He found himself walking, and then running on an isolated field. He could see no living being as far as his sight fell upon. It was just him, in a big, very big yard and he was kind of lost. He found himself unable to find directions, it was like he knew where to go, he knew what the destination looked like, but he just could not figure out where he was going. He was just aimlessly running, in the hopes that he'd find a way out of this place. And all of a sudden, he saw a pitch black hole. Like an abyss. It was dark, very dark and it was pulling him towards itself the way magnet pulls metal. He threw his hands and legs in an attempt to oppose the force, but his body was wreak and he succumbed to the pull. He was reaching near the abyss. Nearer. And Nearer.
With every passing second, his body felt weaker, he was nearing the dark black hole, its pull getting stronger as he neared it.
Sidharth woke up with a loud gasp, panting and breathing heavily.
He saw it again. The Nightmare. This very nightmare that kept haunting him every now and then. He had no idea why he often saw it. Him being pulled by a strong force towards a dark hole of nothingness, and then waking up right when he nears its mouth. Neither did he know what specifically it meant. It troubled him, the mere thought of this dream would lowkey scare the shit out of him.
He wanted to share this to somebody, somebody whom he could trust, somebody he could lean on to. Except he could not. Because he had closed himself up. After Avni, and after his dad passing away, and after every person that he believed to be his close one backstabbed him.
He was this huge, arrogant, and successful man touching new heights with newfound determination and professionalism, and roared back louder at the dogs who barked at him when he faced downfall. He rose back up and he did so beautifully. But his heart, it still had marks of the wounds and traces of the pain inflicted upon him.
It was still early, 5 in the morning to be precise. So he scrolled through his mobile phone, laying there lazily. Seconds later, something caught his attention. The date. It was 30th September.
8 years ago, on this very day, gods above were cruel enough to snatch the very person he had to lean on - his father.
"Dad!" he whimpered.
His heart pricked, thinking of how his father's last words were all about the love their family had. He had asked him to take care of his mom. He had asked him to never disappoint her,to never let her alone. He had told him to always stand to his words and ground, and to always spread happiness,and to be someone who people could look upto and take inspiration from. And his heart broke when he realised that he is failing to keep the promises he made to him.
The sudden responsibility on his shoulder was not the reason he turned so cold. The betrayals he had faced was! he remembered how he was backstabbed by every single person he chose to trust. He laughed sarcastically at his own self. He hated life sometimes. Perhaps the only thing that kept him sane was his work. He loved his work. And with the dedication he showed, he was a bit happy that he was atleast fulfilling one of the promises, that he'd be an inspiration to people.
He heaved a sigh and went to the kitchen to fill the empty jug of water.
His steps froze when he neared the other room where his mother was. She had stayed over at his flat yesterday after they had dinner. He felt him limbs falling weak. He saw his mother listening to the one song that his dad would often sing for her. H8s heart shattered into a million little pieces as he heard the lines-
Kisi raah mein, kisi mod par
Kahin chal na dena, tu chhod kar
Mere humsafar, Mere humsafar.
He saw Maa smiling, looking at the photo frame of her wedding. It pricked his heart. She was missing him.
(Flashback)
He sat on the sofa, giggling as his dad put on the song on the stereo. His parents danced, swayed together, in the rhythm of the song. They laughed as they saw their 7 year-old son gushing at them. They went to him, picked him up and smothered his baby face with sloppy kisses, played with him. They were a perfect, happy family. The lines played in the background.
Tera rang saya bahaar ka,
Tera roop aaina pyaar ka,
Tujhe aa nazar me chupa loon mai
Tujhe kahin lag na jaye nazar
(End of Flashback)
A soft sob left brought him back to present. Maa was sobbing, silently, a ghost of a small lingered on her lips.
Kisi haal mein, Kisi baat par,
Kahin chal na dena tu chhod kar
Mere humsafar, Mere humsafar.
He went inside the room, hugged his mother, caressing her back, as if telling her he is sorry for all the things she's bearing alone. She was a strong woman. And she had raised his son that way.
Except he was no longer the old Sidharth,who shared every little with her. She knew better than to intrude. She believed him.
Sidharth found himself at loss of words.
"Maa.. I'm sorry.."
"Koi nahi, mera bacha, koi nahi, kuch nahi hua hai" she patted his back, telling him she is fine,just a bit nostalgic.
"I know I'm pathetic, and I'm good for nothing and you're in pain seeing me like this, but I swear Maa I'll be fine someday" he said.
"You will be fine bacha. Sab theek hoga. I'm right here okay. Don't close yourself up so much that even your own shadow refuses to recognise you. I'm right here. Its okay to cry in front of me, that does not make you any less of a man. We all fall weak. I'm right here for you mera bacha. Take your time. You'll be fine. It'll all be fine. " she assured him.
Sidharth left for office after dropping Maa off at the temple she used to visit regularly and offer prayers.
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It was her first day in the office. She was nervous. It was written all over her face. She reached half an hour before the supposed time. As the elevator door opened at her floor, she felt giddy, butterflies all over her stomach. With each step she took, she grew a bit more nervous. It was just the way she functioned, she couldn't help it.
"Vaaheguru mehr karna" she muttered undered her breath.
She was introduced to the co workers, and she took time to mingle with them. One of them, Navya was kind enough to explain her the details of her work and her workplace.
In no time, Shehnaaz was quite comfortable with some of the co-workers. She had found a good friend in Navya.
Shehnaaz looked around when she felt somebody's stern gaze on her.
It was Sidharth.
He had just arrived. He was approaching her. He stopped at a reasonable distance away from her, and looked at her, like really looked at her. From head to toe.
"Good Morning.. Sir" she said.
He nodded and went straight to his office.
A frown took over face, but she brushed it off as soon as she realised.
Almost about half an hour later, Sidharth called her inside his office via the intercom.
"Miss Gill, in my office, ASAP" she heard him say.
She entered after knocking slightly.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"Huh!?" she frowned, not really getting what he meant.
"I mean its your first day. Any troubles?"
"No Mr Shukla, thanks for the concern." she said, smiling.
"Well you work for me, you can report to me if there's anything that troubles you regarding the work. Am I understood?" he asked.
She nodded. And left.
She loved the atmosphere at the new workplace. Her colleagues were nice. She still found Sahil a bit creepy by the way he kept holding her hands when she forwarded them for a formal handshake,but that was it. That was the only interaction she had with him. He worked in a different floor and looked over an entirely different department.
She went to Sidharth's office at the lunch break to update him about the meetings and schedule. She expected him to be eating but instead found him lost, staring at something in his mobile. And there was.... Wait is that gloom that she saw in his eyes?
She cleared her throat. He looked at her.
"Yes?"he asked
" Uhm.. I just came to update show you this. "she said, forwarding the papers and meeting schedules towards him.
" Mr Shukla, should I come back later? " she said when she found him staring at the files blankly.
" Huh, No. Yeah. What were you saying? "he managed to say,coming back out of his thoughts.
She went on to explain all the changes again. His gaze, however, this time, was fixed upon her. The way she put few loose strands of her hair behind her ear every now and then, the way her lips moved as she spoke, the way she blinked every bow and then.
Stop staring. His mind shouted.
He vaguely caught up with everything she said. When she left, he looked at her through the window. There was sheer innocence written all over her with the way she spoke, and ate and giggled.
He smiled the slightest bit, unknowingly.
He sighed, and then went in to study tge reports to be presented in the meeting today,before leaving.
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Shehnaaz returned back home at the evening and felt an unknown contentment. She didn't know why, but she was genuinely happy today. After everything life put her through, she managed to survive. And this job has given her so much hope. Her pay was quite good. She'd save quite a bit. She felt happier, and slept peacefully with a smile lingering on her lips after days.
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Heyaaa lovelies! Sorry for the late update. But had to make some changes in the plot which took me longer than necessary.
Anyways heres I am. This one's more like an emotional ride to Sidharth's life. Let me know if you like it. Office Romance coming up next.
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