He groaned in exasperation when the door burst open. He was pulled back and the intruder looked down at the broken glass and spilt water.
"What happened here?"
"Nothing actually, Kunal. I just happen to break a glass." Arjun replied.
Kunal blinked at him.
"And what were doing up so late? You sleep like a log."
"I was actually sleeping. Bansi woke me up. You should go and sleep. I will clean this up." Arjun said walking out of the room towards get the wipe cloth and broom.
"Bansi? She called at this hour? Why? Is all okay back at your home?" Kunal asked as he followed Arjun out of the room.
"Yeah. All good. She just wanted to talk to me." Arjun picked up the broom and wipe cloth and walked back to the room followed by Kunal.
"What was so important that she could not wait until morning. From where was she calling? Did she leave house at this hour? What if someone saw her leaving the house?"
"Relax, Kunal. She was at home."
Arjun tried to calm his troubled friend.
"She was just happy. This... Veena... She is getting married." He added.
Kunal furrowed his eyebrows.
"Who is Veena?"
"How would I know who this Veena is? I don't even know this Shukla family." Arjun replied.
"Let me do it." Kunal tried to grab the wipe cloth from Arjun's hand.
"No, I got it. It's almost done." Arjun replied, wiping the floor.
"I hear a lot about this Shukla girl from Bansi. Looks like she is very close to Samrat. I don't know anything else."
Kunal poured him another glass of water when Arjun discarded the broken glass and had washed his hands.
He found Arjun lost in deep thoughts.
"What are you thinking?"
Arjun sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know, Kunal. I just worry for Bansi. She sometimes sounds like a rebellion. I have a hunch that she is not taking her life seriously."
Kunal sat down beside him and pushed the glass of water in his hands.
"What happened? You can tell me."
Arjun took a moment and sipped on the water.
"You know, she has got a new number, just to call me. I might be over thinking, but I am really worried for her. You know how my father is. He will not take it good if he found out that she contacts me."
Kunal blinked and looked away for a moment.
"Do you think you should change your number?"
Arjun shook his head in denial.
"I just talk to her for two or three minutes, and I realized that she is going against the rules. That is just a glimpse. I don't know to what lengths she might go. I just keep her happy by talking to her to stop her from going to wrong turns. I hope Samrat realizes that she needs to be kept under watch."
"This is complicated." Kunal whispered.
Arjun hummed softly.
Next night, at around 2 am Arjun's phone gave out a ring.
Soft happy giggles filled his ears.
"Where are you now?" She asked out of nowhere.
"In my room." He replied.
"Which city?" She persisted.
He chuckled.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Come on, Bhai. It's not that I will come to meet you. Tell me where do you stay."
Arjun smiled, looking at the ceiling, while he lay in his bed under the covers.
"In the land of dreams, city of the rainbow, in the company of the unicorns."
She giggled again.
"Now the truth. Which city?"
Arjun sighed.
"I stay in Dehradun."
"Wow. Is it cold there?"
He hummed softly.
"Bhaiyya, have you ever imagined me to be standing at you doorstep, to meet you?"
Arjun's smile faltered.
"Bansi!" His voice had was laced with fury and anger.
But he was surprised that instead of being sorry, she laughed out loud.
"One more time you say something like this, I will disconnect this number forever. I mean it, Bansi." He seethed with anger.
Bansi apologized immediately and Arjun managed to coax her in disconnecting the call and sleeping.
His days were spent in thinking about his rebellious sister and his nights were spent in frustration as she would say something to rile him up, everyday.
Once or twice she got threatened by him and her topics slowly diverted to Veena's engagement.
Arjun was content that now Bansi had something else to discuss other than him. She would tell him about the arrangements going on for the engagement. Arjun would listen to her, humming wherever required and trying to keep the conversation to the minimum, without hurting her.
He was completely unaware that Bansi was planning to board a train to Dehradun, in the name of college trip. When her father had inquired about the trip, he was informed that it was to Delhi. He had paid the required amount and secured her seat. Bansi on the other hand, had withdrawn her name on the same day and booked a flight to Dehradun.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" She had asked on the eve of her departure.
"I will be busy tomorrow." He had replied.
"Doing what?"
"What do you want to know, Bansi?"
"Just keep your phone with you. I will call you tomorrow afternoon."
"Why? What is so special about tomorrow afternoon?" He asked suspiciously.
She laughed.
"Good night, Bhaiyya. Sleep tight. And think of me."
The phone was disconnected even before he could react. Arjun wanted to pull his hair out. The girl was becoming a bane for his existence. She was proving to be difficult than he wanted to imagine.
He was uneasy and helpless the entire next morning and early afternoon. His restlessness knew no bounds. He had checked his phone more than a thousand times. There was no news of his sister.
Suddenly his phone beeped. He pulled out the phone to find a message that snatched the floor below his feet.
'I have boarded a flight to Dehradun. See you in two hours. I will be waiting for you at the exit gate.'
He wanted to cry in frustration. He did not think a small lie would cost him so much.
He was not in Dehradun, but he stayed and worked in Lucknow.
'Stop this nonsense, Bansi. I am not in Dehradun. Get off the flight if it has not yet taken off.'
Bansi was fortunate enough to send the message just after she boarded the flight. She looked at the message sent by him and her eyes widened in shock. She looked up and saw that the people were still boarding the flight. She still had time. She quickly picked up her bag and walked away. The flight attendant stopped her and she simply told her that she had changed her mind and decided to not go anywhere. The flight attendant gave her a suspicious look, but let her go..
Bansi was seething in anger as she sat in the lounge area. She wanted to calm herself down before going back home.
Her phone gave out a ring and she looked at the phone to find Arjun calling.
She received the call but did not reply.
"Do you think this is a joke? Do you even understand what I am going through?" He snapped in a deep threatening voice.
"You lied to me?" She was on the verge of tears.
"I always lied to everyone. You should not trust someone like me. Now go home and behave. You don't want Dad to know about this stunt of yours."
Bansi disconnected the call. Now that she thought back, she was worried about the reasons she would have to give for missing the college trip.
She went home with a troubled mind and heavy heart. When the family was shocked to see her, she simply lied that she missed them and decided not to go for the trip.
She herself was shocked when they readily believed her..
It was another surprise when she was informed that everyone was actually happy that she had come back, for the fact that Sahil had requested to prepone the engagement. The function that was supposed to take place in the coming week, was scheduled to be on an urgent basis in next two days. Sahil had informed that he had an urgent business trip planned and wanted the engagement to happen before he left.
The cards were printed the same day and were delivered in the evening.
That night, Bansi regretted her act and wanted to apologize. She knew her brother was just concerned about her safety. She did not want to jeopardize her blooming relationship.
To start the conversation, she clicked a nice picture of the invitation card of the engagement and sent it to Arjun's number.
She could see that the message was delivered but not seen.
With a mind to apologize the next day, she slept it off.
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Another chapter up.
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