" Missed me? "
" YOU "
She yelled looking at the person in front of her.
"I guess you missed me too much."
He said smirking.
" No." She said straight forwardly.
His smirk dropped and looked at her blankly.
" Why you are here at this time?" She asked him frowning.
He noticed her pale face and tired eyes.
" I just came to meet you." He said and observed her keenly.
" Now? " She asked looking at him as if he is mad.
" Yes." He said and walked into the house.
She just looked at him.
He went to the dining table and started munching on an apple. She walked to him silently and stood in front of him.
He offered her an another apple which she took and started eating it.
They sat on the sofa in silence eating their apples.
" You were supposed to be with him." She said looking at him.
" Yes, I know, but I have some important work so I had to come back early." He said looking at her.
She stayed silent.
" Will you promise me something?" He asked her suddenly.
" What?" She asked him frowning.
" Don't ever leave him again please. You wouldn't want to know how he was without you in his life." He pleaded looking at her.
" Karthik I....." Her voice got struck in her throat.
How can she promise him that she would never leave him when her life is so uncertain?
She looked at him with tears.
" I know something is stopping you and I will not ask you what it is but don't run away from him again, he will not be able to bear this time Ananya." Karthik said with tears in his own eyes and she just nodded her head looking down.
She looked at him and saw a longing look on his face as he stared at the distance.
" You love someone." She said.
He looked startled at her.
" What? No!" He exclaimed.
She chuckled.
" I am very well familiar with that look on your face mister." She smirked and he sighed.
" I love her but she loves her career. I want her to stay with me but she wants to travel the whole world. I am ready to travel with her but she is not ready to be with someone......and that's the end of the story." He said smiling at her.
For the first time Anu noticed sadness in his voice and pain in his words.
" Did you tell her about your feelings?" She asked him keenly.
" No." He mumbled.
" Why?" She asked him.
" I already know her priorities and if I told her about my feelings, she will straight away reject me and on top of that I will lose her friendship too." He said sadly.
" Who is that girl?" She asked curiously.
" You know her." He said looking at her and this peaked her interest more.
" What! Who is she?" She exclaimed.
" Riya." He said.
She thought about all the Riyas she knew and only one face flashed in front of her eyes. Once she realized which Riya he was talking about, she widened her eyes at him.
" You mean to say.....Riya Mathur?" She exclaimed grinning at him.
" Yes." He said smiling at her excitement.
" Wow! She is such a nice girl, why would she even refuse you?" She asked him.
" She doesn't have time for all this, she is just focused on her work." He replied sadly.
Anu stayed silent.
" I will go now." He said and got up.
" Where will you go at this time? Go and sleep in Siddharth's room." Anu said.
" No, it's alright. Don't worry....." He stopped talking when he saw her glaring at him.
" Where is his room?" He asked sighing.
" Upstairs." She said grinning at him which made him smile.
Karthik went and slept in Siddharth's room while Anu slept thinking about Siddharth.
******
Morning, while Karthik wanted to go, Anu's mom stopped him asking him to stay for the breakfast. And so he stayed and had his breakfast with this loving family.
" You should tell her." Anu said while he was walking towards his car.
" You know every girl dreams of her prince charming from her childhood itself. Every girl wants a man who would love and cherish her. Every girl dreams her happily ever after with a man whom she loves." Anu said smiling to him.
Karthik just looks at her.
" Maybe she is waiting for her prince charming. Maybe she is waiting for her Mr.Right. Maybe she wasn't interested because she hasn't met the right person." She said.
" If you tell her about your feelings then maybe she starts thinking about you too, maybe she can see her prince charming in you and maybe she can find her Mr.Right in you." She said every single word with full of Hope and positivity.
And that made his heart swell with warmth and happiness because a hope had rise in him now.
" Thank you so much for giving me hope." He said hugging her.
She hugged him back and both had tears in their eyes.
Karthik left with a heavy heart bidding bye to her.
He looked at her back who is going inside the house and dialled a number on his phone. And when the call is answered he told the other person seriously gulping the lump formed in his throat.
" You need to come back......Soon, we don't have much time."
******
She looked at the book in her hand and smiled.
She was writing something in that book and all the time while writing she had been smiling.
Suddenly, her smile dropped and she stared off into the space thinking something deeply. A lone tear escaped from her eye.
She shook her head and started writing again but tears wouldn't stop. She didn't care to wipe them off as she continued writing.
She closed the book sighing loudly and thought about Siddharth. He should be back in India two days back itself but he didn't and he explained to her that something important had caught him up.
He told her that he will come in 3 to 4 days and she told him that it's okay but the fear in her had grown up immensely.
She slept hugging the book close to her heart.
And on the other hand, Anu's parents are hell worried as Anu wouldn't agree to go to the doctor. When they forced her to take her to the doctor, she shouted at them and locked herself in her room.
They were shocked by her behavior as she was never aggressive like this. They didn't understand what's happening with her and when they talked to Siddharth about this, he told them that he is coming back soon and then everything will be alright.
******
The door bell rang and that jerked her from her deep sleep. She frowned looking at the time as it was past ten and wonders why people come at her house ringing the bell that too in the night only.
She sighed and came to the living room. She again wonders why doesn't her parents ever wake up when the door bell rings.
She went and opened the door. She stood stunned in her place with tears in her eyes.
" Siddu." She whispered looking at him up and down to see if he is real.
" Anu." He whispered back and tears pooled in his eyes too.
Then she realised she is not dreaming and with one step towards him, she hugged him tightly.
She cried in his arms and wasn't ready to let go of him. He himself was crying as he missed her so much.
" I missed you so much." He whispered against her hair and she sobbed loudly clutching onto him tightly.
She pulled away and kissed him all over his face. He leaned and pecked her lips which made her smile with tears. She again hugged him tightly crying as she thought she would die without seeing him.
" Sshhh..... I am here with you.....now don't cry." He said softly rubbing her back.
" I am scared Siddu..... I..... I....." She couldn't talk as whenever she opens her mouth, a sob escapes.
" It's okay.....I am here..... everything will be alright now." He said assuring her.
They stayed like that for sometime hugging each other.
" Now you go and sleep, we will talk tomorrow morning." He said wiping her tears.
But she refused to let go of him.
" Stay with me.....please." She pleaded him clutching onto his shirt.
" But....."
" Please....."
He pulled her outside and locked the door. In a swift motion he lifted her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his room.
All the while, she just stared at him without blinking her eyes as if she blinks, he will disappear.
He unlocked the door and went inside his room with her in his arms. He made her sleep on his bed and went to freshen up.
And when he came out of the bathroom, she was already asleep. He looked at her pale face and weakened body. His heart ached looking at her condition and tears slipped out from his eyes. He kissed her forehead and covered her with a duvet.
He went downstairs and went inside the house where Anu's parents were waiting for him.
" What did that doctor say beta?" Anu's mother asked him worried.
" I met him and told about Anu's condition. He said he had operated such case before and he was successful." Siddharth paused and looked at them to see hope in their faces.
" Dad's friend already knows him and so it was easy to convince him to come to India. He told me some symptoms and when we see them in her then we need to immediately admit her in the hospital and call him here." Siddharth said rubbing his forehead.
Anu's parents were happy to know that the Doctor agreed to treat Anu.
" I was worried when I saw her condition in the video call, so I sent Karthik here so that he can see her symptoms and inform me. The symptoms you people told me and the symptoms which Karthik recognized were exactly those that Doctor told us. Karthik called me immediately and told me to come back so that we can start her treatment." Siddharth explained.
" I would have come back 2 days before only but I had to stay to talk to the doctor one more time and explain her condition. He told me to go back and admit her in the hospital as soon as possible." Siddharth said with tears.
Anu's mother cried hugging her husband.
" Will she be okay after he operates her?" Her father asked with fear.
Siddharth stayed silent and this made them even more anxious.
" We can't say anything about this now but we need to admit her in the hospital immediately as Aunty you said her dizziness is getting increased nowadays which is not good. And the most important thing is that her head will be pounding like someone is hammering and the pain will be unbearable. Did she say anything about it?" Siddharth asked worriedly.
" No, she didn't. Even if she has the pain also, she will not disclose it and will bear it for herself only." Anu's mother says crying.
" Don't worry Aunty, I will not let anything happen to her. First we need to admit her in the hospital." Siddharth said.
" But for that you need to say truth to her that why you are here." Anu's father said.
Siddharth thought about it and understood that he had to tell her the truth as she will not agree to get admit in the hospital until he is here with them as the fear of him knowing the truth will not let her agree.
" I will say the truth to her tomorrow." Siddharth said determined and they nodded their heads with fear as they are afraid how she will react.
******
Siddharth didn't get sleep all night. All he did was to stare at her sleeping face. He didn't know how he will say and what will he say but he decided to tell her everything.
She hugged him while sleeping and he hugged her back. He cried silently all night just thinking about her.
Next day Morning, Anu woke up and saw him no where. She frowned and went down to see him sitting on the dining table eating his breakfast silently.
He smiled when he looked at her and she smiled back. She looked for her parents but they are nowhere to be seen. Siddharth said to her that they went to Temple.
She went to freshen up and thought to eat something first as she was very hungry.
While Siddharth was on his phone taking some calls, Anu ate her breakfast silently.
" Anu."
She looked up at him when he called her.
" We need to talk." He said with a blank face but inside his heart was thumping loudly.
They both went and sat on the sofa.
She looked at his nervousness and hesitation as she never saw him like this.
" Siddu, what happened? What did you wanted to talk?" She asked him concerned.
" About why I am here?" He said looking at her cautiously.
She went stiff at his words.
" Anu......I ......" He stuttered.
" I know."
He heard her say.
" What?" He asked her confused.
" I know why you are here Siddharth." She said.
Siddharth looked at her and he realises that he told her in the start that he is here because of office work.
" No, Anu.....I am not here because of Office work......I am here......" He stopped when he heard her talking.
" Siddharth, I am not talking about Office work." She said looking down.
" Then?" He frowned and she sighed and looked at him intensely.
" I know that you know the truth about me Siddharth."
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To be Continued...........
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