You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 16 Visiting her house

Dev's last hope also left him. He returned home full of dreams. He felt his chest heaving with the effort it took to breathe. He had never been so scared in his life. Sometimes the words we leave unspoken are the most important ones we should have been saying. We don't appreciate how valuable our loved ones are until they leave us. He felt like being abandoned in a dark forest.

Dev was clueless. That moment he understood where he was. He has no idea what Anu's phone number is or where her parents live.

"What a shameful husband I have been? Is she safe?" - he cursed himself.

The only one who came to his mind is Mugil. Without wasting time, he telephoned him.

"Hi, Dev, Why you are calling by this time. If you are inviting me to your so-called colourful world, I am sorry, I can't..." - he started blabbering.

"Mugil, can you stop?" - he said, his voice containing a hint of the panic he felt.

Mugil got serious after sensing his tone.

"What happened, Bro?" - he inquired.

Dev then explained Anu's absence as well as the letter. Mugil scolded Dev for his irresponsible behaviour. However, he afterwards consoled him since he didn't want to add to his agony.

Mugil made a phone call to Anu, but that was unanswered. They both decided to check on her parent's house. It was half-past eight in the late evening. They parked the car at a distance and waited for some clue. Anu's brother Arjun was returning from somewhere. When he was crossing by, they hid their faces. When Arjun pressed the calling bell, Anu was the one who opened the door. Both Dev and Mugil felt relaxed after seeing her face.

Mugil suggested leaving that place, as it may create unnecessary conflicts. They were clueless about what Anu had informed her parents?

They can't enter her house unless they know her side of the story.

When they were discussing their next move, Mugil got a call from Anu.

"It's Anu...It's Anu.." - he screeched.

"Attend." - Dev commanded.

"What you two are doing here at this time?" - Anu questioned at the other end.

They figured she had seen them, so they went looking for her and saw a fragile figure behind her bedroom window. Mugil waved his hand.

"Mugil, we will talk over in the morning. I informed my parents that Dev is on a foreign trip. So you guys better move from here, before anyone could notice." - she pleaded.

"Okay...Okay..take care. Wait. You want to talk to your husband? he is burning with jealousy." - Mugil asked.

"I informed Dev everything already; you guys, first clear the place." - she almost cried.

"Okay...Okay" - Mugil disconnected the call.

They decided to deal with it in the morning. Both Anu and Dev were engrossed in their thoughts.

Dev was happy that she didn't cut all the ties.

"She simply told her parents that I was out of the country. So, this is a temporary stay; I should bring her home before it becomes permanent." - he decided.

Likewise, Anu was confused about his presence.

"Is he not irritated by my presence? Why is he looking for me, then?" She pondered this.

When Anu went to her parent's house, they got confused as she came with the luggage. She deceived them by saying Dev was on a foreign trip. She informed her parents that she felt lonely and came to spend some time with them. They believed Anu's words because they were not social people and had no knowledge of Reena's press conference. Her brother Arjun, on the other hand, did not believe her.

Arjun heard the rumours of Reena being Dev's fiancée. When he inquired about it in her room, Anu told him not to believe those baseless gossips.

"It is natural for celebrities to get such pervasive rumours. Dad and Mom cannot tolerate this. So, please keep your mouth shut, okay?" - she commanded.

Her answer, however, did not convince Arjun.

"I have to talk with Uncle Mugil uncle about this." - he decided himself. Mugil used to talk with Arjun whenever he visited his parents. He was the one looking after their family bills.

Somewhat Anu managed Arjun, but she knew that he was not satisfied with her answer.

As Anu will get her degree certificate in few days, she decided to start everything afresh. She had applied for some fresher jobs. Her MBA is still a dream only.

"It is not fair to get help from Dev; I have to talk with Mugil to stop all their support." - she thought to herself. With mixed emotions, she tried to sleep.

Contrarily, Dev cannot sleep a bit. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. He was ashamed of his actions when he sought to reminisce about past events. He can't recall a single moment when he was kind to Anu. He regretted every second for what he did to her in the past.

Dev got her mobile number from Mugil. He kept flipping his mobile, hesitant to make a call. He never apologized to anyone in his lifetime. He had no idea what she was going to say, but he couldn't muster the guts to call her. After thinking for an hour, he left the idea of calling her.

"I'll call her in Mugil's presence tomorrow from the office." - he decided.