Greetings everyone! Ananya here. Thank you so much for all the love and affection that you all have been showering on my stories. Happy reading!
Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 27
A quick recap: Usha regrets that she had to take such a terrible step to save Kunj from Alisha. Kunj gets really annoyed to find Twinkle getting drenched in the rain, leading to a sweet moment between them. He reveals his concerns regarding Alisha to Twinkle, who assures him that they would face it together.
Kunj was surprised to find the hall empty when he got home early. Twinkle hadn’t gone with him that day, for he only had an informal party to attend, something that she still wouldn’t agree to go to, and so it had been. It was tea time, and he knew Twinkle had recently become Usha’s companion for tea when both of them were at home, which he was secretly impressed with. He strode lazily through the corridor on the first floor, assuming that they had probably gone to visit someone or shopping, although he knew the probability of either was extremely low, for he had learnt that Twinkle was neither the gossiping type nor the extravagant type. Right then, he heard a sneeze, making him push open the door beside him and burst in with, “I had told you that you would fall ill because of your stupid liking for the rain, Twinkle!” He quietened down when he saw that it was Usha who was unwell and Twinkle was tending to her; both of them were looking at him now. “Ma, what happened?” He asked, hoping that would divert them. “It’s just flu. I’ll be fine.” Usha responded, catching Twinkle looking at Kunj in surprise. She giggled, making Twinkle look at her, embarrassed at being caught. “What was that about Twinkle?” She asked, patting the other side of the bed, asking him to sit beside her. “Your daughter in law is very fond of playing in the rain like a little child, Ma. That is why I thought it was her who had fallen ill.” Kunj complained, earning a glare from Twinkle. “That was a week ago, Kunj.” Twinkle reminded him, making him struggle to find an argument, failing terribly and rushing away under the pretext of some work, leaving the women laughing. He had stood by the door and watched as Twinkle cared for his mother, smiling to himself, his admiration for her only increasing. In fact he had now grown so fond of her that her absence made everything feel incomplete to him, but of course he would never accept it, because he was in love with Alisha, wasn’t he?
Twinkle stood in front of the dressing mirror, getting ready to go visit Alisha, her mind occupied with several thoughts, mostly negative ones. “Hey!” Kunj’s voice from right behind her jerked her out of her thoughts. The smile that she had managed to put on brightened when he said “Thank goodness you’re finally wearing these earrings! I always wanted to see how they looked on you!” They were the same earrings that he bought for her in Udaipur a couple of months ago, which had just marked the beginning of their little ritual of gifting each other something special every time they went somewhere. “And? What do you think?” She asked, turning to him. “Prettiest! As always!” He said, clasping his hands in front of him, making her blush. “Thank you!” She said, turning away as she thought of the actual reason she had decided to wear the earrings that she had promised herself were only for extremely special occasions, since he had bought them for her, making them very precious. She had reasoned to herself that she knew Kunj’s heart belonged to Alisha and that she probably was going to be sidelined the moment they set their eyes on each other, she wanted to be in possession of something that would provide her the strength that she would need and the assurance that Kunj would always be her friend if nothing else. “Twinkle!” Kunj called out, and she turned to look at him standing at the door, looking at her hesitantly. She stepped closer to her and squeezed his hand assuringly, blinking at him, even as her mind and heart battled against each other. “Thank you for doing this!” He whispered, his eyes overwhelmed with gratitude. That look made Twinkle give in to her heart’s desire and she hugged him tight, his hands going around her immediately making her sigh, bringing solace to both of them.
Twinkle had no idea what she had to expect from a place like a rehab facility for she had never been to one before, and thus the sight of the patients there made her feel a mix of sympathy and fear. Kunj noticed her inhibition and held her hand, neither of them speaking as he led her through a long corridor. “It’s going to be alright!” She whispered when he stopped in front of a door and sucked in a deep breath. She watched as he let go of her hand and pushed the door open, making her feel suddenly distant from him. She stepped in behind him and closed the door, observing Alisha who was being helped by a nurse to sit up. She didn’t have too many visible injuries, and Twinkle thought she looked beautiful even in that helpless state. Twinkle had been feeling extremely guilty from the time Kunj had brought up this issue, for she had suddenly realised that they had tricked Alisha, and she herself had literally snatched Kunj from Alisha, but now as she saw Alisha’s eyes brighten and a lovely smile creep on her face when she saw Kunj, Twinkle suddenly felt jealous. She couldn’t believe she was feeling that way, but she couldn’t help it either. For so long, Alisha’s name had hardly come up and she had begun to feel like Kunj was all hers, and the sudden flash of the truth appeared too burdensome to her. “You are?” Alisha asked Twinkle right when she had begun considering leaving the two of them alone and walking out. “That’s Twinkle.” Kunj said, smiling warmly at Twinkle, suddenly pausing as he wondered what he should say next. “Kunj’s manager.” Twinkle completed for him, keeping her eyes carefully off him for she knew he was staring in surprise. Alisha smiled at Twinkle too and spoke, “Usha aunty finally found someone she could entrust her son with?” She began coughing just as she finished, and Twinkle rushed to get her a glass of water. There was a moment of awkward silence after that, making Alisha look at them suspiciously, her eyes pausing at Twinkle’s Mangalsutra. Her eyes then wandered to Kunj’s, disappointing her that he was looking at Twinkle fondly as she proceeded to discuss Alisha’s health with the nurse.
Kunj found Twinkle pacing up and down the corridor when he walked out. Alisha had said that she had something to speak to Kunj, and had insisted that it had to be in private. They couldn’t speak in front of his manager, she had said and Twinkle had promptly excused herself out, her mind taunting her that she was just an outsider. “See! I told you it would be alright!” Twinkle said as soon as she saw him walking to her. He smiled back but she knew with just one look that it wasn’t alright. Something had definitely gone against his wish and he definitely didn’t like it. Had Alisha found her presence fishy? She could only wonder, for she knew he would definitely not tell her even if she had persisted. He needed some time to process it by himself and then he would tell her, she knew that too. They had just stepped into the house when they saw Usha waiting for them, she definitely didn’t look happy. “Ma?” Kunj began, but he was cut short by her. “Kunj, how about you quickly change and join us for lunch while Twinkle helps me in the kitchen?” It was an instruction that demanded to be followed and they both knew it. He sprinted up the stairs while Twinkle sighed deeply as she followed Usha to the kitchen.
Kunj rushed through freshening up and changing and had just got within eavesdropping distance to the kitchen, knowing that Twinkle would be grilled by Usha, hoping he could help when he heard Usha scream, “What do you mean by that? You are Kunj’s wife, Twinkle! I want things to stay that way!” He flinched, realising that he was too late. He had just reached the entrance to the kitchen when he heard Twinkle speak. “I’m sorry, Ma! I knew all along that I could never become Kunj’s wife, and had promised myself that I wouldn’t even try to. I can’t do this to him, Ma! He calls me his best friend! I can’t oppose his love for Alisha and take her place in his life and his heart. I just can’t!” He heard her sob as Usha tried to reason with her, saying “But what about you, Twinkle? Have you thought about what you might have to endure just because you want to save this friendship of yours?” Although Twinkle had her back towards him, he knew she must have put on a sad smile when she replied, “This friendship is all we have, Ma. And there’s absolutely nothing in the world that I would trade it for!” She then turned and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kunj in front of her, gasping as she wondered how much he had heard. Did he know now that she was hopelessly in love with him? She cast a quick glance at Usha and hurried out, not wanting to take any more chances.
Kunj stared at Usha, trying to frame something to argue with her, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t think straight anymore. From all that he had heard, it was evident that Usha wanted him and Twinkle to take their relationship ahead, something that he had never expected from her. He was glad that Twinkle had stood up for him, for their friendship, that she hadn’t given up fighting even when Usha had been so insistent, but something had been pricking his heart. He had suddenly realised that Usha probably feared the day when Alisha would have fully recovered, and now he dreaded it too. He didn’t want to let Twinkle go, and for the first time it wasn’t Alisha that he was worried he would lose, and this change in his emotions scared him. He glanced at Usha disappointedly, processing the dilemma he was stuck in, shaking his head at her as he turned around and walked upstairs, ignoring Usha calling out to him and trying to justify herself. He entered the room to see Twinkle sitting on his stool by the window, sobbing quietly. He tiptoed to her and picked her up in his arms, making her squeal in surprise even as she put her arms around his neck. “Put me down, Kunj!” She demanded, looking at anywhere but him. “Nope! Not while you’re crying like a little baby!” He replied, moving his head as she moved her eyes until she looked at him. “I’m not crying!” She said, wiping away her tears with one hand and he placed her on the bed gently. “Good girl!” He said, leaning in to whisper, “I’m sorry about whatever Ma said to you..” He was cut short by her placing her index finger on his lips and she whispered back “Shhhhh.” He smiled at her, fighting his urge to drop a peck on her forehead. She was so close to him right then that he felt a certain warmth in his heart and it felt perfect. He wished he could pause time right there.
That’s it for now, guys. Tell me what you thought about it. Lots of love!