Hey, jnana here with the next one… sorry my dearies for not posting yesterday…. Like radhika even I’ve got to do some projects…. So am late…. Hope you forgive me…. and please drop your valuable comments over here… again sorry for being late….
“why are you behind him?” prerna chided.
After speaking to radhika once Mehras left, neil asked sam to accompany him to his house and he would drop her back to the hostel after that. Sam agreed happily thinking that she would get to stay with prerna. It would help her in knowing prerna better.
Neil had gone to change asking sam to company prerna. Prerna who awaited the moment, started interrogating sam.
Sam was astonished with her question.
“aunty…”
“sam, why don’t you understand? I don’t want you around neil. I want my son to be fit and fine and that doesn’t go with a loser…” prerna cut her.
Sam stared her abald.
“sam you’re getting pale… I guess you don’t have your food properly… take care of your health child…”
Sam was again amused at her words. The sudden change in topic was due to neil, who entered in his denim and a white t-shirt.
“you’re right, ma… she’s being a nerd nowadays… and also, has stopped eating.”
Neil said looking at sam. Prerna just tried smiling while sam stood stunned.
She had known prerna for around 18 years, she never spoke to her like she did today. It was really new and hard to digest. It hurt.
“shall we leave Sammy?” neil asked wrapping an arm around her. He had a flawless smile playing on his lips.
Sam just smiled at him nodding.
“yeah… it would be better.” she whispered.
She turned to prerna once before stepping her leg out. Prerna turned her face away making an irritated face.
——
“what’s wrong Sammy? You’re too silent…. Its not you…” neil asked on their way back to hostel.
“nothing neil. I was just thinking….”
“about…?”
“quit it. tell me what do you think our project will be about?” she had to change the topic. Neil wouldn’t listen a word against his mom. She was a single parent of him. He had seen her struggling only for him. To get him educated. After all she was his life. Her wish was his command.
“no. no idea at all.” He replied bringing her back to earth.
“hmmm…..”
“looking at his face all I can tell is he’s a hard nut to crack.”
“that he is…. I’m worried for radhika…”
“don’t be, they’re perfect…” he said with a sudden break. The had covered about half the distance. Sam was confused seeing him stopping the bike there.
“neil, what’s wrong?”
“nothing… get down…”
As soon as she got down he parked the bike nearby. He went to her with a small run. He smiled. Sam replied him with a confused one.
“our time…” he declared.
It had been days since they spent time together. The exams, placements, marriage proposal had taken toll.
He stretched his palm in front of her and she placed hers.
Sam smiled at his simplicity. He had always been a gentleman.
They walked through the empty lane hand in hand. Sam head leant on neil’s shoulder. The silence had prevailed throughout.
“what’s bugging you Sammy?” neil asked unable to bear the silence. Silence had not been comfortable for him. This was not his sam. His sam was chirpy, talkative. The thing that she kept quite bugged him.
“nothing really…” sam tried being convincible. But who was she kidding? Neil knew every inch of her.
“don’t lie…” he stated being obvious…
“will you answer me frankly?” she was desperate.
“sure…” he said sensing her desperation.
“neil, what if prerna aunty wants you to marry someone else?”
Neil stopped walking. He didn’t know the reason for her fear. He turned to her with a question mark expression.
“what is cooking in your pea brain?”
“neil, answer…” she was stern.
“I’ll marry her…” of course he joked.
Even though she knew he was joking she couldn’t convince herself. Her eyes started pooling. Tears threatened to flow. Her fear of losing one more whom she loved with all her heart arose.
Neil cupped her face immediately apologising. He never knew she would take his joke this serious.
“I’m sorry Sammy, I was just joking….” He said kissing atop her head.
“see, I know you are hiding something… what really happened?” he sounded desperate and even hurt. He didn’t like sam keeping things form him. This was their rule not to keep any secrets. He kept none and expected the same.
“answer me please…” sam cried.
“of course I would turn the offer down.”
“what if she insists?”
“sam, what’s…” she cut him.
“answer…” she raised her voice which broke instantly.
“okay… I would tell her I can’t as I love you…”
“what if she doesn’t want you to marry me?”
Neil was frustrated by her questioning session.
“sam, I’ve answered enough… now tell me what happened.”
“neil, I got a nightmare…” she said immediately fearing he would catch her lie. Her tears fled.
He immediately wrapped her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth while she just cried her heart out.
“neil, what if you have to choose between your mom and me?” sam asked breaking the hug. Neil pushed her away. It was enough now. she was getting to his nerves.
“sam, don’t you trust me?”
She shook her head.
“no… not now…”
Neil’s temper raised. He ran his finger through his locks in frustration. She didn’t trust him… sam didn’t trust her neil. If she doesn’t trust him then there was no meaning in this relation.
“then, we’ll split…” he said and turned away moving to his bike. He fired the engine and made his way back home. He desperately wanted to get sam to her hostel back. But his heart cracked at her words. He wept silently all his way. He ran to his room once he reached home. He asked prerna not to disturb him and not to wait for him for dinner. She simply nodded her head. This wasn’t new to her. He would finish his dinner with sam and tell her the same, weekly twice.
Neil just laid on his bed staring the ceiling. He never in his dreams had thought that sam didn’t trust him. He didn’t know why is it that tough for her to trust him. She wasn’t open to everyone, that he knew. But she had known him since her kg schooling. Trusting him shouldn’t be a problem to her. But reality was the other way round. He wants her to trust him and he at any cost wouldn’t let his relationship with her, sink. He decided.
—-
On the other hand, sam sunk and sat on the road, her legs crossed to her right. She wept hiding her face in her lap. She cried till her eyes stopped tearing, her throat went dry.
Her phone buzzed. She immediately received the call from radhika.
“I want you here… with me…” sam cried.
Radhika was shocked listening her sobs. she asked about her whereabouts and started. These two had been inseparable. Their love for each other reached the clouds. Radhika parked her vehicle and ran to sam who still wept a dry cry. She stood her up and dragged her back home.
Sam said nothing and radhika asked nothing all their way. Radhika had thousand questions running in her mind. Before throwing them at sam, she wanted to get her back home safe.
Once inside her room, radhika pushed sam on bed.
“did you both fight?”
Sam remained still.
“I’m asking something sam…” she raised voice.
“I don’t know…”
“what?”
“he just left me…” she said. Her eyes teared up again.
Thought struck radhika.
“did prerna aunty say something?”
“radhika, am I loser?” sam cried. Radhika was worried now. she knew prerna didn’t like sam and radhika had also warned prerna in sam’s matter. She shook her head.
“no sam, you’re not… you are the best… please tell me what’s the matter? You’re scaring me…”
Sam spitted things out. She said only the things that happened between neil and her. Radhika wasn’t convinced. She planned to ask her later.
“nothing…. I think I need time to trust people….” she said wiping her tears at last.
“my eyes are paining… do you have some pain killer?”
“yeah… wait…” radhika said going to her wardrobe. She still was processing things. She knew how to make sam spit the things.
Their phone beeped at once. It was message from arjun, to meet him the next afternoon, after their class dismissal.
“khadoos…” radhika said. Sam and her exchanged looks and sam smiled teasingly.
“he’s so professional… see he’s phrased what is required.” Radhika frowned.
“do you want him to ask about your dinner, what you ate, how you’re doing… what you’re wearing…? don’t you think it’s too much for a day?”
Radhika blushed a light shade of red. She was still angry at him. She wouldn’t forgive him easily. Who was she kidding? Arjun Mehra wouldn’t ask for forgiveness. Not at least from her.
“shut up sam… I’m worried about the project…” she changed the topic and it worked. Sam was waiting for her certificate. Once done with her studies, she would rent a house for herself from her first salary.
“I wonder the same…”
“I don’t want him to track me with this for going against his words.” Radhika was really worried. She had finalised the proposal against his will then, she feared about it now. it was not her alone. It would also decide neil and sam’s future. She didn’t want him to aim her using these two.
“we’ll face it together….” Sam said reassuringly.
——–
“why don’t you take her out and buy rings for the engagement?” nandini asked almost jumping like a kid on the couch she sat. Arjun who sat in front of her glanced her features. She was jumping this way from the time the radhika accepted the proposal.
“mom, stay calm… its just an engagement…” arjun said nonchalantly.
“what just engagement? Its your engagement. My only son’s engagement. I have to do many things… so I guess its better if you go with her to select rings…” nandini chirped. She was preparing a list to shop for his engagement.
“mom, were you excited the same way for your engagement?” arjun asked teasing her. She blushed shades of red.
“of course…. Her engagement was with the best man…” anand who entered the living room rocked his collar answering.
“shut up…” nandini said blushing more if possible.
“beautiful….” Arjun said pulling her cheeks after taking his seat next to her.
“arjun…” she warned to which the father son duo laughed throwing their head backwards.
She smiled at them. It had been days, since they spent time together. She expected him to yell at them after reaching home. But he stayed calm. Somewhere she was sure that he did like radhika. This intern thing would help them get to know each other.
“okay… I need to think about the project… I’ll go…” arjun said and walked to his room smirking to himself.
“don’t bother her…” nandini yelled from the living room.
He just laughed.
“lets see…” he yelled back.
He laid on his bed his arms spread and his leg hanging down. He closed his eyes thinking what would be radhika’s reaction when he would tell her about the project.
She never left his mind. He still had her features tied to his sight. Her long locks, her tougue stuck out, her desperation for her phone. These things were silly, but beautiful at the same time.
He opened his eyes and instantly got up. He walked across the room and to his wardrobe. He opened it and shuffled two-three shirts of his. He took a pic from one of them and smiled.
“hmmm… now, you are getting a daughter in law…. Will meet you soon with her…” he said and kissed the pic.
He again started digging his clothes, he took another pic from there.
“I’m your end…. As promised. But you need to suffer….” He said and threw it back angrily.
He again sat on his bed closing his eyes. His back resting on the head board.
———
“will you be my boyfriend?” a blonde asks him.
“no…” he replies.
“okay… at least date for the prom?” she blinks her eyes expectantly.
“I guess that should be okay…”
She flashes a smile at him….
He smiles back.
————-
That’s it for today…. So do you think hero and heroine would get together without a villain sticking around? Not at all right… so next one… THE VILLAIN.