Greetings all you lovely people! Thank you so much for all of your love and appreciation! It’s great to hear from newer people, and amazing to hear from the older, consistent readers. I’m hoping you all are staying safe indoors and taking care. Happy reading!
Twinj: It’s Always Been You: Episode 4
A quick recap: Kunj’s visit to the Taneja mansion, where Twinkle speaks rudely to him, the constant battle between her mind and heart. Kunj’s letter manages to reach her surpassing Leela, Yuvi and Chinki’s watch, wherein he apologises for a reason he claims he isn’t aware of, and requests to meet her at their regular spot. Twinkle is left in a dilemma on whether she should go or not.
Twinkle read the letter again, probably the hundredth time she was doing so. She hadn’t been able to come to conclusion even after thinking over it for hours. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost 3 in the night. She took a little walk in the room, weighing the proposition again. She remembered the night before she had left three years ago. That had been a long, sleepless night too. However, her wounded heart was not in a position to fight her mind for too long at that time and she had been able to make the tough decision to leave. This night was different. Over the three years that she had lived far from it all, she had gathered tons of hatred for Kunj, or she thought, but she had been proven wrong when she ran into him at the airport itself. Her heart still yearned for him. Her mind knew it was foolish, but she always weakened in front of him, no matter how much she tried to spout out hatred. Tired of reconsidering everything over and over again, she went to her bed and laid down, pulling her duvet over. She turned and twisted, but every time she closed her eyes, his image would appear, and she could do nothing about it. She cursed herself for falling so hopelessly in love, although she knew, deep in her heart, that he wouldn’t catch her when she fell.
Twinkle’s alarm rang at 6. She opened her eyes wearily, wondering when she had fallen asleep. She quickly rushed to the washroom, and got ready in a jiffy. She knew she was going to regret it, but her heart wouldn’t listen. She left the house unnoticed and drove to the view point, which was her and Kunj’s ‘regular spot’. She noticed that he was there before her. Her heart did a merry dance just at the sight of him. She smiled hesitantly, but he responded with a whole hearted grin. He quietly led her to the tree under which they had sat and talked for hours. Long, deep conversations, and meaningless banter, the place held the memories of it all. The place was lonely as usual, just the two of them and the surrounding forests and hills. They sat quietly, watching the winter sun still hiding behind the far off mountain.
“That was my dream. The only ambition I had as long as I can remember” Twinkle spoke suddenly, catching both herself and Kunj off-guard. She didn’t know why she was telling him all that, while he, was surprised she had decided to open up and speak finally. He looked at her, but she had been staring into the oblivion. She recalled the days that she had worked for the company where she and Kunj were the only ones from their college that had managed to get jobs at. Their friendship had only grown deeper, and Twinkle’s career had taken off at rocket speed. “Where were you that evening?” Kunj asked when she didn’t say anything further. “You had to present the project before the other company. We suffered huge losses because of your absence. Where were you?” He asked again. He knew that Twinkle had high hopes on that project, and it’s success would take her to newer heights too. He knew she had prepared for it for weeks, but never turned up on the big day he was told. “Someplace that I was needed” Twinkle spoke slowly, weighing each word carefully, and Kunj heard her voice crack. “More than the company needed you?” He asked, astonished. She cast a glance at him, her eyes showed the pain she was going through. He regretted it immediately. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do much to prevent you getting fired” He said instead, and she smiled at him through her tears, nodding understandingly.
There was absolute silence for a moment before Twinkle let out a humourless laugh. “It was all fated to be, I suppose. I gave up that dream for something, and lost that too.” She spoke, leaving Kunj puzzled. He saw her getting up, and in his attempt to pull her back, his foot slipped and she landed on the ground, right on top of her. He looked at her eyes that were right in front of his, and for the first time ever, he felt something that he never had before. Twinkle, on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off him; her mind jerked her back to the moment when that had happened the last time, and then she couldn’t stop the whirlwind her mind was slipping into. “I’m sorry!” Kunj’s voice brought her back to reality. He got up and helped her up too. He wondered what had got into him, and was trying to shake the sudden burst of emotions off his mind, when he heard her ask, “How’s your girlfriend doing?” He looked at her momentarily, and noticed her searching his face for any change in emotion that she hoped to detect. “Must be good.” He said, “Must be?” she asked immediately. He nodded and replied, “Figured out that wasn’t something I needed in life.” Twinkle looked at him quietly for a moment. Oh, how she wanted to hear this three years ago! She could have given anything for it! When she heard it now though, she no longer knew what she should do with that piece of information. She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry” She said finally, getting up. “For?” He asked, looking up at her. “Everything.” she replied, not even looking back at him.
When Twinkle got back home, Leela was furious that she had left without even as much as informing anyone. Yuvi and Chinki were there too, curious to know where she had been to. “On a long drive. Alone.” She said simply, hoping no further questions would be asked. Chinki laughed at that, and pointed out that she wouldn’t be dressed up so prettily to go on a drive by herself. “I went to meet Kunj.” She disclosed finally, earning a gasp from Yuvi and Chinki. She glared at them, and told Leela, “I had to apologise for being rude the other day. I won’t do it again.” Then she walked up the stairs and went to her room, not responding to the “You won’t do what again?” that Yuvi was asking repeatedly.
Kunj was affected in unexpected ways by the conversation he had with Twinkle. He had suddenly felt some new emotion that he recognised as a mistake and something he definitely shouldn’t pursue, but that moment when he was so close to her felt familiar, and he couldn’t figure out why. Besides, he was deeply bothered by how she had been speaking in riddles all along. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Besides, she had left abruptly on receiving a call from Leela. He badly needed to meet her again, to speak to her, to know what she had been hiding. He was confident there was still something he didn’t know, something that she wouldn’t let him in on so easily. He decided to go there that night itself. He parked his car a little far away and walked into the street that lay below her balcony. He saw her shadow moving on the glass door that opened into the balcony. She was awake. He sneakily looked around and was about to jump across the compound, when Yuvi got there. “What do you think you are doing?” He screamed, loud enough for the whole street to hear. Twinkle rushed into her balcony, and was surprised to see Kunj trying to calm Yuvi down, while the latter was almost on the verge of hitting him. She ran down the stairs and headed out right in time to hear Yuvi telling Kunj, “Of course you idiot! She would be horribly hurt cause she loved you!” Hearing the noise behind them, they turned around to see Twinkle standing there, looking shocked.
That’s it for now, guys. I am trying to make the episodes longer, in accordance to many of your opinions. Hope you liked it. Until next time,
Lots of love!