Petrichor to his Heart

5.4

This place didn't give him solace yet it was the place he tried to forget all those things that stripped him of his solace, he gulped down the bitter liquid and tried to forget the crazy men he had met not less than an hour ago.

He was avoiding the calls being made to him by Farhad and Harish, he was avoiding his sister who had gotten a hint of this brawl when he had shouted at her a few minutes back.

This was the side he tried keeping to himself yet this was the side he felt the most alive; Anger, frustration, unsaid agony made way in such moments and he so wished to kill all those who caused him one such moment.

"don't talk with such guys Pallavi lets go... these are not the kind of guys one should talk with..."

"i don't know what happened here but you have crossed your limits..."

The words were ringing in his ears and he felt the need for another drink...

"Young man! you should not drink more than you can take..." the man taking a seat in front of him suggested with a smile.

"I have had my share of lectures today, please sit somewhere else," he said rudely without even looking at him.

"oh, this is my Bar, my young friend so literally I can tell my guards to take you out but then you are a customer and the customer is like God...

"Are you really not going, cause then I would need to go...

"I asked my manager and he said you are an energetic young man but some days...well, some days it's not your day."

"What else does that old lion do other than mixing the bills of customers and staring guys like creepers?" Raghav eyed the old man with a side smile

"but he is the most honest man I have ever seen in my life and he is here for the last forty years...

"if you are done please leave me here, I have had enough for the day."

"do not let others grudges and frustrations eat you up, Young man... I am not telling you to quit drinking, it is a choice for you have to make but never worry about people who don't matter to you and always keep your point in front of people you care about." the man patted his back and took away the empty glass filling his brain with an awakening.

________*_______

When the last of the sheets were done she turned off her system and finally gave her a moment to think about the events of the day.

After her parents left her, Apoorva had reminded her about the assignment they had to complete that night for the online course they were enrolled in, so she got busy in that and hours pass in that and now only when she looked at the table clock she found the clock hands were announcing 10.

She could not believe this was the same guy she was telling her parents enthusiastically about, she could never say the guy they had seen this evening was the one who was helping her all these weeks. She was shocked at the turn of events.

Thinking about the evening she cracked her bones and thought to take a walk on the lawn to clear her mind about the thoughts that were going through her brain.

What roads were ahead after this evening she didn't know, she didn't know how she was going to face him; it has all turned so awkward even when it was not her fault she knew nothing was going to be the same.

And if he was not at fault then she absolutely deserved a text or a call, didn't she need clarification after all that happened.

Somewhere her heart was saying all that she had seen was not the whole truth...

She was contemplating about the right and wrong when her phone chimed softly in the dim sound and she searched for the sleek device under the pile of stuff on her bed and this reminded her she had to clear the mess before calling it a day and she also needed to change the sheets.

Making a note to herself she picked the phone and the person shocked her.

"Hello..." she waited for a while for someone to respond but when no response came she repeated her words and that's when she heard a shuffle as if someone was struggling with the words...

"Raghav, you okay?" she asked out of the concern and came out of the room to have privacy.

"I am waiting in the shade out of your hostel, come here I am waiting for you." his voice was dim and deep as if he was hiding something.

"its already 10, I cant come ...and why are you here, after all, that happened...

"come down or I'll come upstairs." his drunk voice told her and she understood this was what he was hiding earlier; he was drunk and it was an alarm bell for her.

"you have already created a scene in the evening I don't want another here." she snapped at him lowering her voice the lowest she could after recovering from the shock.

"you are coming or should I come over there..." he warned her.

For a moment her brain stopped working and she thought to ask Apoorva about it but then she felt it was useless to involve her unnecessarily when she was busy with her assignments.

Filling her lungs with fresh air she looked down to the lawn of their hostel and then threw her feet in the jeans and the flip flops.

"coming in a few minutes, Poorva.." she informed her friend who was involved in the phone screen and a pile of tabs open on the laptop in front of her. She hardly acknowledged her words.

***   

Hey everyone ! this is a short chapter owing to the schedules, but I'll try to update frequently. Thank you so much for being patient my friends and since lockdown relaxations are in place i hope you all are following the guidelines...

stay safe and stay healthy.

Love Morusya.