ishqbaaz by Aashi (Chapter 1)

The Abyss- Ishqbaaaz FF by Aashi

Chapter- 3

The memories seemed crueler than before. With every passing night they come to haunt the sleep & rest out of the body, soul is left gasping for life knowing it was failing miserably.
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Om woke up with a start with sheen of sweat on his forehead & brow; his hands shaking and heartbeats thundering in his own ears. He felt faint, in his sleepy, muddled state & a strange yet familiar kind of dizziness. Stumbling, he went to the bathroom & stood under the chilling shower. The jet of water calmed him somewhat for which he stood there for a long time until his body refused to bear the cold. Shivering, he came back to the room and changed into a casual pair of kurta-payjama. Wearing a grey hoodie over it, Om went out to have a stroll, or an early morning walk as it was 4:30, still an hour almost before the streets turn alive.
The cold air hit him as soon as he was out of the mansion premises, making him pull the hoodie closer to him. He headed for the beach.
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Om sat alone at his desk, looking around the class to see the whole class full of laughing children, sitting with their best-friends, chatting & studying; sharing unknown secrets, sharing lunches, sharing sharpeners & erasers. His eyes filled with tears unknowingly as he gazed at the space beside him. Did they detest him? If not, then why they didn’t sit beside him? He asked it to his mother. “Om, my dear, please don’t over think & ask silly questions” was the reply. “You have Shivaay & Rudra as your friends then why you are worrying?” chotimaa had answered. “But they are not in my class”, he had said. “So you want my Shivaay to fail so he accompanies you” she had thundered & went. Terrified the ten year old Om had found his solace in the lap of his grandmother.
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Om looked at the horizon. Dark, angry waves crashed against the rocks on the shore, the wind blew wild. The clouds towered overhead looking menacing & heavy. “Sahabji, bhaago, tufaan aane waala hai” a man called out to him as he ran in the opposite direction. Om cursed under his breath as he began to move towards the street. And then, suddenly & heavily a torrent of rain came, accompanied by loud thunder & lightning, with merciless big drops soaking him in an instant. Om ran as fast as he could to find a shelter. Sighting a half broken shed; he snuck in & began wringing out the water from his clothes. He cursed again, in an almost inaudible whisper but stopped short when he noticed another petite figure scurrying in. Astonished, he stared at her. “Never seen a girl with wet clothes before?!” she snapped at him, scathingly, “Damned men.”
Om was mortified. Had he made an impression of a lecherous person? “Look ma’am, I hadn’t any intention of…….” He swallowed his own words as she shot him a glare & ran out again, calling after a cab. After an hour, when the rain had stopped, he returned home unable to shake off the feeling of those angry eyes.
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Hi everyone, It’s me Aashi again. I really have no idea how you all will react to the first meet of Om-Gauri. I tried making the chapter a bit different & have no idea about the upcoming chapters so I’m going with the flow. Thank you everyone for your continuous love & support. Right now my life is a mess so I may take some time before I update any further chapters.
Thank you Everyone
By Aashi.