The Fragile Trust
Chapter 8
A/N: Thank you for your encouraging support! Plus, I know it gets repetitive, but I’m not just able to take out time to reply to the comments. I’ll try doing that soon. Anyway, enjoy the new update with this huge twist. Just hope you all will like it.
Anyway, here’s the link to the previous update:
HAPPY READING!
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(TWINKLE)
“Are you going somewhere?”, I asked stuffing some baked chips inside my mouth. “Didn’t I tell you about the date?”, she shot me back with another question. I hate this. Why can’t she just answer my question!
“No, you didn’t”, I replied shifting my gaze back to the movie. “What makes you so pissed?”, Naina asked. “How many dates do you guys go for? I can’t go to the laundry again”, I replied. Of course their dates wasn’t my problem, but the fact that I’d to go to the laundry to get the clothes makes me pissed or, probably no. My imperfect life makes me pissed.
“We went around two weeks back and you didn’t even get the clothes from laundry that day”, she replied slipping her tiny foot into her slippers. “Hate you, Naina”, I screamed as she exited the apartment.
___
I was watching the movie when the bell rang. ‘Who the hell is it!’, I wondered walking towards the door. I was in no mood to talk to anyone. I was sulking because I didn’t want to walk all the way uptil the laundry and get our clothes back.
I opened the door and just stood there blocking the entrance. I closed my eyes unwilling to see who’s at the doorstep when I heard a familiar voice.
“Twinkle, are you alright?”, I was shot with a question and opened my eyes in quick realisation to find Kunj at the doorstep. ‘What is he doing here now?’, I wondered.
“Just came because Tushar and Naina have gone out together so, thought you’d be left alone”, he replied. I wondered whether he was able to read my mind. “Okay, then. You stay here, I’m going to the laundry”, I replied. That was indeed rude, but I’m in such a bad mood now that I don’t care what I’m talking.
“Shall I come along?”, he asked. “It’s your wish”, I replied walking inside my room. I was certainly in no mood to talk. I picked up my jacket from the bed and grabbed my purse from the table which was lying beside my books.
I walked out of the room and before I could reach out for my shoes, Kunj cornered me. “What the heck!”, I yelled. “Why are you in such a bad mood?”, he asked. “Kunj, let me go”, I replied. “That isn’t the reply I’m waiting for, Twinkle”, he replied and I’m serious this guy is pissing me off more now.
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I stood there silently not willing to answer his questions when he pulled me closer, straddling over my waist. I widened my gaze and looked at him, completely shocked. He kissed my temple and repeated his question. ‘Is he trying to romance me in this bad mood? I swear, he’s going to get it from me today’, I thought.
I pushed him aside and said, “If you want to come, you can, but for God’s sake stop romancing me in my bad mood. I’m in no mood to talk to anyone and here you are, romancing me.” I slipped my foot into my sandal when Kunj gripped onto my wrist.
“One second”, he muttered. I turned around and folding my arms across my chest, stood there trying to be patient as much as possible. “Is something bothering you?”, he asked looking straight into my eyes. I couldn’t turn around and ask him to leave anymore.
___
“Kunj, I need you to leave me alone”, I stated. He increased the proximity between us and stroking my cheek said, “Let me know what’s bothering you Twinkle. I’ll do every damn thing of this earth to make you feel relieved.”
“Kunj, some things are meant to be secrets. It’s better if we get over this attraction”, I said. “Everything was alright till the morning, right? What happened all of a sudden?”, he asked.
Inhale. Exhale.
Relax.
Kunj needs to know this now. I can’t be playing with his feelings.
I repeated this in my mind continuously and after a while I said, “Sit down. I’ll get you some coffee.”
___
Me: Tushar, bring the clothes back from the laundry when you return.
Tushar: Are you sorting it out today itself? That’s a pretty quick move, Twinkle.
Me: I thought about it after coming back and you’re right. I need to sort this out because I know the consequences that’d be coming up won’t be good if this attraction actually turns into something meaningful in the future ahead. Plus, the time I’ve known Kunj, he’s pretty serious about it like I was until you made me realise that I was just forming an imaginary bubble around me.
I switched off the coffee maker and poured the coffee into both the mugs. My phone vibrated and I found another text from Tushar.
Tushar: You’re right. Just know I’ll be beside you no matter what.
Me: Thank you Tushar! Well, take Naina to your apartment today. I don’t want her to know anything about Tvisha.
Tushar: Sure and don’t thank me.
I placed the mugs on a tray and walked inside the living room. “Kunj, coffee”, I said placing the tray on the table. “Twinkle, leave all this and tell me what’s bothering you”, he said gripping onto my wrist. “I’ll just remove this jacket and come”, I excused myself and went inside my room.
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“Kunj, maa and papa won’t ever accept this relationship if we take it further ahead to a level from where we can’t think of parting our ways. It’s better if we just let go off it over here itself”, I said picking up my coffee from the table and settling down on the other side of the sofa. “Twinkle, we’ll talk to them. Why are you giving up?”, Kunj replied.
“Kunj, it won’t work out. Please understand. I don’t want you to have any false hopes from my side”, I said. He placed his coffee mug on the table and held my hand between his. He gently kissed my palm and replied, “Twinkle, I’m ready to go through anything with you beside me.”
I smiled. I looked at our hands and then at him. I could feel the earnestness in his eyes. “Just reach out for me, Twinkle and I promise, I won’t ever leave you alone”, he said. I could feel a drop of tear roll down my cheek. I was going off track. I needed to make him understand that Twinkle Taneja and Kunj Sarna could never get through.
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“Do you see her?”, I asked forwarding Kunj a photo frame. He took it from my hand and looked at the picture. “She’s Tvisha, my elder sister”, I continued. “You’ve a sister. I didn’t know that”, he remarked. “No one does because I lost her when I was in my high school”, I replied. Kunj’s eyes shot up and he looked at me seriously. “Tvisha di was in her third year of college when she was dating a guy called Shaurya, Shaurya Mehra. We didn’t know anything about it until three years. We were happy for her and the marriage dates were soon fixed. It was on the day of their engagement when he tried to molest me, but he couldn’t because papa came at the right time. We didn’t tell anything to di at that time, but papa had already called off the marriage”, I said and wiped the tears that trailed down my cheeks.
“We tried to make di understand that he wasn’t a good guy and also, that she deserved someone much better, but she refused to agree to any of us. The next day we couldn’t find her at home. She ran away at night and none of us had the slightest clue about it. We didn’t know what to do and just wished for her well being. We knew that complaining against them wouldn’t have helped us anyway so, all we could do was wish for her to realise her mistake. We waited until one year and then one fine day we were informed by the police that di had left all of us”, I completed and looked at Kunj. He was looking down at the floor. “Did Shaurya kill her?”, was all he asked. “Yes, Shaurya never loved di. He just thought to use her for her lusty purposes in college and then leave, but di had loved him. When after marriage she protested about his extra-marital affair, he raped her. He raped her and it was so brutally done that she died”, I replied and wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
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“Maa and papa don’t rely on anyone, Kunj. They’d a tough time sending me to this college, but Tushar assured them that he won’t let anything happen to me”, I said. “But Twinkle, your parents have to trust someone or the other one day, then why can’t we fight to make them trust me?”, he asked. It was a pretty genuine question and I smiled at his possessiveness. “I like you too, Kunj”, I whimpered.
“Don’t, Twinkle”, Kunj muttered wiping my tears. “We’re perfect for each other Kunj, but our lives our imperfect”, I said. “Twinkle, can’t they give me a chance to prove myself?, Kunj asked.
“I wish they did, Kunj”, I replied. “I don’t blame them, Twinkle. Life has been too tough for them, but why is life being so tough for us? Twinkle, please trust me. Just give me sometime to prove myself”, he requested.
“Kunj, look. It’s true that we both are attracted to each other and we like each other. Probably, you could even be thinking about dating me, but if we don’t get over this now, the consequences would be really bad and simply causing chaos inspite of knowing everything would do no good. Maa and papa won’t ever agree and certainly I won’t marry despite their denial. Moreover, whatever happened with di hasn’t really left a good impact on me. I know you won’t do anything as such for now, but what if you change in future. Time changes everything, Kunj”, I replied.
“Twinkle, will you give me a chance to prove myself?”, he asked. I didn’t want him to prove himself, but I don’t know how much he could change in future. I feared what if he too started liking someone else and considered me a liability!
“Will you?”, he asked again. “Go ahead”, I mumbled and he delicately laced our fingers. He brought up my hand to his mouth and gently kissed the fingertips. “I’ll ask you as I proceed, Twinkle and we’ll only proceed if you’re comfortable”, he said. I smiled and I felt his weight on the sofa shift towards me.
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