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Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 13
A quick recap: Kunj visits Alisha at the rehab facility, and posts a happy picture of him and Twinkle in a way of expressing gratitude to her. The Haldi ceremony happens at the Taneja’s, with Twinkle and Kunj’s silly little conversations
Twinkle had just finished washing up and had walked down the stairs, when she noticed Leela in the kitchen. As she got closer, she noticed that Leela had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed the dish on the stove getting burnt. “Ma!” Twinkle screamed, worried that she might hurt herself. That jerked Leela out of the thoughts, and she went about getting rid of the burnt dish, muttering under her breath about how she couldn’t believe that she had been so careless. Twinkle took over the task and asked her to go and sit down instead. She watched in a daze as Leela quietly stood a few steps away from her and watched. “Is everything alright, Ma?” She asked, putting away the cloth in her hand and rushing to Leela’s side. She didn’t say anything, just smiled at Twinkle, scaring her. She brought Leela out and made her sit on a sofa a little far away from the guests who had stayed back. She made several attempts but Leela wouldn’t say a single word about what was bothering her so much. So Twinkle sat on the ground beside the sofa and placed her head on her mother’s lap, the very thing that she had always done when Leela wouldn’t tell her what she had been troubled by. Leela began to pat Twinkle’s head almost immediately.
Leela had managed to voice her fears regarding Twinkle’s new life in Kunj’s house, how she would manage in a completely new place with new people and her mother not around to help her out. Twinkle had managed to convince her that she didn’t need to worry so much, assuring her that she would put into use all that she had been taught over the years, and was sure that even if Leela wasn’t there, her watchful blessings would always be, and that was all she would ever need. Usha had been listening to this conversation from a little distance, her guilt building up with every word exchanged. Her eyes flooded with tears too, knowing too well that Twinkle would have to fight many battles all at once. She mentally promised herself to help Twinkle out as much as she could. She was about to step forward to console Leela, when she saw Kunj get there before her. “All that love only for her? What about me?” He complained, making the mother-daughter duo look up in surprise. He sat down beside Leela, and she spoke to him lovingly, with Kunj successfully managing to brighten up her mood in minutes. Twinkle had whispered a ‘Thank you’ to him in return later.
Twinkle had managed to get her uncle and aunt, who had been planning to shift to the city, to agree to live with Leela, since the morning’s incident had left her extremely worried. “How are you going to mange without me, Ma?” Twinkle teased, imitating Leela’s ‘What would you do without me?’, as she helped her find some jewellery that she had been looking for, for a long time now. Leela playfully smacked her head, laughing along, when she asked suddenly, “Who is this Alisha?” Twinkle knew better than to ask Leela any question in return. “I don’t know” She said instead, stammering as she chose her words carefully. “Is she Kunj’s friend?” Leela asked further, when all Twinkle could think of was where she had picked that from. Twinkle shrugged her shoulders and stood up, avoiding Leela’s confused looks, when Leela asked her to sit down. “I overheard Kunj take that name when he left abruptly that night, Twinkle!” Leela’s tone made it clear that she wouldn’t let her go without answers. “His friend.” Twinkle said, a lump forming in her throat as she thought of Alisha. “She met with an accident recently. He had to go and see her at the hospital.” She said quickly and left the room, convincing Leela only partially.
Twinkle and Kunj had become really good friends even before they realised it. What bothered Twinkle though, was how Kunj reacted whenever someone said anything about them being a couple. Her eyes never left Kunj, who had been sitting opposite her, while she herself sat on a low stool with people applying Mehendi on her hands. She smiled when he did, even if wasn’t at her. She sighed deeply, thinking to herself that he probably didn’t even care. She looked at his name hidden among the intricate designs, wondering if it was actually meant to be, and even if it was, for how long. She had been sitting alone under the moonlight in their garden when Kunj slowly tiptoed to her and scared her with a loud ‘Boo!’ She jumped up at the sudden intrusion, making him laugh while she sighed when she realised it was only him. “What are you doing?” He asked, glancing over all the different things she had scattered on a table in front of her. “That’s a secret!” She replied, moving over to make space for him to sit. He accepted her invite gladly and sat down, picking up one bowl after the other and smelling the stuff. She giggled at his curiosity, and explained, “These are some things I read over the Internet about. Supposedly they make the Mehendi leave a deeper colour.” Kunj nodded, pretending to understand. “The old ladies out there will create a huge scene if they found out, Twinkle! Besides we don’t even know if these work!” Chinki came towards them, speaking annoyingly, not noticing Kunj there.
Kunj gave Twinkle a ‘You’re impossible!’ look when on his repeated insistence Chinki had finally told him about the belief about the colour only being as dark as the partner’s love. “Please tell me this is a joke!” He said in disbelief, unable to understand what the big deal was about. “What if the colour is so light that it doesn’t remain even till the wedding?” Twinkle expressed her concern, knowing that if the colour really depended on Kunj’s love, there wouldn’t be even traces left on her hand by tomorrow itself. “How does it matter, Twinkle?” Kunj asked, walking up to where she was now standing. He held her by her arm and made her face him. “How does it matter what the rest of the world thinks? We know what is actually between us!” He asked, looking straight at her. Twinkle stared back and responded, “If that is the case, what makes you cringe every time someone brings up the idea of us as a couple, Kunj?” The look in his eyes made it evident that she had hit exactly where she had intended to. He loosened his grip on her and dropped his hands, looking away immediately.
Twinkle had let Kunj do his thinking and overthinking about it for a while as she washed off the Mehendi, which showed a moderately deep colour and finished showing it to all those who had been waiting for it. She had noticed a few murmurs about the colour, but she ignored them, thanking the internet, lest there should have been a chaos there by now. Usha had been helping Leela with something when Kunj finally walked back in. When asked to find his name in Twinkle’s Mehendi, he had initially appeared confused, but then found it with ease, with Twinkle secretly guiding him. She watched happily as he celebrated his win, bragging about how brilliant he was. She didn’t want him to lose, even if it wouldn’t be such a big deal to him. It mattered to her, way more than he would ever know. “I’m sorry!” He apologised sincerely to her when the crowd had finally left them alone. She looked up at him in wonder. “I never realised how wrong I was being. I had only been thinking of it all from my own perspective, you see. Not once did I realise that you were having a hard time too.” He said, his eyes not even looking up at hers. “I promise I’ll be a good boy, and a good best friend from now on!” He said like a little child when Twinkle hadn’t responded for a while. She giggled finally, easing his burden of guilt.
That’s it for now guys. Tell me what you thought about it, please. Until next time,
Lots of Love!