She turned the other side unable to hide her shyness of seeing him.
“What have I done? I never did like this before. But why do I feel like this towards him?” She thought by blushing badly.
“Oh…now I understand she was shy to be affectionate to me in front of that Mojo Jojo. Now when he is not around she is trying be herself to me.” He thought by smiling widely and ruffling his hair with his hands.
She was about to turn when she heard the sound of washroom door opening.
She got alert and closed the curtains of the balcony. She sighed seeing Pragya.
Pragya “What happened?”
Prisha “Nothing, it was just too windy”.
Pragya “Windy? It’s normal right?” She questioned in doubt.
Prisha managed by saying she feels windy.
Pragya looked at her strangely before moving towards her wardrobe.
Prisha was keep on looking at the curtain sadly. She wanted to see him but Pragya came in between and spoiled her moment.
Pragya “Prisha, you have to come to lab tomorrow. That too early in the morning before anyone sees us. Sleep early today and make sure don’t watch a lot of cartoons”.
Prisha’s attention was only towards the balcony.
Pragya a little loud “Are you listening??” She asked.
Prisha came back to senses and looked blankly at Pragya.
Pragya “You are daydreaming for sure. Don’t know what happen to you. It’s okay but I am sleepy and going to sleep now.”
Prisha smiled sheepishly before looking back towards the balcony.
Pragya before falling asleep said “Don’t look at that direction too much Prisha, it’s dangerous to get feelings.”
Prisha hearing it was surprised and didn’t know what to reply in response.
Meanwhile Abhi was impatiently waiting for Pragya to look at him back.
Abhi murmured “Damn it’s been 15 mins but she is still not looking at me back. Is she still angry with me. Of course she will be when a person like me never say sorry to him yet!”
After 5 minutes prisha walked out to the balcony to find abhi leaning against the rail head down. She looked around trying to find something to catch his attention as pragya inside was sleeping. She found a broken piece of mirror and with its help redirected the light on abhi’s face
“What the…” he said as he looked up to find pragya trying to catch his attention. Once successful prisha again waved her hand in delight while abhi to did the same.
She had a small whiteboard in her hand. She wrote “how are you?”
Abhi on the other hand got confused even more.
‘Why is she behaving as in nothing is wrong? She is acting like we are friends from childhood that we are but we were separated and just had another misunderstanding’
Abhi signed thumbs up while prisha smiled dreamily.
Pragya woke up suddenly and looked around for Prisha.
Pragya “Prisha!! Prisha!!! Where are you??”
Prisha panicked hearing her voice and she ran back to the room. Abhi seeing it found it shocking.
Abhi “Why is she running as is there is earthquake??”
He waited for her to return but it was futile and with some disappointment he went to sleep.
Prisha at that moment felt Pragya is becoming her villain.
“Mr. Mehra i hate you” said pragya
“She is betraying you with her clone” spoke purab
“I love you abhi” said pragya (prisha)
“Take care of her abhi and don’t break her” said bulbul
“She is a fake,” said purab as he pointed a gun on pragya and fired
“NOO!!!” said abhi as he jerked off to find himself in bed. He looked around and as usual he was in his massi’s room, alone. He was sweating profusely.
“A nightmare,” he said and pushed off the duvet and sat upright on the side of the bed. He looked at his clock to find it was 6 in the morning. He wore his slippers, got out of the bed and moved towards the balcony to get some fresh air.
The sight in front of him confused and shocked him even more. He saw pragya getting inside the car leaving with someone, now you are like how did he know that someone was there. Well he saw a hand wivering in the wind out of the window.
‘Where is she heading to so early in the morning’ thought abhi as he wore his jacket, grabbed his keys and his phone, locked the door and started to tail her on his bike. Upon tracking her mobile he found her at the lab. He hated going there as it reminded him of Purab. He entered the lobby and found the lab room locked from the inside
“Why lock it,” thought abhi as he moved towards the lobby and sat down. He then decided to hide in a spot so that he could see pragya but pragya couldn’t see him when she came out. He hid behind the sofa.
After a few hours abhi was very sleepy. He yawned once more and was about to sleep when he saw pagya walking out with another pragya.
“Two pragya’s’ he thought as he looked at both of them walking out.
“I must be day dreaming,” he said and after they left he got up with great difficulty He was very sleepy.
“I must be imagining her,” he said as he stumbled across the room to the door to collide with Purab.
“Hey man you’re here.” he said as he balanced abhi.
Abhi remembered about his dream and pushed purab away. ‘I need to keep pragya safe,’ he thought as he spoke “stay away,” and left leaving a confused purab.
Abhi reached his house and slept for a few hours. He then got up to have coffee and found his phone ringing. He picked up the call.It was Bulbul.
Bulbul “Abhi! Do you want to make up for your mistakes?”
Abhi “What do u mean?” Bulbul “Can’t you realize it’s about Pragya?”
Abhi panicked “What’s wrong with her? Is she ok?”
Bulbul “Nothing is wrong with her. I want to say there is a get to gather party coming up for our batch. That means all our batch mates will be turning up & it includes Pragya as well.”
Abhi’s face brightened up like a 1000 watts bulb hearing it.
Bulbul “Are u on line or went into imagination?”
Abhi “I won’t imagine anymore. But will she turn up?”
He asked doubtfully.
Bulbul confidently “You leave that to me. She will be there but it’s your duty to bring back in your way on that day. Will u be able to do it?”
Abhi “I will & this time I won’t let her down at any cost.”
Bulbul smiled hearing it & soon their call was ended.
She then smiled as the room door opened and pragya walked in, followed by prisha.
“Hey prisha,” said bulbul
“Hey bubbie,” said prisha as she jumped on the couch and switched to her favorite show Tom and Jerry. In the episode Kiara the cat is there while tom is trying to impress er but jerry keeps on destroying his attempts.
“That means He is Tom, i am kiara and pragya is jerry,” she thought but the situation would be He is tom, pragya is kiara and she is jerry.
“Hey chubby bunny,” she said as pragya put down her bag.
Bulbul “I am not going to the get together party.”
Pragya “Why? Is it very far?”
Bulbul “Nothing like that. What’s the use of going alone?” She said sadly by sitting beside Prisha.
Prisha wondered what is this get to gather party about.
Pragya “If you want you can bring Prisha along. She will be a good company to you.”
Prisha smiled hearing it. She likes going out & that too with Bulbul it will be much more fun than being with Pragya.
Bulbul got alarmed hearing it. She was not expecting this.
Bulbul “ No Pragya…how will our batch mates know her? I mean her behaviour & everything is different na.”
Pragya “I am not that popular to be remembered by everyone. Even those who remember me had forgotten.” She said by looking towards the balcony.
Bulbul “but now you are a famous scientist”
Pragya “So what? But I am still the same old Pragya who wants simple things in life.”
Bulbul “see you’re the same old one.Then it’s ok I am not going. I can’t bring Prisha along & explain to her every time who is all this when our classmates are there.”
Pragya took a deep breath before saying “Fine I will come but where will she stay until then?”
Bulbul “At here!! My house is good enough & nobody will be around as I am staying alone. It’s for the whole day. So its better for her to stay here.”
Pragya “ But Bulbul you are so stubborn ah. Somehow u made me agree with your reverse psychology!!”
Bulbul winked at her & Prisha looked upset as she is left alone.
Bulbul “Prisha, u don’t worry! I have a huge collection of Tom & jerry dvds here. You can watch them whole day.”
Prisha hearing it smiled widely. At least she had the courtesy to make her feel better. But Pragya she never even said anything to her instead she was in her own deep thoughts.
In the afternoon
Pragya was dressed up in a Black saree. Bulbul walked in a was in an awe on seeing pragya. Prisha was binging on the tv when she decided to go to the balcony for one last time.
She went outside and found abhi nowhere to be seen. Abhi on the other hand witnessed pragya coming outside from his window and looked down in disappointment. He then left for the party.
Prisha to came back in sad but didn’t show.
“Prisha the keys are there, the phone is there and u already know my number
At the party,
Pragya saw different faces. Only some looked like before which includes herself & Bulbul.
Bulbul whispered “Omg! You see there it’s John. He is now bald. Looks like he lost all his hair due to stress.”
Pragya “Bulbul, how many times I have to say not to comment on others appearance. It’s rude Bulbul.”
Bulbul nodded her head & she whistled seeing some men when passing by.
Pragya stopped her & asked her to behave properly.
Upon reaching the place where girls are sitting, one of the girls asked Pragya “You are the famous scientist Pragya right? Had read about you in Times magazine about your achievements in gene technology too.” Pragya nodded her head as yes & from there the treatment towards her was completely different. Everyone was in praises of her. They were asking selfies from her. Some asked what’s her salary & does she have any plans to venture in business etc.
Pragya although liked fact people recognize her for who is she now, she finds it suffocating after a while. The conversations were repetitive now. Bulbul from how Pragya looked tried to bring her away from the people but she ended up being pushed away.
That’s when everyone’s attention fall on the stage.
“Times may pass…Days may pass….years may pass….memories may pass as well….memories pass on to each other. The memories of time spent together & having fun in free periods will pass on to your friends now. The memories of days being late to college will pass on as a lesson to be punctual now. The memories of years being in college will pass on to ourselves to cherish it & live it throughout our lives.”
Pragya hearing it realized it’s his voice. She smiled thinking of him.
Abhi then walked up on the stage. The spotlight shining bright on him. For him it had been a big surprise to see pragya here as he thought she wouldn’t.
“Days may pass , life moves on but not for a few of us, ain’t i right,” said Abhi
Everyone said yes
“Well even i am one of those unique people, i loved someone from the college days but due to a misunderstanding we got separated, after years we met again but again we met to be separated. At the moment she is present in this room, among us, hearing my voice and i would like to say this to her that i know i haven’t been a great guy but stupid mad but that madness is for you, and i am sorry about what happened between us. I want your hand in mine, and i promise i won’t leave it like before,” he said
Everyone clapped hearing it & someone yelled propose her here.
Pragya was shocked hearing to it & thought now I understand why bulbul wants me to be here. How can he even tell easily. It’s not easy for me to accept him just because he tells it in front of so many people here. It’s love not public speaking skills that he is expressing. If he proposes me here then it means he is forcing me to love him.
Abhi with his smile said “I am not here to propose dude. I am here to convey my feelings to her. I know she is only mine. Propose is only to confirm that she is mine but I already know she is mine…only mine…”
He said looking at Pragya who was stunned at his words. She can’t believe he have this much of confidence that she would never reject him.
Pragya managed to went out from the place & Abhi noticed that.
He got down from the stage with his fellow batch mates wishing him good luck that his love should win
He managed to see where Pragya was. She was standing alone looking at the sky. He went & stood beside her.
Abhi “The sky is good right?”
Pragya”You?? Here??”
She was about to walk away when he held her hand.
Abhi “I am asking your hand & will u give me that with love?
Pragya “Listen Mr Abhi, there is no place for love in my life. Its over & now my life is all about my profession.”
Abhi “Don’t lie Pragya, I know how much u love me. You have the same feelings as I have towards u. Believe me this time I will never leave u.”
Pragya “Don’t lie! You say don’t lie, well I will because you left me,(by poking in his chest) you left me on the prom night ruining my plans to propose you,then u came back,rekindling my feelings for you but then again you left me in the restaurant all alone without a word and now you are here again proposing….”
Abhi corrected “Conveying my feelings”
Pragya “Uhhh…. conveying your feeling to me again for the third time and expect me to think about them. (Holding him by the collar) after you left I was broken, but I worked, researched and went into the field on genetics, I became a living dead body”
Abhi “Just give me one last chance Pragya, I know I have been a fool not able to understand or think what u had gone through. But I had always been in thoughts of u. You have always been in my dreams. Just one last chance…please…”
Pragya “One last chance? Ok fine but what’s the guarantee you will not leave me again?”
He didn’t know what to answer in response. Why is she being so adamant he thought. But why am I not saying yes?
“Cat caught your tongue,” said Pragya
“No….” He said in his husky tone.
The next moment Pragya felt his lips on hers. She was not expecting this from him.
He kissed her slowly, in a soothing manner, trying to make all the sorrows inside her vanish.
He moved from her & said “Pragya the cat caught my tongue. By the way this is my guarantee that I will never leave you as the right to kiss you only belongs to me.”
Pragya unable to believe his action remained still.
She looked at him tenderly & kissed him to show how much he means to her.
To be continued…..