Manmarziyan : A Passion Project
Chapter 21
Hey! Here’s the next one…its mainly about nesam….hope you’ll like it…I thought to give preference to them in this chapter….since I have been extremely partial to ardhika since a long long time… 😉
Hope you’ll like it….do let me know…
Happy reading
……………..
The weather seemed to calm their nerves. It was early morning. The sun rays breaking and peeping through clouds here and there. The small water droplets on the small grass, glistened with each sun ray. The birds chirped cheerfully as if conveying their happiness. Sun rays coupled with a cool breeze, ensured a happy environment as if god was unaware of the turmoil In the hearts of his children.
Sam rolled down her window and drived with a smiled on her face. Arjun too looked out… while neil looked at sam with a unknown happiness in his heart.
The future was unknown and the turn of events were making them fear it. The only solace they had was each other.
The five together were unbreakable and unstoppable. You try to harm one of them and you’ll find four others standing before. Really, That’s the thing friendship….you just don’t decide who to friends with or whom not to be friends with……you just find your self so close to a person even before you know it.
The trio rang teji’s bell a number of times and Arjun and neil were about to break the door open. Teji suddenly opened it. Arjun and neil who already had taken the ran up fell on the teji and trio hit the ground. Sam pressed her lips to control her laughter which led to the formation of a thin watery layer in her eyes. She blinked it away and gave the boys her hand one by one to help them stand up.
Once inside, teji went to the kitchen to make coffee for all of them as Arjun and neil were practically still in sleep. Once, he returned, a strange sight was presented to him.
Neil had leaned back on the sofa and was taking a nap. Arjun seemed to have found something magical on a show piece and was staring at it without blinking his eyes. Sam had gone to the balcony to attend some call and she seemed upset and was even on the verge of crying. Teji noticed it
He banged the tray on the table spilling some of the coffee. Neil woke up with this sudden noise, “what the hell man!”
Arjun too crocked his eyes brows at teji. Teji just pointed at sam and shrugged his shoulders. Both neil and Arjun looked at her and understood that she was thoroughly upset by something the caller had said.
Neil was about to go to sam but Arjun stopped him and nodded his head in negative, “let her complete….we’ll ask her once comes inside.”
Teji looked at them and gave them a bewildered expression.
Neil and ajun looked at him and asked in unison, “what?!”
Teji, “where is chashni?”
Their jaw fell. They just realised that they had left radhika sleeping in her room and would now be a subject to her endless taunts and curses.
Once sam returned…teji looked at her, “so?”
Arjun was surprised at her….she had composed her self, wiped her tears and had even forced a smile. He wondered what was wrong.
Sam, “yesterday, I was having a headache and was looking for some painkillers….having found none with myself. I looked in chashni’s room and I found this.”
Saying so, she held up a letter and continued, “saral sent her a letter a couple of days ago. And she didn’t even bother to tell us that he was bothering and threatening her. I don’t know what’s wrong with her….i felt like slapping her the second I found that she had hid this from us. But I decided to talk to you guys first.”
Arjun gave her a tired smile, “sam….even you aren’t telling us…so why blame chashni alone?”
Arjun took her by shoulders and made her sit down. He kneeled in front of her and cupped her face, “Sammy…now tell us whats wrong….you tell us in the meanwhile teji will call radhika and ask her to come here…..then we’ll all thrash her blue and black for not telling us.”
This made sam smile and teji called radhika. Once he was done talking to her.
Neil asked sam, “who was on the phone?”
Tears started to form in her eyes….she replied, “my aunt in London has been admitted in a hospital after she complained of uneasiness.”
Arjun asked, “and your parents called you to inform you about it?”
Sam, “no…it was her neighbour in London…she is my only family.”
Sam had a prick of guilt…yes, she had lied….her aunt wasn’t her only family. She had her family….the family who ran birdsong….but she just didn’t want to talk her past.
Yes, she knew she could trust them…she knew they would stand by her no matter what….but some memories are better forgotten. Whats the point of keeping them with you when all they give you is unhappiness….some secrets are better buried deep inside…they are just meant to be forgotten and that’s what sam intended to do.
Sam started sobbing….tears had started to stream down her cheeks. Teji hugged her and rubbed her back while Arjun held her hand.
Neil just could see sam like this and he walked out to the balcony. He returned after 15 mins. Sam had calmed down and was drinking a glass of water.
Neil looked at sam who was looking down. He held her chin up by his finger and made her look at him. He gently spoke, “Sammy…it is okay….it is perfectly normal both for people to get sick and for their loved ones to worry themselves sick.
Sam looked at him and innocently replied, “but neil…..she is so far….she is the only one I have for what is a family….and I cant afford to lose her….i just cant…”
Saying she started sobbing away and neil squeezed her hand, “Sammy, you have us too….and plus…she isn’t gonna be far away for much longer…have booked tickets for both of us for tonight…so you may wanna pack your bags..and Sammy, I called the hospital authorities and they say she is out of danger and there is nothing to worry about. So wiped these tears and relax.”
Sam wiped her tears and smiled, but after a couple of seconds, “neil…?”
Neil, “hmm?”
Sam asked him all confused, “even I don’t know the name of the hospital, she is admitted in…leave alone any possibility of me telling you…so how did you know?”
Neil grinned sheepishly, “when you were in the midst of that emotional upheaval…I took your phone ..called back that neighbour and I asked him the hospital’s name and then I searched for its contact information on the internet and called.”
Arjun looked at neil with a amused expression, neil replied a bit defensively, “what? Man, I couldn’t see her like that.”
This made both Arjun and teji laugh and sam hugged neil tight and she whispered, “you be the best, neil Malhotra”
Arjun teased him….he spoke in a weird yet funny voice, “why two tickets? Neilu….sammu aint a baby…she can go by her herself.”
Sam rolled her eyes at neilu and sammu…and smiled widely seeing neil’s reaction.
Neil slapped his forehead, “uff…arjun….kill me now! You know naa I had pitched London as the location to Maybelline guys and was going specific location hunting in a couple of weeks…I just preponed my trip…and now will accompany….she would have to go and I’ll do my job…see? Two birds with one arrow.”
Both neil and Arjun knew it wasn’t true….neil genuinely cared about sam and was worried for her and that’s why he had booked two tickets….location hunting was just an excuse.
Just then the doorbell rang…and teji answered the door….radhika barged in and before anyone could say anything, she looked at teji and smiled, “so, who is she?”
The three gave her a bewildered expression assuming she had gone mad. Teji asked, “what?!”
Radhika gave them an amused smile and chuckled, “teji..dont you dare lie to me…you are still wearing yesterday’s clothes….your eyes easily convey that you haven’t slept a wink last night and they are swollen so, you have cried your heart out. One look at your jaw and anyone can tell that its tired from forcing a smile…..so who is she?”
This surprised them……this showed the depth of radhika’s care and affection towards them. One look and she could decipher so much about them…..and they couldn’t. They hadn’t even noticed teji’s swollen eyes….how could they ever imagine the fear behind radhika’s smile. Looking at her smiling even then, made their hearts shed silent tears.
…………….
Rotten tomatoes and eggs accepted wholeheartedly!