Greetings everyone!! Thank you so much for the tremendous amount of love this story is receiving, except for the last episode which didn’t do really well, and I’m trying to make it better. Happy reading!
Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 22
A quick recap: Chinki and Usha help Twinkle pack for her trip with Kunj. Twinkle finds the receipt for the ring Kunj had bought Alisha in his guitar bag, which leads to him breaking down as he shares his pain with her. They get ready to leave the next morning.
“Twinkle Taneja” Twinkle answered when the receptionist at the hotel asked her whose name the reservation had been made under. Usha had told her so herself that morning, but the receptionist denied any such booking. “Twinkle Kunj Sarna” Twinkle heard Kunj tell the receptionist from behind her, and turned to look at him in surprise. “May be.. Might.. I mean.. Since Ma made the booking, she could have.. I’m only suggesting..” Kunj defended himself, failing to be able to form a sentence that would make the awkwardness go away. Twinkle nodded at each attempt he made, both of them trying to make peace with their raging minds. Twinkle felt a surge of happiness at the idea of being Twinkle Kunj Sarna, for it was the time that Kunj had acknowledged her that way, and their names sounded perfect together. Kunj, on the other hand, couldn’t figure out why he had said that, and was wondering if he had offended Twinkle by that, and thus they remained absolutely quiet as they were led to their room. Twinkle was yet again surprised by how Usha was always there for her, regardless of her physical presence. “We might have to get used to that little thing there.” Twinkle said hesitantly when there prevailed silence after they had been left alone in the luxurious suite. “Right! Exactly the words I was looking for!” Kunj said, smiling at her as he disappeared through one of the many doors.
“This is such a beautiful place!” Twinkle said for what Kunj thought was the hundredth time as she looked through the tour guide that was left on the coffee table, making him giggle. “Twinkle! It’s so hot out there! Don’t open the door!” Kunj’s words went in vain for she opened the door that opened into the balcony nevertheless, excitedly rushing out to take a look at the majestic view of the town that it offered. He kept an eye on her as he called up Usha and Leela to inform that they had reached safely. “It’s burning hot here!” Kunj exclaimed as he stepped out, while Twinkle chuckled and said, “Stop being so fussy! Cool winds have just begun blowing and it feels so wonderful!” He looked at her doubtfully as he walked to the railing to stand beside her. He put down the hand that he was using to fan himself vigorously when she glanced at him and laughed. “I’ll just go check on the band members and be back!” Kunj told her, mostly because he couldn’t bear the heat anymore, and glad he had found a reason to walk back into the air conditioned interiors. She nodded at him, smiling to herself for she knew exactly that, and agreed to his idea of sitting inside by the large glass doors instead when he insisted.
Kunj walked back into the suite a couple of hours later, to find it pitch dark in there. He turned on the first switch he could find and called out to her, wondering what was going on. “Twink..” He stopped when he saw her sitting right where he had suggested, and she appeared to have dozed off while reading a book. He made as little noise as he could as he strode across the room, not wanting to wake her up with a scare. He kneeled down in front of her and took the book from her hand, smiling to himself when he noticed that she had music still playing on her earphones that were connected to her phone. She shifted slightly when he took off the earphones and opened her eyes slowly. “I think I fell asleep!” She said gingerly and he nodded as he glanced at her book. “That’s alright! Evidently you had worn out yourself by standing out there the entire afternoon!” He said with a laugh, holding out his hand to help her up to her feet and she took it readily. “I didn’t know you were fond of reading!” He said curiously as he handed her book back. “I am, just not this thriller genre that Chinki suggested. It was supposed to be enthralling!” She replied giggling. “Still not an acceptable reason for falling asleep with these!” He said pointedly, holding up her earphones. “What were you listening to?” He asked as he saw her quickly close her playlist. “My usual.” She said hiding her phone behind her, making him doubt her answer, he wouldn’t give in so easily. He was surprised when he managed to snatch her phone despite her reluctance to see that it had only his songs. “That’s why I didn’t want to show you that.” She said cringing as she turned away from him expecting to hear something disappointing, but she was surprised when he said, “I think it’s really sweet! I’m so glad you like my music so much!” She turned back with a bright smile, normalcy returning between them with his proud grin.
“These pillows won’t be sufficient!” Twinkle said disappointedly as she and Kunj headed to the bed. “What?” Kunj asked confusedly, not looking up from his phone. “Nothing!” She said quickly, and added, “I am going to sleep on the couch!” Now he did look up at her and processed her problem, smiling to himself. “Come here!” He said, sitting on the right side of the bed with his legs folded up, patting in front of him. She seemed to be a little surprised, but hid it well and complied. “Do you trust me?” He asked, looking right into her eyes that gave away her astonishment. He held her hands in his and repeated his question, watching her carefully. “What?” She asked in return, while all he could think of were Chinki’s words that clearly implied that Twinkle didn’t trust him. “Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?” She questioned again, worrying if she had done something wrong. “It’s just a simple yes or no question, Twinkle!” He said softly, smiling at her assuringly. “I do.” Twinkle said without as much as batting an eyelid, making his smile brighten. “We won’t be needing your wall, then. We’ll be just fine even without it. Now stop worrying and go to sleep!” He said surprising her as he let go of her hands. She nodded at him, hoping that wouldn’t be a wrong thing to do as she slid off and walked to her side of the bed. “Do you trust me as much as you trust Chinki though?” Kunj asked suddenly, smirking at her. She giggled and replied, “I trust you more.” Only after seeing Kunj’s expressions change as he processed her answer did she realise its implications. “I’m honoured!” He replied, smiling at her as she managed to quickly smile back at him before turning out the lights to avoid making more blunders.
Kunj woke up the next morning to find Twinkle’s side of the bed empty. He smiled to himself as he recalled turning around when he had woken up at some odd hour of the night to find her facing him as she slept peacefully. Had she known, she would have spent at least an hour avoiding him out of embarrassment for ‘encroaching’ into his side of the bed even if it was for a teeny bit, as she had called it, he thought to himself, giggling at the idea when he heard the door open. He turned to see her walk out of the washroom drying her freshly washed hair, looking stunning in her high slit Kurti. “Don’t open the dooor!” He protested as she headed for the balcony, making her turn around swiftly. “That’s one way to say Good Morning!” She taunted as she walked back, informing him that he was running late as she pointed to the wall clock. She giggled as he jumped off the bed and rushed into the washroom and got back to getting ready.
Twinkle looked up from her suitcase that she had been rummaging through for something to see Kunj walk in in nothing but a towel. “Kunj! Wear your clothes!” She exclaimed, turning away although she could feel her heart go jittery at the idea of getting to see him like that. “I didn’t know I was that bad looking!” She heard Kunj say a few minutes later and looked at him making sure he was dressed, amused to hear that. “I didn’t say that.” She said as she led him to the dining area where the food she had ordered had been placed. “What else do you think you said?” He asked, eyeing her as he sat down next to her, trying to sound offended as he teased her. “I heard you say that you would be going out, so I considered wearing something else that I had not taken along!” He explained, watching her as she carefully avoided making any eye contact with him. “I also said I would be back in a couple of minutes!” Twinkle replied, but he could not recollect that. “No!” He said reluctantly, and she responded “Yes!” confidently. “Twinkle!” He began in his best pleasing voice when they heard the door bell. “I know you were staring!” Kunj said as he got up to answer the door, leaving her laughing quietly to herself.
Kunj was on the stage, performing his mic check and discussing something with the band when he saw Twinkle watching him, or rather staring at him from below, where it would be extremely crowded later that evening. He winked at her making her smile as she got back to her interaction with a technician. She found it hard to believe she wasn’t dreaming now. She was married to the prince of her dreams, and the two of them were getting along really well, despite her stupidities every now and then. Most importantly, she would finally get to attend his concert, which had been her dream for years now. He had told her he would get her a VIP pass if she wanted, but she had refused bluntly, telling him that she wanted the whole experience to be real for her. He had to finally give in, surprised by how insistent she was about it, moved by how much it meant to her. “Promise me you’ll come back straight to the green room once the concert ends. You wouldn’t want to get lost in the crowd!” He had said and she had nodded readily, she could not wait for the show to begin now.
That’s it for now guys. I hope I haven’t disappointed you all. Loads of love!