ye chhod. Tu kahan thi itne time se. Abhi jab Shubi se baat hui to yakeen hi nahi ho raha tha. Pagal hai tu??..
Ab tu usse daat'te hi rahegi ya mujhe bhi baat karne degi?" I could here someone say after Shahneel didi.
"Aunty!!!??????" I almost screamed while throwing away my bag and settling on the bed.
"Haan mera putt. Kaisi hai puttu tu?"
I almost wanted to cry on listening to that endearment filled with so much of love after so so long. Puttu and putt are Punjabi endearments which mean beloved baby or small kid.
"Mai acchi hun aunty. Aap kaise ho?" I said with tears accumulating in the corner of my eyes.
"Mai acchi hun bacche. Bohot acchi hun. Tum kahan thi? Bohot yaad kiya puttar tujhe."
"Maine bhi aap sab logon ko bohot miss kiya aunty." and a sob left my mouth as I completed the sentence. Because that was true. I'd missed them so much.
"Offo. Roh to mat ab. Ab toh mil gaye na hum." Shahneel didi said.
"Nahi roh rahi." I said with a smile and wiped my cheek.
"Aru, maine suna humari putt doctor ban rahi hai?" Aunty said.