Hey, you all! This is the next episode of the fiction. I’m so grateful for all your responses, Thank you so much. Happy Reading!
PREVIOUSLY, Kunj and Twinkle discuss and think about each other; Twinkle and Yuvraj have another heated conversation, and Aarohi leaves with Yuvraj.
EK TUKDA PYAAR – EPISODE 4
Twinkle drove past the empty roads later that morning. Yuvraj’s words spurned in her head and the atmosphere in her home felt suffocating. Her mother had asked her about her sour mood, but when she saw Twinkle was reluctant, she left the matter to her daughter and provided her the space she thought she required.
She was grateful, yet she wished, if her mother had been more persuasive. But she tried not to accuse her, either. Her mother knew of her temper, and she, perhaps, did not want to confront with that early in the morning. She anxiously pressed the gas pedal, and rolled down the windows of the car to clear her head in the pleasant air of the highway, but her temper soured as her mind reeled to the conversation that had occurred earlier in the morning.
In a spontaneous second, Twinkle felt their relationship had been deceived. Suddenly, she felt like she hadn’t had known Yuvraj all through these years. As years kept passing by, the two of them had begun growing cold and distant, and that was when the first signs of a failed marriage had begun stirring in their relationship. A number of times, Twinkle had secretively wished, if she had understood those signs then – not because she still loved her ex-husband – but because, if they’d chosen to walk on a different path, Aarohi would’ve had gained a better future.
Twinkle was, unsure, though, for how long they could’ve had continued the relationship, anyway. The two of them, together, wouldn’t have had turned out to be a happy, perfect couple. Instead, she feared, if Yuvraj and Twinkle had decided to stay together, Aarohi could’ve had the potential of having a worse future with a bad domestic influence. And that was why, she never considered the thought, because may be – although unsure – it would have had a traumatising effect on Aarohi.
Twinkle stirred out of her thoughts when her phone rang and she scrutinized the unknown number on her phone. She did not know the number, and as far as she could recollect, it did not belong to any of the recently contacted clients, either. She swiped up on the screen, and waited for the darkened screen to flash.
Twinkle: Hello, this is Advocate Twinkle Taneja speaking.
Kunj: Hello Twinkle, (pausing briefly) this is Kunj.
Twinkle (confusion etching in her voice): Kunj?
Kunj: Yes, we met yesterday. I’d like to presume you haven’t forgotten me that quick.
Twinkle: Oh, Mr. Sarna! Good afternoon, how have you been? How did you get hold of my contact?
Kunj: I’m fine; I got it from Mrs. Taneja, earlier this morning. I was thinking if you’d like to meet-up again, like… tomorrow, maybe?
Twinkle: I don’t think I’d be able to make it up tomorrow anytime. But we could definitely try meeting up some other day, considering you’d be available.
Kunj: I’m not sure. The upcoming week might be a little hectic and pressurising, but I’d look into it and get back to you.
Twinkle held her silence, and listened to the silence that he held on the other end of the line. He hadn’t disconnected the call yet, and unknowingly, it coursed a sense of calmness within her.
Twinkle: Mr. Sarna, Can I ask you a question?
Kunj (slightly taken aback): Yes, Twinkle. Please go ahead.
Twinkle: If you ever got yourself involved in a conversation where the aftermath of the conversation always impacted you, because of its truthfulness (racking her brain for a better word) um say, because of its veracity; What would you do?
Kunj (frowning): Does that question come from a personal background or a professional background?
Twinkle: I really wish, I could say, it is at a professional level.
Twinkle did not know why she felt such pleasurable comfort in the congeniality he provided, but it calmed her nerves. When the question had slipped past her lips, Twinkle hadn’t contemplated for a second, but she wasn’t sure why, out of all the people she knew, she’d chosen to ask Him this question – a person whom she knew barely, almost imperceptibly.
Kunj: Alright. But if it really feels that true to you, Twinkle, there must definitely be some amount of honesty in the conversation. May be, it’d really help, if you could reflect upon the matter with a calm, clear mind; And also, if you try understanding the standpoint of the other person in the conversation.
Twinkle held her silence, because she did not know how to form a response in the miniscule of that second. She did not know if his words could bring her to a closure, but the smoothness in his voice soothed her, and she appreciated the patience and maturity he held.
Kunj: Did you have a conversation with your ex-husband?
Twinkle (in a surprised, yet hesitant voice): Yes. How did you know?
Kunj: It just felt like, he’d really be able to jud… assess you in a way no one else could.
Twinkle (sighing): He just visited in the morning to pick-up Aarohi. She, usually, spends her weekends with her father, and we were just talking about how our present scenario is affecting her.
Twinkle heard silence prevail over them. She could hear his levelled breathing on the other end, and just the knowledge of his presence relieved her – in an unknown and fresh way. She turned the car around and decided to return home, when the thoughts slowly began to refuse clogging her mind.
Kunj (hesitantly): It might not be my area pry in, but do you picture yourself in a future with your ex-husband?
Twinkle (taken aback with his question): Definitely, not, Mr. Sarna. If I pictured myself with him, I would’ve surely fought for us to be together. And more definitely, I wouldn’t have had agreed on meeting you.
Kunj (relieved): Okay! (pausing briefly) I’d say, you make a great deal of a lawyer.
Twinkle (smiling): Thank you, Mr. Sarna!
She did not disconnect the call. The knowledge of his presence around her, comforted her in an unexplainable way. In the last two days she’d conversed with him, she’d felt an association with him, that she couldn’t quite figure out. Yet, she didn’t feel the need to decode the enigmatic aura that resided between them – around them.
Her mind reeled back to her conversation with her mother the previous night, and she figured, perhaps, she could trickle into that dimension.
Twinkle: Mr. Sarna?
Kunj: Yes, Twinkle?
Twinkle: I think, yesterday, I went a little overboard with my life. It’s almost shameful I didn’t provide myself a chance to know you, but I think, the next time we meet, I’d much rather like to know you.
Kunj (smiling): Or may be, (pausing briefly) we BOTH could know each other Better.
Twinkle could hear the smile in his words, and the thought plastered a smile across her lips. She bit her bottom lip and drove through the gate of her premises, and as she pulled into the driveway, she stared at the number on her phone display.
Twinkle: Mr. Sarna, I would need to leave for today, but I’d most definitely like to continue some other time.
Kunj (nodding): Alright, I’ll talk to you later, then.
Twinkle’s finger lingered close to the screen, attempting to disconnect the call.
Kunj: Twinkle?
Twinkle (freezing her finger mid-way in the air): Yes, Mr. Sarna.
Kunj: That’d be Kunj.
Twinkle smiled and nodded, oblivious to his absence and disconnected the call. The peace that unfurled within her was so satisfactory, she’d almost forgotten about her conversation earlier in the morning. But she possessed a calmer and composed mind now, which would most definitely help her in sorting through the situation and eventually, in reflecting on that scenario.
————
After Kunj disconnected the call, he sat in his office, without tampering the solitude. It was almost surprising how a conversation with Twinkle repulsed within him an unknown warmth. Each time, Twinkle brought up her personal life in front of him, he felt himself steering a little closer to her life. And while their conversation was still business-like and it reeked of professionalism, it revolved only around their personal lives. They didn’t talk about their professional lives, at all.
But that wasn’t exactly how Kunj wanted it to be. He wished to share BOTH their personal AND professional lives with each other, but it wasn’t so easy for Him. After his father had passed away, he’d spent a long time in his own world. Sure, he had his mother to support him, but his father’s absence seemed to have had impacted him harder than he ever thought it would have. It felt like he’d ingrained a lifetime paralysis, an inability that held him for lifetime – an inability he held onto for such dear support.
He got up from his chair and stood in front of his father’s picture. A bright, genuine smile lingered on his father’s face and Kunj reflected a similar smile at the photograph. In a long time, he hadn’t felt his emotions brimming over the edge, and a small, wondrous smile pulled at the corner of his lips. His judgement of Twinkle wasn’t entirely correct, for all he realised.
However, uncertainty still lingered close around him. This marriage that they foresaw necessitated several addressals, obligations and contradictions that required to be looked upon. But maybe, just maybe, it mightn’t be so difficult with someone tending to his paralysis and wanting to share his sorrows and troubles.
At least, that’s what his mother said. He could recollect her asking him to get married to reduce the burden that he carried on his shoulders, but with hopes, there were also disappointments that were usually confronted. And that was why, until he saw it for himself, he wouldn’t expect anything of Twinkle.
“What did Twinkle say?”
He spun around and shook his head and walked back to his table, while his mother sat down on one of the opposite chairs.
Kunj: I told you, she wouldn’t agree.
Usha: But at least you asked; That’s what matters.
Kunj (nodding his head): Anyway, you’d be needed tomorrow, too. We are going to make sure of the platters once more tomorrow, and I want your approval, too.
Usha (laughing): I’m sure that’s not something everybody wants. But I’ll be there to present my critique.
Kunj smiled at her mother, realising how she laughed at her own-self for being overly critical. Yet, that’s what, he believed, helped them achieve the success that they currently possessed.
Usha: But you two did not decide to meet any other time?
Kunj: She was asking for the next week, but I’ll have to check my schedule.
Kunj noticed his mother nodding her head. He knew how desperately his mother wanted him to settle down. She had been trying to persuade him for long, but he had agreed only lately. Not because he wanted to entrance his mother, but because he had begun growing tired of running the restaurant all throughout his life. May be, if he had something else to invest himself into, it wouldn’t be all that tiring, anymore.
But he was certainly unsure of where his life was guiding him. At present, the future he foresaw, didn’t appear to be any less tiring. But, perhaps, it would just be the experience of being with someone that would let him resign to bed each day in tranquillity.
————
When the sun began to set later in the day, Twinkle had already pondered on Kunj’s advice and had tried recollecting her conversation with Yuvraj, several times. She had realised, why each time, she had a conversation with Yuvraj, they tended to argue and attempt at avoidance. It seemed, to the two of them, like the easiest option which existed in the goodwill of their relation. They had never attempted to sort through their issues and tried helping one another. Neither of them tried bracing each other’s inabilities and insecurities, and that worried Twinkle. If she lacked the ability even now, she wasn’t sure if she should’ve had thought of settling down again.
She couldn’t imagine to go through another disastrous aftermath. But she had a meagre trust. She believed, with Kunj’s maturity, he’d be able to handle her better. But the idea already seemed wrong to her. Twinkle did not want to overburden him with several responsibilities, and thus, she wanted to understand him better so she could share HIS worries while he shared hers. And the thought felt accurate – like an authority that was meant to beheld.
Twinkle sat next to her mother in the dining room and helped her peel the vegetables. She was sure her mother had noticed the change in her behaviour since the moment she had returned, but she hadn’t questioned her. She did not want her mother to worry about her, at this age, too, regarding everything in her life. But it was always her mother’s psychology and emotions that guided her; She couldn’t ever overlook that.
Leela: I’m here to talk.
Twinkle (surprised): I know, but I don’t have anything as such to talk about.
Leela: Hm. (she sliced the vegetable in her grasp) It would’ve seemed more convincing if you didn’t occasionally look at me.
Twinkle (sighing and smiling): You need to stop being so observant.
Leela (smiling in return): Or may be, you need to be more secretive about your actions.
Twinkle: You seem to be forgetting that I’m a lawyer, Maa.
Leela: Yes, and that there’s no point in arguing with you. (sighing) Tell me now, What has you bothered?
Twinkle: I talked to…
Leela (interrupting): Mr. Sarna? He called me to take your number. I can’t believe neither of you had the thought of exchanging your numbers.
Twinkle: Yes, Kunj had called while I wasn’t home. But that isn’t what I want to talk about. I had an argument with Yuvraj earlier in the morning, and that’s what had me upset.
Leela: I figured that. Did you sort it with him, now?
Twinkle: No. (she paused and nervously looked down at the table) Can we ask him to have dinner with us, tomorrow?
Leela (surprised): I don’t think I’ll have a problem, as long as, the two of you can behave cordially in front of Aarohi.
Twinkle (nodding her head): I think, I can manage that for an evening.
Leela: Alright, then. I’d ask him to join us for dinner tomorrow. (she paused and looked at her daughter in apprehension) Are you sure about it?
Twinkle: I think, I should try, Maa. Probably, I still provide a lot of people the image that we can have a future together.
Leela (softly): Is that what Kunj said?
Twinkle: He asked, and that was when it struck me, it could be a possibility. May be, that is why, Yuvraj also proposes to stay together.
Twinkle saw her mother nodding and then, both of them held their silence. The quietness prevailed in the house and it served as a reminder about Aarohi’s absence. Twinkle missed her daughter dearly, and her mind continuously reeled to the previous day. Despite the solitude she appreciated, she would never, willingly, refuse to spend a day with her daughter and mother – her only Family.
Leela (a small smile curving her lips): I like the fact that you’re calling him KUNJ.
Of course, her mother hadn’t failed to notice. Twinkle lowered her head and continued helping her mother. In the past few days, her mother had slowly learned how to tackle her and she used her tricks in the most effective manner. One trick she had learnt in the recent times definitely dealt with quietening her.
That’d be all for this update, I’d love to know your thoughts.