Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 29

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Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 29

 A quick recap: Twinkle manages to get Kunj to resolve issues with Usha. When both of them are unable to fall asleep, Kunj brings out his guitar and sings a series of songs, ending in Twinkle expressing her desire to learn to play the guitar. Their proximity leads to Kunj pondering over his emotions.

Twinkle woke up from what seemed to be the best sleep she had ever had, not aware of the reason until she opened her eyes and saw Kunj close to her. Her eyes widened as she realised that her head was on his arm, and he didn’t seem to mind. She looked over her shoulder and figured that it was she who had sneaked close to him, for she was on his side of the bed; she didn’t recollect doing that though. “Stop freaking out!” She heard him speak in a sleepy voice, making her snap her head to look at him. “You’re awake?” She asked, later realising that it was a stupid question. She slid away from him immediately, registering that her hands had been on his chest, heat rising to her cheeks when she heard him chuckle. “Stop!” He said, grabbing her wrist, she looked back to see him sit up lazily, opening his eyes that held a glint of mischief. “Sorry!” She whispered, shutting her eyes in embarrassment, making him laugh loudly now. “It’s alright! It was a tough day for both of us, I suppose I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep otherwise.” He spoke, she could feel him inching closer to her and turned away to hide her blush as he sat beside her. “You don’t have to spend the whole day avoiding me. Things like that happen and don’t have to be made as big a deal of it that you are making!” He said casually, hoping she wouldn’t distance herself. He knew he was lying to both her and himself. It was a big deal, he had found solace with her close to him, and he secretly wished it wasn’t the last time, even if he didn’t want to accept it. Thinking of all that brought Alisha into his mind, spoiling his mood that had been brilliant ever since he had woken up a few minutes before her that morning and found her so close to him, but why?

“Are we going to Leela Ma’s place?” Twinkle asked excitedly as she recognised the familiar route. Kunj nodded with a grin, replying “Ma wants to see her daughter. She says it’s been really long.” She smiled brightly at him, trying to push away his ‘not a big deal’ ideology that had been pricking her heart. “Don’t we have to work today though?” She asked, knowing that they had a few important things lined up for the day. “Not we, me. I’ll drop you there, and pick you up on my way back in the evening.” He answered, thoughts of him and her returning to his mind. Why did her happiness mean so much to him? After he had dropped her off and spent a few minutes with Leela himself, he got into his car and cancelled majority of his work for the day. He couldn’t work half heartedly, with his thoughts beginning to bother him, and without Twinkle it seemed even more difficult, for she somehow knew how to make him feel better instantly, no matter how big his worry was. He drove absentmindedly, missing her already, wondering if she would also be meeting Yuvi that day. He finally acknowledged that he was jealous of Yuvi, making him feel horribly small, but he didn’t care. She was his wife for the whole world, wasn’t she? Did she trust Yuvi enough to tell him the truth about their marriage? He wished she hadn’t. That ought to keep Yuvi away, right?

Twinkle had reached the Sarna Mansion as soon as she could after Leela had called her up, sounding extremely worried by Kunj’s behaviour. Usha looked more troubled than Leela had, but what was disturbing was the fact that Kunj hadn’t come home from the Taneja Mansion. As a matter of fact, nobody knew where he was, and no amount of calls and messages to him and several other people seemed to help. Twinkle couldn’t help but blame herself for the mess; had she been around when he needed her, perhaps things wouldn’t get this worse, she thought. Kunj walked in wearily just as it had begun to get dark, bringing relief to all of them. He was safe and sound at least. Twinkle watched from a distance as Usha hugged him tight, attempting him to get him to speak out his worries, but his eyes remained lowered. When even Manohar failed, Twinkle insisted on letting him rest for a while citing that he probably needed some time to himself. She led him upstairs to their room and tried to get him to lie down, but he didn’t give in. He sat with his back to the headboard, still avoiding her glance. She sat down beside him and placed her hand on his, holding onto it firmly when he tried to withdraw his hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t by your side back then.” She spoke, placing her head on his shoulder, tired of all the anxiety and waiting. When she felt him place his head on hers and hold her hand tightly, she knew something terrible must have happened. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry if I made it seem that way.” He responded with a deep sigh, a tear rolling down his cheek and dropping on Twinkle’s head, making her straighten up.

“Kunj?” was all Twinkle had said when Kunj pulled her into a hug, sobbing on her shoulder. “I think I’ve made a huge mistake, but what would I do! I was afraid things would get out of control if I didn’t act immediately, but I’ve ruined everything by acting on impulse! What are we going to do now? It’s all my fault!” He whimpered, frightening her. She didn’t know what he was speaking about, the words he was uttering had blown her mind, but right then she knew it was more important to calm him down. “You haven’t ruined anything, Kunj! We are going to figure something out, no matter what the problem is, we’ve got this.” She spoke, freeing herself and getting him a glass of water. He looked at her with teary eyes, regretting his actions, knowing that what he had done was bound to cause more problems than she knew. He didn’t blame Alisha either, she probably didn’t even know why he had refused her demand the other day when she had asked to speak to him in private. Alisha had always been like that, he recollected, she would initially put forth her demands sweetly, but would surely get it done by hook or crook. So unlike Twinkle, who had never made any demands before him. Well, except for visiting all those historical places, which he had to admit, he too had begun to enjoy lately, so that wasn’t exactly trouble. He realised that Twinkle had turned out the lights and left the room, he didn’t know when, and she had probably even told him before leaving, he hadn’t heard her. He hated that he was lying to Twinkle, she was his best friend, and knew everything, even those things that Usha had no idea of, but would she understand if he told her what he had done? What way would she have come up with had he actually found her at Leela’s place earlier that day, he wondered. Would her way have been better than his? Should he tell someone, he pondered, but all these were open ended questions, his mind wasn’t prepared to take them on.

“Twinkle!” Kunj called out as they lay in bed later that night. He didn’t know what she had said to his parents or her mother, but not one person questioned him, and he couldn’t be grateful enough for it. “I know you aren’t asleep!” He protested, making her turn around and look at him. “I thought you would call yourself an idiot yet again if you thought I was asleep!” She said as cheerfully as she could. “I don’t fall for the same trap twice, you know?” He answered, wanting to get to the issue he actually wanted to speak about quickly, and added, “I’m sorry I spoiled your day out, I know you hadn’t gone out and enjoyed yourself for so long.” She shook her head violently and replied, “It wasn’t a good movie anyways. I only agreed to go because it had your song.” Although she knew that confession would bring her embarrassment, she decided to go for it because she thought it would make him smile, and it did. He let out a little giggle, one that meant he was ready to be cheered up, as she had learnt from experience. “I hope you got to see the song before Leela Ma called you tell you that your husband was freaking out.” He spoke with a sigh, making her roll her eyes. She definitely wouldn’t let him spiral back into his shell of sadness. “I did. The picturisation didn’t seem to be up to the mark though. The hero and heroine didn’t seem to be in love at all!” She complained, ignoring his self taunt, and smiled when she heard him chuckle. “How do we solve that problem, manager ma’am?” He asked, and she was quick to answer, “You should feature in more of your songs, and release them as singles!” He nodded thoughtfully, that was something he wanted to do forever. “Maybe you could feature in them with me? All those romantic locations, the wind, the music and us! Just imagine!” He said cheekily, surprising her. Had he just associated them with romance? He only realised the implication when he saw the look on her face, and cursed himself. What was he doing? He had just given in to Alisha’s insistence like nothing else mattered, he reminded himself, but he no longer felt as horrible as before about it, she had assured him that they would find some way out after all. Instead, he wished he could get another of her magical hugs that made his troubles disappear, just like earlier that day. As if she had read his mind, she held his arm in her hands and gently rested her head against it, waiting for him to fall asleep before she could.

That’s it for now, guys. Alisha has announced her arrival with a bang, and things are going to change significantly now. I hope you liked it! Lots of love!!