Suhani springs up in her bed, startled and mummuring ‘please, please don’t’. She wiped the beads of sweat running down her face hectically, panting heavily. She stood up and wiped her hands on her silk nightie adn walked slowly out the door, thinking to cool down with a drink of water.
In the living room, Yuvraj was lying on the sofa by himself, with the buzz of a cricket match playing on the television. His head rested on his folded arms and his legs were crossed over at the foot of the sofa. He perked up his eas when he heard footsteps. He turned his head slightly to the direction where the noise is coming from. When he saw her he jumps out of his seat with confusion and concern. Suhani doesn’t notice him as she is blanked out with fear.
Yuvraj- Suhani?
She carries on walking to the kitchen and loses her footing.
Yuvraj- SUHANI!
Yuvraj catches her at the front of her body by her waist and then she leans over his arm, still not noticing where she is or what she is doing. He leans her upright and leads her in to the kitchen by keeping his hand on the small of her back. She suddenly spins around to look at him and moves out out of his grasp.
Suhani- Yuvraj? (she yawned with tiredness and leaned against him)
Yuvraj- Why are you awake,Suhani?
Suhani- Uh.. I.. (She couldn’t remember, but then suddenly she remembered with a fright) Nightmare. I had a nightmare.
Yuvraj looked at her in confusion.
Yuvraj- What happened in it?
Suhani- Uh—Nothing.
Suhani stutters out and rushes to plonk herself on to the sofa.
Yuvraj- Nothing… really? (he raises eyebrows, knowing she was hiding something from him)
Suhani bends her knees. She leans her forehead on his shoulder and grasps to the cloth of his shirt on his shoulder as well. Yuvraj wraps his arm around her back and rubs it slowly while she composed herself, His eyes brim with confusion. But Suhani didn’t cry, she hid away her pain and raised her head.
Suhani- You wont ever lie to me will you?
Yuvraj stared deeply to her eyes, silently asking for trust.
Yuvraj- No, of course not Suhani.
Suhani smiled at him, but it was half hearted as she was still obviously shaken by the events of her dream. She got up from the sofa abruptly, making Yuvraj look at her in confusion.
Suhani- You dont need to take my trouble, okay?
Yuvraj grabbed her hand from behind, making her look back, her eyes dismayed. He pulls her back, causing her to fall over on to the sofa beside him. He holds her previously injured hand that had now been covered by a fresh bandage by Pratima, Suhani looks down at their linked fingers.
Yuvraj- Suhani, Hum dosts hai, na? If we are friends then your troubles are my troubles. (Suhani looks up at him, her eyes a fraction brighter, over the moon but clouded with confusion)
Suhani- Hum dosts hai?
Yuvraj- Of course… when weren’t we friends notanki rani?
Suhani giggled.
She suddenly looks over at the television and realises that Yuvraj was watching the cricket.
Suhani- Yuvraj?! You are seeing the cricket?! (she had juvenile excitement in her voice)
Yuvraj laughed at her cuteness and nodded his head. Yuvraj sat hunched over slightly, legs spread out and elbows resting on his thighs with his hands holding each other. Suhani made herself comfortable next to him, she placed her head on the end of the sofa futhest away from Yuvraj and then suprised him by landing her feet in his lap. Yuvraj looks in to his lap and then up at suhani with question on his face but Suhani didn’t even notice as she was too busy applauding and cheering at India’s 6.
Suhani- Go. Massage my legs Sadu!
Yuvraj- Kya?
Suhani- Do it!
Yuvraj sighed humorously, and slowly massaged her legs, that too very well. They watched the match together. Suhani’s bubbliness and excitement at every run scored entertaining Yuvraj, as they cheer and applaud and hi-five.
Yuvraj- YAY!!!! We won!!! (He held his hand out for an hi-five which isn’t returned. )
He then heard her gentle snorning and saw her body move up and down with the rhythm of her breaths. He smiles down at her sleeping face, appreciating is calm happy beauty. He turns off the tv with the remote. He gets up slowly, lifting her legs out of his lap and placing it on the sofa. He turns to leave but then he hears Suhani shiver slighty before turning over in her sleep and remembers something. He takes out a fluffy baby blue blanket from under the sofa and spreads it over her. He tucks Suhani in, stuffing the corners of the blanket into the gaps of the sofa, making sure she was fully covered. He then left the room after looking back on her adoringly.
Soumya- Suhani! Suhani? Suhani!
Pratima- Why are you yelling Soumya beta?
Soumya stared on to Pratima, gulping back rage and reaching over to touch her feet and seek her blessings.
Soumya- Auntie, wo actually, Suhani isn’t in her room or in the kitchen and I really need to talk to her.
Pratima- Really, you cant find her? Okay beta, you go look…
Soumya turned around and left, rolling her eyes with annoyance. Pratima turned back to her work, pouring tea from the teapot in to cups for the family.
Soumya finds Suhani on the sofa, leans over and shakes her awake.
Suhani- Hmmm… (She looks around in drowsy confusion)
Soumya- Suhani? Why were you here?
Suhani racked her brain for a response but she couldn’t remember why she was here. Then she remembered and the memory was accompanied with a smile, she looked past Soumya where Yuvraj and his brothers where entering from their morning jog. Suhani smiles at Yuvraj gratefully, to which he smiled back but Soumya was too rushed to notice. Soumya grabbed Suhani’s hand and procceded to drag her to the guest room.
Suhani- Whats going on Somwu?
Soumya- I just need to talk to you yaar…
Suhani let Soumya do what she wanted as it had been many days since her friend had interacted with her properly. Soumya sat Suhani on the bed and locked the door behind her. She also sat on the bed, opposite Suhani, holding her hands.
Suhani- Tho batawo… what did you need to tell me? (Her eye wide and filled with eager)
Soumya- This morning before you woke up… Yuvraj confessed his love for me…
Suhani’s bubbly demeanour and excited voice rushed to a stop. She looked down at her and soumya’s linked hands quietly before looking up with a smile, but lonely sad eyes.
Suhani- Such? (her voice was quieter than it had ever been before, soumya’s evil soul fed off the pain in her eyes)
Soumya- Haah, such. (She smiled a wide smile, and Suhani tried to justify her pain with her friends joy)
Soumya pulled her in to a hug and Suhani returned it, her heart fracturing bit by bit inside…
They left the room and Suhani returned to the living room, shuffling, not averting her eyes from the floor. Suddenly, two strong hands grabbed her shouders making her look up in shock. Yuvraj stood before her, an amused look on his face.
Yuvraj- Suhani… Look where you are going…. You would have ran in to me…
Suhani- Yuvraj. (Her voice serious, which confused Yuvraj, as her voice has never sounded more sorrowful. ) Tu Soumya se pyaar karte hai?
Yuvraj- WHAT???
Suhani- She just…
Yuvraj- No. No way Suhani…
Suhani- But she…
Yuvraj shook her from where he was holding her shoulders, halting her words.
Yuvraj- Maybe she misunderstood something i said, but trust me Suhani… I dont love her.
Suhani- Okay. (She looked to the ground, slightly relieved)
Yuvraj nodded and walked away. Suhani went over to the sofa, she didn’t know who to believe but for some reason her heart pounded for her to trust Yuvraj so she did. She picked up the baby blue blanket from the floor and started folding it up to return it to Yuvraj.
Soumya made her way to yuvraj’s room where Pratima and Yuvraj were sitting, talking. Soumya rushes over and grabs Yuvraj’s hands lovingly. Soumya stares deeply into his eyes waiting for her specific momement. Yuvraj and Pratima stare at her in shock, Yuvraj staying still with suprise. Suhani walks to the doorway to enter Yuvraj’s room to return his blanket. She hummed happily but quietly and rushed efficiently, finally content. She stands still at the doorway of his room, unseen, when she sees the back of Soumya’s dress. She sees soumya and Yuvraj’s hands, joined together and can hear her soul shattering.
‘I don’t love Yuvraj, no, no way. But deciet and lies, are still deciet and lies, right? I was betrayed again…At least Somwu told me. But that Yuvraj… He lied, and that too for no reason…’ she thought. She sprinted with all her might, her rage and pain acceleratng her speed.
Soumya- I love you Yuvraj. And you love me…
Yuvraj- Kya? Let go of me Soumya!
Yuvraj almost throws her off him. Scrunching Soumya’s face in to a frown.
Yuvraj- I don’t love you Soumya. Leave me alone and don’t talk to me about this again.
Yuvraj stormed out of the room, anger pulsing through his veins. Pratima also left the room giving soumya a harsh glare of dissapointment. Soumya slams herself on to the bed, hands rolled in to fists with frustration and eyes shut tight controlling her rage that had the power to destroy everything
Yuvraj walks in to the room and stands shook still seeing Suhani sitting on his bed, hugging his pillow with her face buried in it.
Yuvraj- Suhani?
Precap- Suhani is sitting on the bed sobbing and Yuvraj reaches out to touch her shoulder but Suhani swats his arm away, both the pair’s eyes filled with pain.
Yuvraj- Suhani…
Suhani- YOU LIED TO ME YUVRAJ! GO AWAY!